Privacy Policy - Carpetcleaning Highbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpetcleaning Highbury collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services provided to all Carpetcleaning Highbury customers in area. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all customers, prospective customers, and individuals who interact with our services, whether by requesting a quotation, booking a cleaning appointment, making an enquiry, or receiving service updates.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Carpetcleaning Highbury acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we determine why and how your personal data is processed. We take our responsibilities seriously and ensure that personal information is processed only for legitimate business purposes and in a way that respects privacy rights.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you use our services. The types of information we collect may include:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as booking details, service preferences, and the type of cleaning requested.
Payment information where relevant, such as payment status or transaction records.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical information such as device data, browser type, and limited usage information if you interact with our digital services.
Property and access details necessary to complete a cleaning appointment safely and efficiently.

We only collect data that is relevant, adequate, and necessary for the purposes explained in this policy. We do not knowingly collect special category data unless it is required and permitted by law, or you provide it voluntarily in a context where it is necessary for service delivery or legal compliance.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to provide and manage our services, communicate with customers, and operate our business effectively. The main purposes of processing include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
managing bookings and service appointments;
delivering carpet cleaning and related services;
processing payments and maintaining business records;
handling customer support, complaints, and follow-up communications;
maintaining service quality, training, and internal administration;
complying with legal, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
improving our services, scheduling, and customer experience.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason it was collected unless we have a valid legal basis and, where necessary, we inform you of that further use.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following grounds:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, arranging visits, and delivering cleaning services.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to meet legal and regulatory obligations, including accounting, tax, record-keeping, and compliance with lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include business administration, service improvement, customer communication, fraud prevention, and maintaining service records. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we carry out a balancing assessment to ensure your privacy rights are respected.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where specific optional communications or preferences require it. When we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who assist us in delivering services and managing our operations. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. All processors are required to handle data securely and only in accordance with our instructions and applicable law.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

payment processing services;
booking and scheduling systems;
customer communication platforms;
IT support, data storage, and backup providers;
accounting and administrative service providers;
professional advisers such as legal or financial consultants where necessary.

We do not sell personal data. We only disclose information when there is a valid reason to do so, such as service fulfilment, legal compliance, or protection of our legitimate interests. If data is transferred outside the UK or the European Economic Area, appropriate safeguards will be used to protect it.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the data and the reason for processing.

In general:

booking and customer service records are retained for a period necessary to manage the service relationship and address any follow-up issues;
financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
communications may be retained for a reasonable period for quality, audit, and customer care purposes;
data that is no longer needed will be securely deleted or anonymised.

When determining retention periods, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data, the risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, and the legal obligations applicable to our business. We keep personal data no longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and procedures designed to manage data responsibly. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we continuously review our safeguards to reduce risks and improve protection.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain legal conditions and exceptions. They include:

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 circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction – you can request that we 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 – where applicable, you can ask for your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – if processing is based 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 legal requirements. We may need to verify your identity before responding to ensure your data is protected.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in future, we will update this policy and provide the necessary information about the logic involved, the significance of the processing, and your rights.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and property occupants involved in arranging cleaning services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental and necessary for service delivery or legal compliance. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. 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 processing practices. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised version. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is handled.

12. Contacting Us About Privacy

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or your rights, you may raise a privacy-related request through our usual customer service channels. We will treat all requests seriously and handle them in a timely and respectful manner. If you remain unhappy with our response, you also have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority.

Carpetcleaning Highbury is committed to privacy, accountability, and responsible data handling. We aim to ensure that all personal information belonging to Carpetcleaning Highbury customers in area is processed with care, limited to what is necessary, and protected by appropriate safeguards. Our approach is built on transparency, lawful processing, and respect for individual rights.