Privacy Policy - Sydenham Hill Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Sydenham Hill Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our carpet cleaning services. It applies to all Sydenham Hill Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and former customers who have used our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, requesting a quote, making an enquiry, or otherwise interacting with us, you acknowledge that your information may be processed as described in this policy.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details, such as your name.
Contact details, such as your address, phone number, and email address.
Service details, such as the type of cleaning requested, property access information, appointment dates, and service preferences.
Billing and payment information, such as payment status, invoice details, and transaction records.
Communication records, including emails, text messages, phone call notes, and complaint or feedback information.
Technical information, where relevant, such as basic website or device data if you contact us through online channels.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is directly relevant to the service and you choose to share it with us, for example where access requirements or health-related considerations must be discussed. If such information is provided, we will treat it with enhanced care and only process it where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and arrange appointments.
To deliver carpet cleaning and related services.
To communicate with you about bookings, changes, and service updates.
To process payments and issue invoices.
To handle complaints, disputes, and service follow-up.
To maintain business records and improve our services.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, customers, staff, and property from fraud or misuse.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless required or permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your information when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, providing services, and managing billing.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include keeping service records, responding to queries, improving customer experience, preventing fraud, and protecting our business from claims.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain information where required to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, insurance, or record-keeping duties.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide optional information or agree to particular forms of communication. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. We only share information when necessary and under appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors and recipients may include:

Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who support invoicing, tax, and financial record management.
IT and cloud storage providers who host secure business data or communication systems.
Communication service providers who support email, telephone, or messaging functions.
Professional advisers, such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers, where necessary.

Where third parties act as processors, they are required to handle your data only on our instructions, use appropriate security measures, and comply with data protection law. We do not sell personal data to third parties.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to respond to a lawful request, to prevent fraud or criminal activity, or to protect the rights, property, and safety of our customers, staff, or business.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting obligations. The retention period may vary depending on the nature of the information and the reason it was collected.

Quotation and enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up queries and business administration.
Customer service and booking records may be retained while services are being provided and for a period afterwards in case of disputes or complaints.
Invoice, payment, and tax records are generally retained for the period required by law or accepted accounting practice.
Correspondence may be retained where needed to evidence communications or resolve issues.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited data sharing on a need-to-know basis.

While we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will handle it in line with applicable law and notify the relevant authority where required.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have certain rights under data protection law. These rights may apply subject to legal limitations and exemptions.

Right of access - you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification - you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure - you may request deletion of your data in some circumstances.
Right to restriction - you may ask us to limit the way we use your data in some situations.
Right to object - you may object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability - you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully or unfairly. We encourage you to raise concerns directly with us first so we can try to resolve the issue promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adult customers and property occupiers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided by an adult customer in the course of arranging or receiving services. If we become aware that we have collected such data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is stored or processed outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations or standard contractual protections, as required by applicable law.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or operational practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Sydenham Hill Carpet Cleaners is committed to using personal data responsibly, transparently, and only where necessary. We collect limited information, rely on clear lawful bases, share data only with trusted processors, retain it for defined periods, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Sydenham Hill Carpet Cleaners customers in the area and is intended to ensure that your information is handled with care and accountability.