Privacy Policy - Hampstead Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Hampstead Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data. It applies to all Hampstead Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request quotations, make bookings, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our work. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, transparently, and securely in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Hampstead Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and related cleaning services to customers in the local area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and process in connection with our services. This means we determine why and how personal data is used.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for delivering our services, managing our business, and meeting legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name.
Contact information such as address, phone number, and email address.
Service information such as property details, cleaning requirements, booking dates, and service notes.
Payment information such as transaction details and payment status. We do not store full card details where payment is processed securely by a third party.
Communication records such as messages, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic usage data if you contact us through digital means, including device and browser information.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and usually only if you choose to provide it, for example information about allergies, health conditions, or access needs that affect service delivery.

We do not intentionally collect more data than needed. Where we receive personal data from another person acting on your behalf, we only use it for legitimate service-related purposes.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to provide and manage our services effectively. This includes:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Scheduling, confirming, and delivering cleaning services.
Managing customer accounts, records, and service history.
Processing payments and keeping financial records.
Handling complaints, disputes, and follow-up requests.
Improving service quality and customer experience.
Meeting legal, accounting, and tax obligations.
Protecting our business, customers, and staff from fraud or misuse.

We will only use your personal data for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and the law allows this.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Hampstead Carpet Cleaners relies on the following bases:

Contract

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

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, and record-keeping requirements, and to respond to lawful requests from authorities where applicable.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your rights do not override those interests. This may include managing our business operations, maintaining service records, improving services, preventing fraud, and responding to customer queries. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and respectful of your privacy.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, particularly where optional information is involved or where special category data is provided for service adaptation. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests and Special Category Data

In rare circumstances, we may process special category data if it is necessary to protect someone’s vital interests or where another lawful condition applies. We only do this when absolutely necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

5. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We do not sell personal data. We may share personal data only when necessary and proportionate for the purposes described in this policy. We may disclose data to:

Service processors who help us operate our business, such as payment providers, booking tools, customer record systems, IT support, and secure storage providers.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where required.
Public authorities where the law requires disclosure or where disclosure is necessary to protect our legal rights.
Subcontractors or team members involved in completing the service at your property.

Where we use third-party processors, they are only allowed to process personal data on our instructions and must keep it secure and confidential. We select processors carefully and take steps to ensure they provide appropriate data protection safeguards. We do not permit processors to use your data for their own independent purposes.

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 why it is held.

Customer service records are usually kept for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle follow-up matters or complaints.
Financial and invoicing records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records are retained for as long as needed to resolve issues and maintain business records.
Consent-based records are kept only until consent is withdrawn or the data is no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed. We review retention regularly to ensure we do not keep data longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access restrictions, secure storage, staff awareness, and limiting data access to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risk. If a personal data breach occurs and it is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will handle it in line with applicable legal obligations.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have rights over your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, these may include:

Right of access – to ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restrict processing – to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – to request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to withdraw consent – where consent is the lawful basis, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. In some cases, your rights may be limited by legal obligations or our legitimate need to retain certain information.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally provided to adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of providing services arranged by an adult customer and only where permitted by law. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take steps to remove it.

10. International Transfers

Where any service provider processes personal data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the data to standards required by law. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. The latest version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Hampstead Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting privacy and using personal data responsibly. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and ensure that any processors we use are bound by suitable data protection obligations. We also recognise and support your rights over your personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Hampstead Carpet Cleaners customers in the area. By using our services, making an enquiry, or otherwise providing information to us, you acknowledge that your data may be processed in accordance with this policy and applicable law.