Privacy Policy - Carpet Cleaning Hammersmith

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaning Hammersmith collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Carpet Cleaning Hammersmith customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, receives a cleaning visit, or otherwise interacts with our business in connection with carpet cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to customers, prospective customers, property occupants, and any other individuals whose personal data we may process while delivering carpet cleaning services in Hammersmith and the surrounding area. It also applies where a customer provides information relating to another person, such as a landlord, tenant, family member, or building manager. By using our services, you acknowledge that your data may be processed as described in this policy.

2. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our operations, and comply with legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name, and where relevant, the name of a business or property contact.
Contact data such as address details and other communication information needed to arrange and complete a service.
Service and booking data including property details, cleaning requirements, appointment times, service history, and notes relevant to the work carried out.
Payment and transaction data relating to invoices, payment status, and accounting records.
Technical data if you interact with digital systems used to manage bookings or communications, such as device information or basic usage data.
Correspondence data including messages, feedback, complaints, and other communications exchanged in relation to our services.

We do not knowingly collect unnecessary personal data. We also do not seek to collect special category data unless there is a specific and lawful reason to do so, for example where such information is voluntarily provided and is strictly necessary for service delivery or safeguarding purposes.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to deliver a professional and efficient service. The main purposes include:

handling enquiries and providing quotations;
booking, confirming, rescheduling, or completing cleaning appointments;
understanding property and service requirements;
processing payments and maintaining accounting records;
responding to customer messages, complaints, and service issues;
maintaining internal records, quality control, and service improvement;
meeting legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or legal claims.

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes without a lawful basis. Where we need to use data for a new purpose that is not compatible with the original reason for collection, we will ensure this is done lawfully and transparently.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Carpet Cleaning Hammersmith relies on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging a cleaning appointment, delivering services, or processing payment for work completed.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer records, preventing fraud, maintaining service quality, and improving operations.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain data to comply with legal duties such as accounting, tax, insurance, or record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example if a specific optional communication or special processing activity requires it. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Important: If we rely on a lawful basis other than consent, withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only where necessary and only with trusted third parties who help us operate the business. These may include:

payment processors for handling transactions;
accounting or bookkeeping providers for financial administration;
IT, cloud storage, or software providers used to store and manage records;
customer management or scheduling systems used to organise appointments;
professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers where necessary;
public authorities where required by law or to protect rights, safety, or legal interests.

When third parties process personal data on our behalf, they act as processors. We require processors to handle data securely, use it only for instructed purposes, and apply appropriate confidentiality and security measures. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the relevant legal or operational needs. For example:

booking and service records may be retained for business administration and customer support;
financial and tax records may be kept for the period required by law;
correspondence and complaint records may be retained for resolving issues or defending claims;
data no longer needed is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise removed from active use.

We review data periodically to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary. Where retention is required by law, contractual need, or legitimate business purpose, deletion may be delayed until that requirement ends.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal limits, these may include:

Right of access â€“ to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification â€“ to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure â€“ to request deletion of your data where there is no lawful reason to keep it.
Right to restrict processing â€“ to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability â€“ to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object â€“ to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent â€“ where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

We will respond to rights requests within the time allowed by law, unless an extension is permitted. To protect privacy, we may need to verify identity before acting on a request.

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, staff awareness, and supplier oversight. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we aim to use reasonable safeguards proportionate to the nature of the data we process.

9. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place so that your information remains protected to an adequate standard. This may include reliance on approved contractual protections or transfer mechanisms recognised under applicable law.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practice, or the way we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Carpet Cleaning Hammersmith is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and in line with GDPR principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, data minimisation, storage limitation, integrity, and confidentiality. We only collect what we need, retain it for justified periods, share it carefully with trusted processors, and respect your rights as a data subject. This policy applies to all Carpet Cleaning Hammersmith customers in the area and is designed to ensure your personal information is handled with care and respect.