Privacy Policy - Harmondsworth Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Harmondsworth Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Harmondsworth Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who books, requests a quote, receives a service, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, rug cleaning, stain treatment, and related domestic or commercial cleaning services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to keep your information safe and to use it only for legitimate business purposes.

1. Who We Are

Harmondsworth Carpet Cleaners is the controller of the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. We are responsible for ensuring that your information is handled in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

Personal data means any information that identifies you or could reasonably be used to identify you, either directly or indirectly.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity details, such as your name and, where relevant, your business name.
Contact details, such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information, including the type of cleaning requested, property access details, preferred appointment times, and service notes.
Billing and payment details, such as payment status, transaction references, and invoice records.
Communication records, including messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical data, such as basic website usage information if you visit our online pages, including device information and cookies where applicable.
Special instructions relating to the property or cleaning requirements, including allergy concerns or material sensitivities you choose to share with us.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary or excessive personal data. If we ever need to collect sensitive information, we will do so only where it is relevant, limited, and supported by a lawful basis.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect your personal data in the following ways:

When you make an enquiry or request a quote.
When you book a cleaning service.
When you communicate with us by phone, email, message, or in person.
When you complete forms or provide service details.
When you make a payment or receive an invoice.
When you leave feedback, make a complaint, or ask for support.
When we receive information from third parties acting on your behalf, such as landlords, letting agents, or business administrators, where appropriate and lawful.

4. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data only for clear and legitimate purposes. These include:

Providing carpet cleaning and related services.
Managing appointments, scheduling, and site access.
Preparing quotations, invoices, and receipts.
Communicating with you about bookings, service updates, and customer support.
Handling complaints, queries, and service improvements.
Keeping internal records and managing our business operations.
Meeting legal, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
Protecting our business, customers, and staff from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will never use your data in a way that is incompatible with the purpose for which it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so and you would reasonably expect such use.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must identify a lawful basis before processing your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes handling bookings, delivering cleaning services, issuing invoices, and managing service arrangements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include service administration, record-keeping, quality control, business planning, and protecting against fraud or misuse.

Legal Obligation

We process data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where optional communications or non-essential cookies are used. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share your data with carefully selected third parties who help us operate our business. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and under our instructions. We ensure appropriate data processing agreements are in place.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle card or online payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with financial records and tax compliance.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data storage, email, or administration systems.
Scheduling or customer management tools used to organise bookings and service records.
Professional advisers, such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors, where necessary.

We may also disclose data to third parties where required by law, court order, or regulatory authority, or where necessary to protect our rights, staff, customers, or property.

We do not sell your personal data. Any sharing is limited to what is necessary and proportionate.

7. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data remains protected. This may include using approved transfer mechanisms and safeguards recognised under data protection law.

8. Retention of Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. The retention period may vary depending on the nature of the data and the reason it was collected.

Customer and service records are generally kept for the duration of the business relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Complaint or dispute records may be retained for longer if needed to resolve claims or defend legal rights.
Consent-based data is kept until consent is withdrawn or the data is no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have important rights under data protection law. These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exemptions, but we will always consider your request carefully.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request that certain data be provided to you or another organisation in a structured format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the time limits required by law. We may need to verify your identity before completing your request.

10. Security of Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices.

While we take protection seriously, no method of storage or transmission is completely risk-free. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we do work hard to reduce risks to an acceptable level.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of a household service and provided by an adult customer or authorised representative. If we become aware that we have collected data improperly, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

12. Complaints and Further Rights

If you believe your data has been handled unlawfully or you are unhappy with the way we have processed your personal data, you may raise a concern with us so that we can review the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection regulator if you believe your rights have been infringed.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal duties, or operational practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

In summary, Harmondsworth Carpet Cleaners processes personal data fairly, securely, and only where lawful. We collect the minimum information needed to provide our services, we retain it only as long as necessary, and we respect your rights under data protection law.