Privacy Policy - Surbiton Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Surbiton Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Surbiton Carpet Cleaners customers in the Surbiton area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request quotations, book appointments, receive cleaning services, or communicate with us in any way.

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. This policy is designed to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, the legal basis for our processing, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have in relation to your data.

1. Information 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 information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your address, phone number, and email address.
Service information such as the type of cleaning service requested, property access instructions, preferred dates and times, and notes relating to the work to be carried out.
Billing and payment information such as payment confirmation, invoice details, and transaction records.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, feedback, complaints, and service-related correspondence.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic website or device information if you contact us through an online form or digital channel.
Special category data only where you choose to provide it and where it is necessary for the service, for example health-related access needs, mobility considerations, or other information that may affect the safe delivery of cleaning services. We will only process this data with an appropriate lawful basis and additional safeguards.

We do not collect more information than is necessary for legitimate business and service purposes. Information is typically provided directly by you, for example when you make an enquiry, complete a booking, or communicate with our team.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange and deliver carpet cleaning and associated services.
To manage bookings, scheduling, and service logistics.
To communicate with you about appointments, service updates, and follow-up matters.
To issue invoices, process payments, and keep accounting records.
To maintain service records and manage customer relationships.
To improve our services, quality assurance, training, and internal operations.
To comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance obligations.
To resolve disputes, handle complaints, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We will always aim to use your personal data in ways that are proportionate, necessary, and consistent with the reason it was collected. Where possible, we minimise the amount of data used and restrict access to staff who need it for legitimate business purposes.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, providing cleaning services, and communicating about service delivery.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving service quality, preventing fraud, maintaining records, and defending legal claims.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal duties, such as tax, accounting, consumer, or regulatory requirements.

Consent

Where consent is needed, for example in relation to certain optional processing or special category information, we will ask for it clearly and you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests and Public Task

These bases are unlikely to apply to our normal services, but may be used in exceptional circumstances if necessary.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data only where necessary and appropriate for service delivery, legal compliance, or business operations. In some cases, we use third-party processors who act on our instructions and are contractually required to protect your data.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help manage financial records.
IT and cloud service providers that store data or support business systems.
Scheduling or customer management tools used to organise appointments and service records.
Professional advisers such as insurers, lawyers, or accountants where necessary.
Public authorities or regulatory bodies where we are legally required to disclose information.

We only work with processors that can demonstrate appropriate security controls and compliance commitments. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure suitable safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

5. Data Retention

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

Customer and service records are usually kept for the period needed to manage the relationship and after service completion for a reasonable time in case of follow-up queries or disputes.
Financial records are retained for the periods required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint or claim-related records may be retained longer where necessary to defend or manage legal matters.
Marketing preferences, where applicable, are kept until you opt out or withdraw consent.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in a controlled manner. We review retention needs periodically to ensure information is not kept longer than necessary.

6. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations, but we will always assess and respond 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 data.
Right to erasure – you can request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability – you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the time limits required by law. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request. We aim to make the process straightforward and respectful of your privacy.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting data access to those who need it.

No system is completely secure, but we take data protection seriously and regularly review our practices to reduce risk. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will act in accordance with legal reporting and notification requirements.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational needs. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your information is handled.

9. Summary of Our Commitment

Surbiton Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting the personal information you share with us. We collect only the data needed to provide our services, use it for clear and lawful purposes, share it only with trusted processors when necessary, and retain it for no longer than required. Your rights matter to us, and we will handle requests with care and transparency.

By using our services in the Surbiton area, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.