Privacy Policy - Hendon Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Hendon Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Hendon Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, former customers, and anyone who interacts with our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We respect your privacy and aim to collect only the information we need to provide our services effectively, safely, and professionally.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity information: name, title, and any relevant details needed to identify you.
Contact information: address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information: details about the carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, stain removal, or related service you request.
Property information: information about the premises where the service is carried out, including access notes and cleaning requirements.
Payment information: billing details and payment records, where needed to process transactions and maintain accounts.
Communication records: enquiries, feedback, complaints, booking notes, and correspondence.
Technical information: limited information collected through digital systems such as device details, browser information, and usage data if you interact with us online.

We do not deliberately collect more data than necessary. In some cases, we may receive personal data from third parties, such as a landlord, letting agent, property manager, or a household member who arranges a service on your behalf.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange appointments and deliver cleaning services.
To manage customer accounts, invoices, and payments.
To communicate about bookings, service updates, and follow-up matters.
To record service history and improve the quality of our work.
To handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
To maintain security, prevent misuse, and protect our business and customers.

We only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for a compatible purpose or another lawful reason.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Hendon Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, providing services, sending invoices, and managing service-related communication.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples include managing our business operations, improving services, preventing fraud, and keeping proper records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain optional communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary and proportionate for service delivery, administration, or legal compliance. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances.

Examples of third parties may include:

Payment service providers.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers.
IT, cloud storage, and communication service providers.
Subcontractors or service partners assisting with a booking.
Professional advisers such as legal or financial advisers.
Public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where required by law.

We require processors to handle personal data securely and only on our instructions. We do not sell personal data.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, including for legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. The retention period may vary depending on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

For example, booking, invoice, and payment records may need to be retained for a number of years to meet statutory obligations. Customer correspondence and service notes may be kept for a shorter or longer period depending on the matter involved, such as an ongoing complaint or warranty issue.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete it, anonymise it, or archive it in a way that prevents unnecessary access.

6. Data Security

We take 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 training, and limiting access to only those who need the information to perform their duties.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we review our safeguards regularly and aim to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal exceptions and conditions, but we will always consider your request carefully.

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

You also have the right to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online tools that place cookies or similar technologies on your device, these may be used for essential functionality, analytics, or improving user experience. Where required, we will provide appropriate notice and obtain consent before placing non-essential cookies.

You can manage browser settings to control cookies, though some features may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a household service and provided by an appropriate adult. If we learn that we have collected data from a child inappropriately, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

10. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it in accordance with data protection law. This may include approved contractual protections or transfers to countries recognised as providing adequate protection.

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. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available.

We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Hendon Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting your personal data, using it only when we have a lawful basis, retaining it only as long as necessary, and working only with processors who provide appropriate safeguards. We aim to be transparent, secure, and respectful in all our data practices.

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