Privacy Policy - Hackney Marshes Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Hackney Marshes Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our carpet cleaning services. It applies to all Hackney Marshes Carpet Cleaners customers in the Hackney Marshes area, including people who request quotations, book services, receive cleaning work, or otherwise interact with us as a customer or prospective customer.

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your information.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our carpet cleaning services, managing customer relationships, and meeting our legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

Identity information such as your name.
Contact details such as your address and other service location details needed to complete a booking.
Service information including details about the cleaning service requested, the type of carpet or upholstery, stain issues, and preferred appointment times.
Transaction information such as payment status, invoices, and records of services provided.
Communication records including messages, service notes, complaints, and feedback.
Technical information where relevant, such as limited website or device usage data if you contact us through an online enquiry system.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it becomes necessary for a specific service issue. If such information is provided inadvertently, we will handle it carefully and only where permitted by law.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and confirm service availability.
To carry out carpet cleaning and related services.
To manage appointments, changes, cancellations, and follow-up work.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To communicate with you about your booking, service updates, or complaints.
To improve our services and maintain quality standards.
To comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
To defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We ensure that any use of your personal data is limited to what is necessary and proportionate for the stated purpose.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering cleaning services, and handling payment-related matters.

Legitimate Interests

We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service record keeping, quality control, responding to enquiries, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

Where required by law, we may rely on your consent. For example, if we ever process information for optional marketing communications, we will ask for your consent first. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

4. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and in line with legal and business requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason for holding it.

Customer and service records are usually retained for a period needed to manage bookings, resolve disputes, and provide after-service support.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by applicable law.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to support service history and customer care.
Complaint or legal records may be kept longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe and appropriate manner.

5. Sharing Data and Processors

We do not sell personal data. We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary and only under appropriate safeguards. Some of these third parties act as processors, meaning they process personal data on our instructions and for our purposes.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors used to handle card or online transactions.
Accounting or bookkeeping providers used to manage invoices and financial records.
IT and cloud storage providers used to securely store customer records and service information.
Scheduling or administration tools used to organise appointments and manage operations.

We may also share data with professional advisers, insurers, or public authorities where necessary, lawful, and proportionate. Any processor we use is required to protect your data, act only on our instructions, and maintain confidentiality and security.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access to customer records.

Although we work hard to safeguard information, no system is completely secure. If a personal data incident occurs, we will respond in line with applicable legal requirements.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing.

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 data.
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.
Right to data portability – in certain circumstances, you can ask for your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – if we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adult customers and property occupants arranging carpet cleaning. We do not intentionally collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have collected information relating to a child without appropriate justification, we will take steps to delete or protect it as required.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we process personal data.

10. Summary of Our Approach

Hackney Marshes Carpet Cleaners uses personal data only where necessary to deliver services, manage business operations, and comply with legal duties. We collect limited information, rely on clear lawful bases, retain data for appropriate periods, use trusted processors under contract, and respect the rights of every customer in the Hackney Marshes area.

We are committed to handling personal data in a fair, secure, and transparent way. If personal data is no longer needed, we will remove it responsibly. If you exercise your rights, we will assess your request carefully and respond in accordance with data protection law.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Hackney Marshes Carpet Cleaners customers in the Hackney Marshes area.