Privacy Policy - Cleaner Kingstonuponthames

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaner Kingstonuponthames collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Cleaner Kingstonuponthames customers in the area, including current, former, and prospective customers who use our cleaning services or communicate with us in connection with those services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Cleaner Kingstonuponthames provides residential and commercial cleaning services in and around Kingston upon Thames. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller when we decide why and how personal data is processed. This means we are responsible for ensuring that personal information is managed appropriately, securely, and only for legitimate purposes.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details: name, title, and, where relevant, business or property name.
Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and preferred communication method.
Service information: cleaning preferences, instructions, schedule details, property access arrangements, and service history.
Billing and payment data: invoice details, payment confirmations, and records needed for accounting or tax purposes.
Technical data: limited information from our website or digital communication systems, such as IP address, browser type, and usage data, where applicable.
Correspondence: messages, complaints, feedback, and other communications exchanged with us.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or we are legally required to handle it. If such data is ever needed, we will apply extra safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

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

providing cleaning services and managing bookings;
responding to enquiries and customer requests;
processing payments, invoices, and account records;
maintaining service quality and customer support;
handling complaints, disputes, or insurance matters;
meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, and customers against fraud or misuse;
improving our services and internal operations.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason it was collected, unless the law permits us to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging cleaning services, managing appointments, and completing related administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where necessary to comply with laws and regulations, including bookkeeping, tax record retention, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process certain data for our legitimate business interests, such as maintaining customer records, improving services, preventing fraud, and protecting our operations. When relying on legitimate interests, we balance our interests against your rights and freedoms.

Consent

In some cases, we may ask for your consent, particularly where consent is the most appropriate lawful basis. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the nature of our relationship with you.

Customer service records: retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to deal with follow-up issues or disputes.
Financial records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Correspondence and complaints: retained as long as needed to address the matter and keep appropriate business records.
Inactive customer data: deleted or anonymised when it is no longer necessary to keep it.

When data is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise, or securely archive it in line with our retention practices.

6. Processors and Sharing of Data

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers, known as processors, who help us deliver our services. These processors only act on our instructions and are required to protect your data appropriately. Examples may include:

payment service providers;
accounting or bookkeeping systems;
email, scheduling, or customer management tools;
IT support and data storage providers;
professional advisers, such as accountants or lawyers, where necessary;
insurance providers or claims handlers when required.

We may also disclose personal data where legally required, such as to comply with a court order, regulatory request, or law enforcement obligation. We do not sell personal data.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond appropriately to any suspected breach.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place before the transfer takes place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legally recognised mechanisms designed to protect your data.

9. Your Rights

You have several rights under data protection law in relation to your personal data. These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions or limitations. Your rights 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 data.
Right to erasure: you can request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
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 that we provide certain data in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service request made by an adult customer and handled in a lawful manner. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate basis, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is processed.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Cleaner Kingstonuponthames is committed to respecting privacy and protecting personal data. We collect only the information needed to provide and improve our services, rely on appropriate lawful bases for processing, keep data only as long as necessary, and use trusted processors under strict safeguards. We also recognise and support your rights under data protection law. This policy is designed to ensure that every customer in the Kingston upon Thames area can rely on a responsible and compliant approach to privacy.