Privacy Policy - Hounslow Carpetcleaning

This Privacy Policy explains how Hounslow Carpetcleaning collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Hounslow Carpetcleaning customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who makes an enquiry, booking, or complaint relating to our services.

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 intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have in relation to your information.

1. Data We Collect

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

• Identity information such as your name and title.
• Contact details such as phone number, email address, and service address.
• Booking and service information such as appointment dates, requested services, special instructions, and service history.
• Payment-related information such as transaction records and invoice details. We do not store full card details where payment is processed securely by a third party.
• Communication records including messages, emails, call notes, and complaint details.
• Technical information if you contact us through digital systems, such as basic device or usage data generated by our service tools or booking systems.

We generally collect data directly from you when you request a quotation, book a service, communicate with us, or provide feedback. In limited cases, we may receive information from third parties, such as payment providers, referral partners, or property representatives acting on your behalf.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business and service purposes. These purposes include:

• responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
• processing bookings and delivering carpet cleaning services;
• managing customer records and service schedules;
• issuing invoices, confirming payments, and maintaining accounts;
• handling complaints, service issues, and follow-up requests;
• improving our services, training staff, and maintaining quality standards;
• meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
• preventing fraud, misuse, and unlawful activity;
• communicating important updates related to appointments or service delivery.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with those described in this policy without informing you and, where required, obtaining further permission or identifying another lawful basis.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, Hounslow Carpetcleaning may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes managing quotations, bookings, service delivery, invoicing, and aftercare relating to the services you have requested.

Legal Obligation

We may process certain information to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax recordkeeping, accounting obligations, insurance requirements, and any lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This may include managing customer relationships, improving our services, maintaining records, protecting our business, and ensuring effective administration. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is proportionate and limited to what is necessary.

Consent

In certain situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily agree to receive specific promotional communications or where consent is the most appropriate basis for a particular processing activity. You may withdraw consent at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting obligations. The exact retention period depends on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

For example, customer service records, invoices, and transaction information may need to be retained for several years to comply with tax and financial rules. Communication records may be kept for a shorter or longer period depending on whether they are needed to resolve disputes, maintain service history, or support legitimate business needs. Where data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed.

We review retention regularly to ensure that information is not kept longer than necessary. Retention periods may vary depending on legal requirements and operational needs.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may use trusted third-party service providers, known as processors, to help us operate our business. These processors may handle personal data only on our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately. Examples of processors may include:

• Payment service providers that process transactions securely;
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial recordkeeping;
• IT and cloud storage providers that host systems, backups, or secure data storage;
• Scheduling or customer management tools used to manage appointments and customer records;
• Professional advisers such as legal, insurance, or audit specialists where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, to respond to lawful requests by public authorities, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our business, customers, or others. We do not sell personal data.

Where any processor or third party is engaged, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including contractual obligations relating to confidentiality, security, and lawful processing.

6. Data Security

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

While we make every reasonable effort to protect information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will assess the risk and take steps in line with applicable law, including notifying affected individuals and the relevant supervisory authority where required.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be exercised in accordance with the law and may be subject to certain exceptions. Your rights include:

• Right of access - to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification - to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure - to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restrict processing - to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to data portability - to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
• Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so that we may address them promptly.

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 unless it is incidental to an adult booking or service arrangement and only where necessary. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without proper authorisation, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business operations, or service practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to remain informed about how we handle personal data.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Hounslow Carpetcleaning is committed to processing personal data fairly, securely, and lawfully. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and appropriate purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and ensure that any processors we use are bound by suitable safeguards. Most importantly, we respect your rights and aim to handle all personal data with care and transparency.

This policy applies to all Hounslow Carpetcleaning customers in the area. By using our services or contacting us about our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.