Privacy Policy - Carpetcleaning Kensington

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpetcleaning Kensington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Carpetcleaning Kensington customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who enquire about our services.

1. Who We Are

Carpetcleaning Kensington provides professional carpet cleaning and related cleaning services to customers in Kensington and surrounding local areas. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we process in connection with our services. This means we decide why and how personal data is used.

We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We only collect data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our business, meet legal obligations, and improve customer experience.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

• Identity details: name and, where relevant, title.
• Contact details: address, phone number, and email address.
• Service details: information about the property, rooms, items to be cleaned, cleaning preferences, and booking history.
• Payment information: payment status, transaction references, and limited billing details. We do not store full card details where secure third-party payment systems are used.
• Communication records: enquiries, messages, complaints, feedback, and notes relating to service delivery.
• Technical data: basic device and usage information if you interact with digital systems we use for administration, such as IP address or browser type, where applicable.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data. If such information is incidentally provided, we will treat it with extra care and only process it where a lawful basis exists and where it is necessary for a specific purpose.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data in several ways, including:

• when you make an enquiry or request a quote;
• when you place a booking or use our services;
• when you communicate with us by phone, email, message, or other channels;
• when you provide feedback, leave a complaint, or request support;
• when payment or invoicing information is processed;
• from third parties acting on your behalf, such as landlords, letting agents, property managers, or family members where appropriate and lawful.

We may also receive information from service partners or processors who assist us in carrying out administrative functions.

4. Why We Use Personal Data

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

• responding to enquiries and providing quotes;
• managing bookings and delivering cleaning services;
• communicating with customers about appointments, access, or service-related matters;
• processing payments and maintaining business records;
• handling complaints, disputes, and customer support requests;
• meeting tax, accounting, and legal obligations;
• protecting against fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
• improving our services and internal operations.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was originally collected unless permitted by law.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Carpetcleaning Kensington relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, confirming services, delivering cleaning, and handling payments or service-related communications.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data when required to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, tax record keeping, and responses to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights do not override those interests. Examples include managing customer relationships, preventing fraud, improving service quality, and maintaining secure business operations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications or where the law requires consent. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These parties act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information necessary for the task they perform.

Processors may include:

• booking and scheduling providers;
• payment processing services;
• IT support and cloud storage providers;
• accounting, invoicing, and record-keeping systems;
• customer communication and administrative support services.

Where a processor is used, we require appropriate contractual safeguards to ensure personal data is handled securely and only on our instructions. We do not sell personal data.

We may disclose information if required by law, to enforce agreements, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Carpetcleaning Kensington, our customers, or others.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the nature of the data and the reason it is held.

• Booking and service records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage repeat services, customer history, and disputes.
• Financial and invoice records are usually retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
• Communication records may be kept for operational and support purposes for as long as necessary.
• Where consent is withdrawn or data is no longer needed, we will delete or anonymise it unless retention is required by law.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it.

8. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff confidentiality practices, and limited data sharing. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to protect data proportionately to the risks involved.

9. International Transfers

If any of our service providers store or process data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect that data in line with applicable law. Such safeguards may include adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be limited in some circumstances, but we will always consider your request carefully.

• Right of access: you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: you can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: you can ask us to delete your data where there is a valid legal basis to do so.
• Right to restrict processing: you can request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to data portability: where applicable, you can request that we provide your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you believe your rights have not been respected, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or for adults acting on behalf of properties and households. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary and lawful in the context of providing a service. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authorisation, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Carpetcleaning Kensington is committed to lawful, transparent, and responsible data handling. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, rely on clear lawful bases, retain data only as long as necessary, and use trusted processors with appropriate safeguards. We respect your rights and aim to handle all customer data with care, confidentiality, and accountability.

This policy applies to all Carpetcleaning Kensington customers in the area.