Privacy Policy - Cleaners Catford

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaners Catford collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Cleaners Catford customers in the area, including anyone who requests, receives, or enquires about our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal information 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, Cleaners Catford acts as the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. This means we decide why and how personal data is used. We only collect information that is necessary to provide services, manage customer relationships, meet legal obligations, and improve the quality of our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity data: name, title, and any other information needed to identify you.
Contact data: address, email address, phone number, and service location details.
Service data: cleaning preferences, service history, scheduling details, instructions, and notes relating to your property or cleaning requirements.
Payment data: transaction records, payment status, invoices, and billing information. We do not store full card details unless securely handled by a payment processor.
Communication data: messages, complaints, feedback, and correspondence with us.
Technical data: limited information such as IP address or device details if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.
Special instructions: information you choose to share with us to help deliver the service, such as access notes or property-related requests.

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for the services we provide. We do not intentionally collect more information than we need.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data in the following ways:

Directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quotation, book a service, or communicate with us.
When you provide details through forms, email, phone calls, text messages, or other communication methods.
From service-related interactions, such as updates, scheduling changes, and feedback.
From third parties where needed to carry out services, such as payment providers or business software tools.

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:

Contract: processing is necessary to provide cleaning services, handle bookings, issue invoices, and manage service delivery.
Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our business operations, such as improving services, preventing fraud, managing customer records, and handling routine administration, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with laws such as tax, accounting, and record-keeping requirements.
Consent: in limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily agree to receive certain non-essential communications. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Where we process special category data, if ever required, we will only do so where a specific lawful condition applies and appropriate safeguards are in place. In ordinary service delivery, we do not seek sensitive personal data unless it is necessary and freely provided by you for a clear purpose.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage cleaning services.
To arrange appointments, updates, and service changes.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, and requests.
To process payments and maintain billing records.
To keep internal records and support business administration.
To meet legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
To protect against misuse, fraud, or unauthorised activity.

We will never use your data in a way that is incompatible with the purpose for which it was collected.

6. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted processors and service providers who help us deliver our business operations. These third parties act on our instructions and are required to protect your information. Examples may include:

Payment processing providers.
Booking, scheduling, or customer management software providers.
Accountancy, invoicing, and tax support services.
IT and data storage providers.
Professional advisers where necessary, such as legal or financial advisers.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority. If a business asset or service is transferred, relevant data may be shared as part of that process, subject to legal safeguards.

We do not sell your personal data. Any sharing is limited, necessary, and carried out with appropriate contractual and security controls.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected. Retention periods depend on the nature of the data, the services provided, and legal requirements. In general:

Customer service records are kept for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and invoicing records are retained in line with tax and accounting obligations.
Communication records may be kept to resolve disputes, confirm service arrangements, or maintain accurate business records.
Data no longer required is securely deleted or anonymised.

Where retention is based on legitimate business needs or legal obligations, we will only keep data for the minimum period necessary. We review stored information periodically to ensure it is still needed.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful selection of trusted processors.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to safeguard information based on the type and sensitivity of the data involved.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply 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: you can ask us to delete your data where there is a valid legal basis for doing so.
Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability: you can request that certain data be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law and within the required time limits. We may need to verify your identity before processing a request to protect your information.

10. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms designed to protect your rights.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and household customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary and provided by an adult customer as part of a service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected information we should not hold, we will take steps to remove it securely.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or communicated, as appropriate. We encourage customers in the area to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is used.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Cleaners Catford is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to deliver services, rely on appropriate lawful bases, retain data only for as long as necessary, share data only with trusted processors or where required by law, and respect the rights of every customer. Our approach is designed to ensure that personal information is handled responsibly, securely, and with respect for your privacy.