Privacy Policy - Shoreditch Carpetcleaning

This Privacy Policy applies to all Shoreditch Carpetcleaning customers in the area. It explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when we provide carpet cleaning and related services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Shoreditch Carpetcleaning is a service provider operating for customers in the Shoreditch area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller when we decide why and how personal data is processed. This means we are responsible for ensuring that your personal data is used appropriately and protected against misuse.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to deliver our services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. The personal data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as booking details, property access notes, cleaning preferences, and service history.
Payment-related information such as transaction records and payment confirmation details.
Communication records such as messages, complaints, feedback, and service requests.
Technical information if you contact us electronically, including basic device or usage data where necessary for security and service improvement.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you provide it voluntarily, for example if you share information relevant to access needs or allergies. Where special category data is processed, we apply additional safeguards and only do so where lawful.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to manage enquiries and bookings;
to provide carpet cleaning and related services;
to confirm appointments and service arrangements;
to process payments and maintain accounts;
to handle customer support, complaints, and feedback;
to maintain records of completed services;
to improve service quality and customer experience;
to comply with legal, tax, and accounting requirements;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we have a valid lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes booking services, confirming appointments, carrying out cleaning work, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may need to process and retain certain information to comply with legal requirements, including tax records, accounting obligations, and record-keeping duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes responding to enquiries, maintaining service records, improving operations, preventing fraud, and safeguarding our business.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of optional marketing or where special category data is shared voluntarily and consent is the appropriate legal basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services. These third parties act as data processors when they process data on our behalf and only according to our instructions. Examples may include:

payment service providers;
booking and scheduling system providers;
IT and cloud storage providers;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
customer communication tools;
professional advisers, including legal or insurance advisers, where required;
regulatory, law enforcement, or tax authorities where disclosure is legally required.

We require processors to protect personal data using appropriate technical and organisational measures. They are not permitted to use your data for their own purposes.

6. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we ensure that suitable safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections to keep your data secure and compliant with applicable law.

7. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the context of the service.

Customer service and booking records are normally kept for a reasonable period after the service is completed.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint and communication records may be kept for as long as needed to resolve disputes or demonstrate service history.
Data no longer required is securely deleted or anonymised.

We regularly review our retention practices to make sure data is not kept longer than necessary.

8. How We Protect Your Data

We take appropriate security measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

9. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal conditions and exceptions. They include:

The right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
The right to erasure – to ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
The right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how your data is used in certain situations.
The right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format where applicable.
The right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you believe your rights have been infringed, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection authority. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve them promptly.

10. Marketing Communications

We may send limited service-related communications where necessary for appointments, billing, or customer support. If we ever send optional promotional communications, we will do so only where the law allows, and you can opt out at any time. We will not pressure you into receiving marketing messages.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging cleaning services for homes, businesses, or other premises. We do not knowingly collect data from children unless it is incidental and necessary for service provision, such as when a parent or guardian provides information relevant to access or scheduling.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operations, or services. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

13. Summary of Key Principles

We collect only the information needed to provide services and manage our business.
We process data using lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where appropriate.
We share data only with trusted processors and others where required by law.
We keep data only as long as necessary and secure it appropriately.
You have rights over your personal data and can exercise them subject to legal limits.

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide clear and transparent information to all Shoreditch Carpetcleaning customers in the area. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy and in accordance with applicable data protection law.