Privacy Policy - Croydon Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Croydon Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Croydon Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request a quotation, book a service, receive an ongoing cleaning service, or otherwise interact with us in connection with carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, stain treatment, and related domestic or commercial services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We take data protection seriously and aim to collect only the information we need, keep it secure, and retain it only for as long as necessary.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you request. The information we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your business or property manager.
Contact details such as your email address, telephone number, and service address.
Service information such as booking requests, appointment details, property access notes, cleaning preferences, and information about the surfaces or items to be cleaned.
Billing and payment information such as transaction records, invoice details, and payment status.
Communications such as messages, call notes, complaints, reviews, and feedback.
Technical data such as basic device or usage information if you interact with us digitally.

In some situations, we may also process limited special category data if you choose to provide it and it is relevant to delivering the service, for example information relating to allergies, sensitivities, or accessibility requirements. Where this happens, we only process it when necessary and with additional care.

We do not intentionally collect more data than is needed for the purposes set out in this policy. You should avoid sharing unnecessary personal information unless it is relevant to your booking or service request.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, confirm bookings, and deliver carpet cleaning services.
To communicate with you about appointments, service updates, and any changes to arrangements.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To manage customer records and service history.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, and requests.
To improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
To meet legal, accounting, and insurance obligations.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We may also use anonymised or aggregated information for internal reporting, service improvement, and business planning. This data does not identify you personally.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the context, Croydon Carpet Cleaners relies on 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, arranging services, completing cleaning work, and handling payment-related matters.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information where we are required to do so by law, such as for tax records, accounting, or compliance with other statutory duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving services, maintaining records, and protecting the business from fraud or misuse.

Consent

Where consent is required, we will ask for it clearly and separately. For example, consent may be used for certain optional communications or where we process specific sensitive information provided by you. You may withdraw consent at any time, but this will not affect processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing Data with Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that act as data processors on our behalf. These processors are only permitted to use your data in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection law. They are required to keep it secure and confidential.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers used to handle transactions securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers used for financial administration and tax compliance.
IT and cloud storage providers used to store records and support our systems.
Communication service providers used to send booking confirmations, updates, or service-related messages.
Administrative support providers used to assist with scheduling or record management.

We may also disclose information to independent professional advisers, insurers, or public authorities where necessary. This may include disclosure to law enforcement, regulators, or courts where required by law or where we believe it is necessary to protect our rights, customers, or property.

We do not sell your personal data. If any service provider processes data outside the UK or EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

In general:

Customer booking and service records are kept for a reasonable period to manage repeat services, complaints, and account history.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be retained for as long as needed to resolve enquiries or maintain an accurate service history.
Where data is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in accordance with our retention procedures.

We review retention periods regularly and aim to ensure that data is not held for longer than necessary. When deciding whether to keep or delete information, we consider legal obligations, the need to defend or make legal claims, and the practical requirements of customer service.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted use of personal data to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

Although we take reasonable steps to safeguard information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in line with legal requirements.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exemptions, but we will always respond appropriately to any request.

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 personal data in certain circumstances.
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 or direct marketing.
Right to data portability — you can request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any concerns promptly and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children in connection with our cleaning services. If we become aware that we have received personal data relating to a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

10. Summary of Our Approach

Croydon Carpet Cleaners collects only the personal data needed to provide and manage our services, relies on appropriate lawful bases for processing, shares data only with trusted processors where necessary, and keeps information only for as long as required. We aim to treat every customer’s data with respect, care, and transparency. Our commitment is to process personal data in a way that is lawful, fair, and secure, while ensuring customers in the area can access and exercise their rights with ease.