Privacy Policy - Carpetcleaning Stockwell

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpetcleaning Stockwell collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to all Carpetcleaning Stockwell customers in the area. It applies to all individuals who enquire about, book, receive, or otherwise use our carpet cleaning services in Stockwell and surrounding local service areas. We are committed to handling personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Privacy is important to us. We only collect and process personal data where it is necessary, lawful, and proportionate to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Carpetcleaning Stockwell acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing personal information when handling customer records, service enquiries, bookings, communications, billing, and related administration.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, company name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including property access information, cleaning instructions, service preferences, and appointment history.
Payment information necessary to process invoices, payments, refunds, or accounting records. We do not store more payment data than is needed for the transaction or legal accounting requirements.
Communication records including messages, emails, call notes, complaints, and service-related correspondence.
Technical data where relevant, such as limited website or device information used for security and performance purposes.
Legal and compliance information where required to support fraud prevention, dispute handling, or record-keeping obligations.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you provide it voluntarily, or it is required for a specific legal or operational purpose. If such data is received, we process it only where permitted by law and with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Collect Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quote or make an enquiry;
book a carpet cleaning service;
communicate with us by phone, email, message, or other channels;
provide feedback, make a complaint, or ask for support;
complete forms or supply information during service delivery;
make a payment or request an invoice.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary, such as payment providers, booking systems, or referral partners acting on your behalf. In every case, we seek to limit collection to what is relevant and necessary.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

a) Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling enquiries, booking services, delivering carpet cleaning work, processing payments, and managing related customer administration.

b) Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal requirements, such as accounting, tax, insurance, fraud prevention, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

c) Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include business record management, customer service, service improvement, internal auditing, security, and resolving disputes.

d) Consent

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

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes without a lawful basis.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to schedule and deliver cleaning services;
to personalise service delivery and follow your instructions;
to manage customer accounts and records;
to process payments and handle invoicing;
to deal with complaints, queries, and after-service support;
to maintain business records and comply with legal obligations;
to protect against misuse, fraud, and unauthorised access;
to improve our services and customer experience.

We will only use your data for the purpose for which it was collected, or for a compatible purpose permitted by law.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These processors only handle data under our instructions and are required to keep it secure and confidential.

Examples of processors may include:

payment processing providers;
booking and scheduling software providers;
IT support and cloud storage services;
accounting and invoicing systems;
customer communication tools;
professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary;
delivery, subcontractor, or operational partners involved in service fulfilment.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, regulator, or other lawful authority. We do not sell your personal data.

All processors are selected with care and are expected to maintain appropriate technical and organisational security measures. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure suitable safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, reporting, or dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods depend on the nature of the data and the reason we hold it.

In general:

customer enquiry records are kept for a limited period unless they lead to a booking or ongoing relationship;
booking and service records are retained for the period needed to manage the contract and aftercare;
invoicing, payment, and accounting records are kept for the duration required by tax and financial law;
complaints or dispute records may be retained until the matter is resolved and for a reasonable period afterwards;
data held under consent is kept only until consent is withdrawn or the purpose ends.

When personal data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risk and maintain a level of security appropriate to the nature of the data we process.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a usable format where applicable.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to exemptions or legal requirements. We will respond to requests in line with applicable law and may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and property-related service arrangements. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data except where it is incidentally provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult in connection with a service. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete or protect it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our internal practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Carpetcleaning Stockwell is committed to lawful, fair, and transparent processing of customer data. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it no longer than necessary, and protect it with suitable safeguards. This policy applies to all Carpetcleaning Stockwell customers in area and is designed to support your rights and our responsibilities under data protection law.

If you choose to use our services, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.