Privacy Policy - Hounslow Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Hounslow Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Hounslow Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, receives a service, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, rug cleaning, stain treatment, or related domestic and commercial cleaning 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 should be read carefully so that you understand how your information is processed and what rights you have.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, meeting legal obligations, and improving our operations. The type of information we may collect includes:

Identity information such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as your telephone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as details of the cleaning service requested, property type, room or item descriptions, stains, fabric types, and access requirements.
Payment information such as billing details, transaction records, and payment confirmations.
Communication records including messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and appointment changes.
Technical data if you contact us electronically, such as basic device or usage information captured through email systems or website tools used to receive enquiries.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data. However, in limited circumstances, a customer may voluntarily share information that is relevant to access needs, allergies, health concerns, or safety issues. If this happens, we process such information only where necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotes;
to schedule, deliver, and manage cleaning services;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records;
to communicate service updates, appointment reminders, and follow-up messages;
to manage complaints, refunds, and service issues;
to maintain business and customer records;
to meet legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency;
to defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We process personal data only to the extent required for these purposes. We do not sell personal data and we do not use customer data for unrelated purposes that would be unexpected or unfair.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every use of personal data. Depending on the activity, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, delivering cleaning services, confirming appointments, and processing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process information to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

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. Examples include managing customer relationships, preventing fraud, improving service quality, and keeping internal records.

Consent

In some situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly where you voluntarily provide optional information or agree to specific forms of communication not strictly necessary for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

If special category data is ever processed, we will only do so where a further lawful condition under data protection law applies and where such processing is strictly necessary.

4. Sharing of Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, but only when necessary for legitimate business operations, legal compliance, or service delivery. These may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic transactions;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support invoicing, tax records, and financial administration;
IT and cloud service providers that store emails, files, or business records securely;
Booking or customer management systems used to manage appointments and customer requests;
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers where needed;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or to protect legal rights.

Where a third party processes data on our behalf, we require them to act under a written agreement, use appropriate security measures, and process the data only according to our instructions. We seek to ensure that processors handle data with the same care and confidentiality that we expect of ourselves.

Hounslow Carpet Cleaners customers in area should note that if any service partner or processor is located outside the UK, we will only transfer data where appropriate safeguards are in place and where the transfer is lawful under UK GDPR.

5. Retention of Personal Data

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 vary depending on the nature of the data and the reason it is held.

Customer and booking records are typically retained for a reasonable period after the service is completed to manage follow-up queries, complaints, and service history.
Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Correspondence and complaints may be retained for as long as needed to resolve the issue and to maintain an accurate business record.
Marketing-related information is kept only while it remains relevant or until consent is withdrawn, where consent applies.

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 the security of personal data seriously and use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access to customer information on a need-to-know basis.

Although we work to protect all personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data breach occurs that affects your rights and freedoms, we will assess the incident and take appropriate steps in line with applicable law.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several rights concerning your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you;
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances;
Restriction of processing in certain situations;
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means;
Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing;
Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your rights have been infringed.

To help protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults who arrange cleaning services for their homes or businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children for marketing or service purposes. If we become aware that such data has been collected inadvertently, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

9. Marketing Communications

If we send any marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may opt out at any time. If you ask us not to send marketing messages, we will respect your choice. Service-related messages, such as appointment confirmations or billing communications, may still be sent where necessary for the service.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational needs. The most current version will apply to all Hounslow Carpet Cleaners customers in area. We encourage you to review the policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your information is handled.

11. Summary of Key Principles

Hounslow Carpet Cleaners is committed to processing personal data in a way that is lawful, transparent, and limited to what is necessary. We collect only relevant information, use it for clear business and legal purposes, share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, and keep it only for as long as needed. We also respect your rights and will handle requests in line with applicable data protection legislation.

This Privacy Policy is designed to support trust, accountability, and responsible data handling for every customer who uses our services in the local area.