Privacy Policy - Carpetcleaning Richmond

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpetcleaning Richmond collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing services to customers in the Richmond area. It applies to all Carpetcleaning Richmond customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with us in connection with our services. We are committed to handling personal data 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. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you use our services. This may include information you provide directly, information collected automatically, and information received from third parties where lawful and appropriate.

Personal data you provide

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as the type of carpet cleaning requested, property access details, and appointment preferences.
Communication records such as messages, booking notes, complaints, and feedback.
Payment-related information where needed to process transactions and issue invoices.

Information collected automatically

When you interact with us, we may collect limited technical information such as the date and time of your enquiry, service interaction details, and internal records of appointments and service outcomes. If digital systems are used, we may also retain basic technical logs for security, troubleshooting, and operational purposes.

Information from third parties

In some situations, we may receive personal data from property managers, landlords, tenants, letting agents, or others acting on your behalf, provided there is a lawful basis for doing so. We only use such information for legitimate business and service-related purposes.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only when necessary and for specific purposes connected to our business operations and the services we provide. These purposes include:

Managing enquiries and bookings.
Providing carpet cleaning and related services.
Confirming service details, access requirements, and appointment arrangements.
Processing payments, invoices, refunds, and account records.
Handling customer support, complaints, and service follow-up.
Maintaining internal records for administration, quality control, and business planning.
Complying with legal obligations, tax requirements, and regulatory duties.
Protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We will only use your personal data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected. If we need to use your data for a new purpose, we will ensure that we have a valid legal basis and, where required, provide you with additional information.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Carpetcleaning Richmond relies on the following lawful bases, depending on the nature of the processing:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. For example, this includes managing bookings, carrying out cleaning services, and arranging payment.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as accounting, tax, insurance, record-keeping, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include service administration, business record management, quality assurance, fraud prevention, and improving customer experience. We always consider the impact on your privacy before relying on this basis.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for optional communications or specific processing activities. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Retention of Personal Data

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

Customer and service records are kept for a period necessary to manage the relationship, resolve disputes, and maintain business records.
Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be retained for operational review, complaint handling, and evidence of instructions or agreements.
Security or audit logs are kept only as long as needed for system integrity and risk management.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a controlled manner. We do not keep data indefinitely without a clear reason.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers who act as processors on our behalf. These processors are only permitted to process personal data according to our instructions and must implement appropriate security measures. Examples may include:

Payment processors used to handle transactions securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers used for financial administration.
IT and cloud service providers used to store, maintain, or secure records.
Scheduling or administrative tools used to manage bookings and service operations.

We may also disclose data where necessary to professional advisers, insurers, or public authorities, but only when required for legitimate business, legal, or regulatory purposes. We do not sell personal data.

Where a processor handles personal data on our behalf, we take steps to ensure that appropriate contractual protections are in place. These contracts require the processor to keep data secure, use it only for specified purposes, and assist us in meeting data protection obligations.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational safeguards to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or misuse. These measures may include access controls, secure storage practices, restricted access on a need-to-know basis, and staff awareness of confidentiality obligations.

While we take data security seriously, no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in accordance with legal requirements, which may include notifying the relevant authority and affected individuals where appropriate.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under data protection law. These rights may be subject to certain conditions or exceptions, but we will always consider and respond to your request appropriately.

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 information.
Right to erasure: You may ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing: 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, including certain direct marketing activities if applicable.
Right to data portability: You may request that we provide certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will review your request and respond within the legally required timeframe. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request to protect your privacy and security.

8. Children's Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and property-related service arrangements. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children for marketing or service purposes. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority or legal basis, 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 requirements, or data handling 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 used.

10. Our Commitment

Carpetcleaning Richmond is committed to respecting privacy and handling personal data responsibly. We aim to keep our practices clear, proportionate, and aligned with the principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and confidentiality.

In summary, we only collect the information needed to deliver our services effectively, we use it on a valid legal basis, we keep it only as long as necessary, we work with trusted processors under strict controls, and we respect your rights as a customer in the Richmond area. Your privacy matters to us.