Privacy Policy - Hounslow Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Hounslow Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Hounslow Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who enquire about our services.

1. Who We Are

Hounslow Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and related cleaning services for homes and businesses in the Hounslow area. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we collect and process in connection with our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for us to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations. Depending on your interactions with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity data such as your name, title, and any business name you provide.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service data including details about the cleaning services requested, property access information, appointment history, and service preferences.
Payment data such as payment confirmation and billing records. We do not store full card details where payment is handled by a secure payment provider.
Communication data including messages, enquiries, complaints, feedback, and records of correspondence.
Technical data where relevant, such as device or browser information if you interact with digital systems used for managing appointments or enquiries.
Transaction and account data such as service records, invoices, booking history, and related administrative details.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to provide it to us. If such information is shared by you, we will handle it with appropriate care and only process it where a lawful basis applies.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes.
To arrange and deliver carpet cleaning and related services.
To manage bookings, schedules, and property access arrangements.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To communicate about appointments, service updates, and customer support.
To handle complaints, disputes, and service follow-up.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency.

We process personal data only where it is necessary and proportionate to the purpose concerned. We do not use your personal data for unrelated purposes without a valid legal basis.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, providing cleaning services, processing payments, and handling customer support related to the service you requested.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer records, improving service quality, preventing fraud, and handling routine communication.

Legal Obligation

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

Consent

Where required by law, we will rely on your consent. If we ask for your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to run our business and deliver services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place before sharing data.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment service providers that handle secure transaction processing.
Booking, scheduling, or customer management systems used to organise appointments.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data storage and business operations.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers where necessary.
Subcontractors or cleaning operatives who need limited information to deliver services.

We require processors to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we take steps to ensure that it remains protected in accordance with applicable data protection law. This may include using approved contractual safeguards and assessing the level of protection provided in the destination country.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Customer and booking records are generally retained for the period needed to manage the service relationship and resolve any issues that may arise.
Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to support customer service, dispute resolution, and quality control.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. Retention decisions are reviewed periodically to ensure we do not keep personal data longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and limited access to data on a need-to-know basis.

While we work to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. If a data breach occurs, we will respond in line with our legal obligations and take steps to reduce any risk to your rights and freedoms.

9. Your Rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exceptions, depending on the circumstances.

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 – in some cases, you can ask us to delete your personal data.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

10. Marketing

We do not send marketing communications without a lawful basis. Where required, we will ask for your consent before sending direct marketing. If we rely on legitimate interests for limited marketing in compliance with the law, you can object at any time and we will stop using your data for that purpose.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online systems that rely on cookies or similar technologies, these may be used for essential functionality, performance, and security. Where consent is required, we will obtain it before placing non-essential cookies. Any such use will be explained clearly at the point of collection.

12. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a service request made by an adult customer and processed in accordance with applicable law.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review it periodically.

14. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to raise them with us first so we can address the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

15. Summary of Our Commitment

Hounslow Carpet Cleaners is committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide services, rely on appropriate lawful bases, share data only with trusted processors where necessary, retain data for no longer than required, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Hounslow Carpet Cleaners customers in the area and is designed to ensure your personal data is treated with care and accountability.