Privacy Policy - Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners

Effective date: [Insert Date]

This Privacy Policy explains how Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, book appointments, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us.

1. Who We Are

Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners is a carpet, upholstery, and floor cleaning service provider operating in the Hammersmith area. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal information we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity information such as your name.
Contact information such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details such as property access notes, cleaning preferences, and information about the areas to be cleaned.
Payment information such as billing records, payment status, and transaction references. We do not store unnecessary card details where a secure payment provider processes the transaction.
Communication records such as emails, messages, booking notes, and customer service correspondence.
Technical information if you contact us digitally, including basic device or usage data where needed for security and service improvement.
Complaints, claims, and feedback provided to us regarding our services.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to provide it, for example in relation to access needs or health-related considerations relevant to the service. Where such information is provided, we handle it with appropriate care and safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

We process personal data only for clear and legitimate purposes. These include:

responding to enquiries and preparing quotations;
managing bookings and delivering cleaning services;
processing payments and maintaining accounting records;
communicating appointment updates, service information, and follow-up messages;
handling complaints, disputes, or service issues;
maintaining accurate internal records;
meeting legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and premises from fraud or misuse;
improving our customer service and operational efficiency.

We do not sell your personal data. We only use it in ways that are necessary, fair, and proportionate to the services we provide.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following lawful bases depending on the activity involved:

4.1 Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, providing cleaning services, sending service updates, and managing payments.

4.2 Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal requirements, including tax and accounting duties, health and safety obligations, and record-keeping requirements.

4.3 Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these do not override your rights and freedoms. This includes managing our customer relationships, preventing fraud, improving our services, and maintaining business records. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and whether your privacy interests are protected.

4.4 Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is appropriate to send certain optional communications or to process information you voluntarily provide that is not otherwise necessary for the contract. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to run our business and provide our services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information required and require appropriate safeguards.

Payment processors who securely process transactions on our behalf.
IT and cloud service providers who host, store, or maintain our systems and records.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial administration and tax compliance.
Customer communication tools that support email, messaging, scheduling, or appointment management.
Professional advisers such as insurers, lawyers, or accountants where necessary for legitimate business needs or legal compliance.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

All processors are required to handle personal data securely and only in accordance with our instructions, unless they are acting as an independent controller with their own lawful basis. We take steps to ensure that any third party handling your data is bound by appropriate contractual and technical protections.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it is held. In general:

Customer and booking records are kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to deal with follow-up issues or queries.
Invoice, payment, and tax records are retained for the period required by law and standard accounting practice.
Complaints and dispute records may be kept for longer where needed to resolve claims or defend legal rights.
Inactive or unnecessary data is securely deleted or anonymised when no longer needed.

Where data is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and the use of reputable service providers. While no system is completely secure, we regularly review our procedures to maintain a high standard of protection.

8. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms permitted under data protection law. Where relevant, we take steps to confirm that transferred data remains protected to UK GDPR standards.

9. Your Rights

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data under UK GDPR. Subject to certain legal limits, these include:

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 ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely 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 law. We may need to verify your identity before completing your request. Some rights may not apply in every situation, especially where we must keep data to comply with legal obligations or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

10. Complaints

If you are concerned about how we have handled your personal data, you may raise the matter with us first so we can review and address it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

11. 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 processing practices. Any updated version will take effect when published or on the date stated at the top of the policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

12. Summary of Our Commitments

At Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners, we are committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We only collect data that is needed for our services, use it for specified and legitimate purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your rights and aim to protect your information at every stage of its lifecycle.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners customers in the area.