Privacy Policy for Carpetcleaning Balham

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpetcleaning Balham collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data for all customers in the Balham area. It applies to every customer, prospective customer, and website or service user in the area who interacts with our cleaning services, whether by phone, email, form submission, quotation request, or service booking.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We respect your privacy and aim to be clear about the data we collect, why we collect it, and the rights you have in relation to that data.

1. Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to all Carpetcleaning Balham customers in the area, including individuals who request cleaning quotations, arrange service visits, receive carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, stain removal, or related domestic or commercial services, or otherwise communicate with us about our services. It also applies to people whose data is provided to us by an account holder, landlord, tenant, managing agent, or business representative where a service is booked on their behalf.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, fulfilling legal obligations, and improving service quality. The information we may collect includes:

• Identity information such as your name, and where relevant, the name of a business or property manager.
• Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address.
• Service information such as property access details, preferred appointment times, cleaning requirements, and notes about the type of carpet or fabric requiring treatment.
• Payment information such as billing details and payment status. We do not store card details unless securely handled by a compliant payment provider.
• Communication records including emails, messages, service requests, complaints, feedback, and call notes.
• Technical information when you interact with our digital systems, such as device identifiers, IP address, and basic usage data, where applicable.
• Special circumstances information only where necessary, for example access needs, vulnerability-related notes, or instructions required to safely complete the service.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and permitted by law. If such information is ever provided to us, we will only process it with appropriate safeguards and a valid legal ground.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotations and arrange cleaning services;
• to manage bookings, attend appointments, and deliver requested services;
• to communicate with customers about service updates, changes, or follow-up matters;
• to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records;
• to respond to enquiries, complaints, and requests;
• to maintain internal records and service history;
• to improve service quality, training, and operational planning;
• to comply with legal, tax, insurance, or regulatory obligations;
• to defend legal claims or resolve disputes where necessary.

We process data only to the extent needed for these purposes and in a manner consistent with the principle of data minimisation.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, scheduling services, delivering carpet cleaning, and handling invoicing and payment.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining service records, answering customer queries, preventing fraud, improving our operations, and managing service quality.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, insurance, and regulatory requirements.

Consent

Where required by law, we rely on your consent. If consent is used as the basis for processing, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

In rare cases, processing may be necessary to protect someone’s vital interests or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

5. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service they provide. We require appropriate contracts and safeguards to protect your data.

• Payment processors that securely handle card or online payment transactions.
• IT and cloud service providers that support data storage, booking systems, email services, or customer administration.
• Accountants and professional advisers for tax, audit, legal, or compliance purposes.
• Insurance providers where claims, incidents, or liability matters must be managed.
• Subcontractors or service partners who assist in delivering a booked cleaning service under our instructions.
• Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, safety, or legal interests.

We do not sell personal data. Any third party receiving data is required to process it only for the specified purpose and to apply appropriate security measures. Where a processor is used, they act on our instructions and are not permitted to use the data for their own unrelated purposes.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected and to meet legal, accounting, or operational requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

• Booking and service records are generally retained for a reasonable period to support customer service and dispute handling.
• Invoice, payment, and accounting records are retained for the period required by law and standard business practice.
• Complaint and correspondence records are retained for as long as needed to manage the issue and demonstrate compliance.
• Technical data is retained only for a limited period unless it is needed for security or legal reasons.

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

7. Data Security

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

While we take security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore review our safeguards regularly and update them when needed.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have the following rights, subject to certain legal limitations:

• Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure – to request deletion of your 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 structured, commonly used format.
• Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent – where consent is the basis for processing.

You also have the right to be informed about how your personal data is used, which is one reason we provide this policy. If you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use fully automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects concerning customers. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and explain the relevant safeguards.

10. Changes to This Policy

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

11. Summary of Key Principles

In summary, Carpetcleaning Balham only collects personal data that is needed to provide and manage services, uses it under a valid lawful basis, shares it only where necessary with trusted processors or legal recipients, keeps it for no longer than required, and respects your data protection rights. This policy applies to all Carpetcleaning Balham customers in area, and it is intended to provide a clear and transparent explanation of our privacy practices.

We are committed to handling your personal data responsibly, securely, and in accordance with applicable data protection law.