Privacy Policy - Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning

Effective date: This policy applies to all Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning customers in the area.

This Privacy Policy explains how Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

This policy applies to all customers, prospective customers, website visitors, and other individuals whose personal data we process in connection with our services in the Bermondsey area. By using our services, requesting a quote, or communicating with us, you acknowledge that your information will be handled in accordance with this policy.

1. Who We Are

Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning provides professional carpet cleaning and related domestic and commercial cleaning services. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use to deliver our services and manage our business operations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for our services. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information: your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details: telephone number, email address, and service address.
Service information: details about the rooms, carpets, upholstery, or surfaces requiring cleaning, preferred appointment times, and service history.
Payment information: payment status, transaction records, and billing-related details. We do not store more payment data than is necessary.
Communications: messages, phone call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence with our team.
Technical information: if you interact with our digital systems, we may collect limited technical data such as device information or basic usage logs.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or unless another lawful condition applies. We ask that you avoid sharing sensitive information unless required for the service.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to schedule, manage, and deliver cleaning services;
to process payments and manage invoices;
to maintain service records and customer history;
to handle complaints, queries, and service improvements;
to send service-related updates and administrative communications;
to comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
to protect our business, staff, and customers against fraud or misuse;
to analyse and improve our services in a limited, privacy-conscious way.

We will only use your information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and the law permits it.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. We rely on the following bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, confirming bookings, carrying out cleaning services, issuing invoices, and managing customer accounts.

Legal obligation

We may process data to comply with legal requirements, such as accounting records, tax obligations, and lawful responses to authorities where required.

Legitimate interests

We may use personal data for our legitimate business interests, such as improving service quality, maintaining records, preventing fraud, and managing customer communications, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms.

Consent

Where we rely on consent, such as for certain optional marketing communications, we will seek it clearly and you may withdraw it at any time.

We do not use personal data in a way that is incompatible with these lawful bases.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes set out in this policy, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Customer and service records: retained for a reasonable period after the service ends to manage queries, complaints, and ongoing obligations.
Financial records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records: retained as needed to support service delivery, dispute resolution, and internal administration.
Marketing preferences: retained until you withdraw consent or object, where applicable.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you. Retention is reviewed regularly to ensure we do not keep data longer than necessary.

6. Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers, known as processors, who act on our instructions and only process data for specified purposes. These may include:

payment processing providers;
booking, scheduling, or administration software providers;
email or communication service providers;
IT support and data storage providers;
professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisers;
regulatory bodies, law enforcement, or public authorities where required by law.

We require processors to take appropriate security measures and to process your information only in line with our instructions and applicable data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

7. International Transfers

If any service provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protections recognised by law.

8. Data Security

We use reasonable 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 careful handling of physical and electronic records.

While we take data security seriously, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in accordance with applicable law.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These may include:

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 information.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in some situations.
Right to data portability: you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise your rights, you may make a request through the appropriate customer service channel. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits set by law.

Important: exercising some rights may affect our ability to provide certain services, but this will be explained clearly if relevant.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online tools that rely on cookies or similar technologies, these may be used for basic functionality, security, and limited usage analysis. Where consent is required, we will request it before placing non-essential cookies.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for service delivery and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult.

12. 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. The latest version will always apply to the personal data we process. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Bermondsey Carpet Cleaning is committed to handling personal information responsibly, transparently, and securely. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and respect your rights at every stage.

By choosing our services, you trust us with information that helps us deliver quality cleaning efficiently and safely. We take that responsibility seriously.