Privacy Policy - Carpet Cleaners Kennington

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpet Cleaners Kennington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Carpet Cleaners Kennington customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or receives our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data 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

For the purposes of data protection law, Carpet Cleaners Kennington is the data controller for the personal data described in this Policy. This means we decide why and how personal data is processed. We only collect and use personal data where we have a valid reason to do so, and we take appropriate steps to protect it.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identity information such as your name;
Contact information such as your address, email address, and telephone number;
Service information such as property access details, cleaning preferences, and service history;
Billing information such as payment records and transaction details;
Communication records such as messages, enquiries, complaints, and feedback;
Technical information if you use our digital systems, such as basic device or usage data;
Special instructions that may relate to fragile items, flooring types, or site-specific requirements.

We normally do not collect more information than is necessary for the purpose of providing our services. If we ever need to collect sensitive data, we will only do so where it is necessary and permitted by law.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quote;
book a carpet cleaning appointment;
ask a question or make a complaint;
provide instructions before, during, or after a service;
complete a payment or invoice process;
leave feedback or review our services.

We may also receive information from third parties where necessary, for example from a payment provider, a property manager, or another person acting on your behalf. In such cases, we expect the third party to have a lawful basis for sharing the data with us.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business and service-related purposes. These include:

providing quotes and managing bookings;
delivering carpet cleaning and related services;
communicating with customers about appointments or service updates;
handling payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable;
responding to enquiries, requests, and complaints;
maintaining records for administration and service quality;
meeting legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business against fraud, misuse, or security issues.

We will only use your information for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe we need to use it for a compatible related purpose.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Carpet Cleaners Kennington relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, carrying out cleaning services, processing payments, and communicating about service delivery.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer records, improving our services, preventing fraud, and maintaining appropriate internal administration. We always consider whether our interests are proportionate and whether your privacy impact is reasonable.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where we are required to do so by law, including tax, accounting, or record-keeping obligations.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain optional communications. If we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

6. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business and provide services. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the situation. We only share what is necessary and require appropriate safeguards where applicable.

Processors may include:

payment processing providers;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
customer management or scheduling software providers;
IT and data storage providers;
communication service providers;
professional advisers such as lawyers, auditors, or insurers.

We may also disclose data where required by law, to comply with a legal request, or to protect our rights, customers, staff, or property. We do not sell your personal data.

7. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. This may include reliance on adequacy regulations, the International Data Transfer Agreement, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. Our aim is to keep your data protected wherever it is processed.

8. 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 can vary depending on the type of data and the nature of our relationship with you.

Customer and booking records are typically retained for as long as needed to manage the service relationship and resolve queries;
financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting rules;
communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to support service history, complaints handling, and quality assurance;
consent records are kept as long as needed to demonstrate compliance.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner. We apply the principle of data minimisation so that we do not retain information longer than necessary.

9. Security of Your Data

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and staff awareness measures. While no system is completely secure, we work to keep risk as low as reasonably possible.

10. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

the right to be informed about how your data is used;
the right of access to request a copy of the data we hold about you;
the right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
the right to erasure in certain circumstances;
the right to restrict processing in certain circumstances;
the right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means;
the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
rights relating to automated decision-making where applicable.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable data protection law. In some cases, we may need to verify your identity before dealing with your request. Please note that certain rights may be limited where we have a legal obligation or a valid reason to retain or process data.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online tools that rely on cookies or similar technologies, these may be used to support website functionality, improve user experience, or analyse basic usage patterns. Where consent is required, it will be obtained before non-essential cookies are placed. Any such use will be limited to what is necessary and lawful.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational needs. The updated version will apply from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review this Policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

13. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the matter promptly and fairly. We take all privacy concerns seriously and will review them carefully.

14. Summary of Our Commitment

Carpet Cleaners Kennington is committed to lawful, transparent, and responsible data handling. We collect only the information needed to deliver our services, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it only for as long as necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. Your privacy matters to us, and we aim to respect your rights at every stage of our service relationship.