Privacy Policy - Putney Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Putney Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Putney Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who contact us for service-related enquiries. 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.

1. Who We Are

Putney Carpet Cleaners is a service provider operating in the local area and processing personal data as a data controller for the purposes described in this policy. This means we decide why and how personal data is used in connection with the services we offer. We take privacy seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational safeguards to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or disclosure.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information that is necessary to manage enquiries, provide services, process payments, and comply with legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your business or property manager.
Contact information including address details, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as service preferences, booking history, notes about the property, and cleaning instructions.
Payment information necessary to process transactions and issue invoices or receipts.
Communication records including messages, complaints, feedback, or service requests.
Technical data such as limited information about how you interact with our digital systems, where applicable, for security and performance purposes.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it, or unless the law requires or permits us to do so. Where such data is received inadvertently, it will be handled with additional care and only for legitimate business or legal reasons.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To schedule, deliver, and manage cleaning services.
To process payments, refunds, and account-related administration.
To communicate about bookings, service updates, and customer support.
To maintain accurate records of work completed and client preferences.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or other unlawful activity.
To comply with legal, accounting, tax, and regulatory obligations.
To improve service quality, customer experience, and internal operations.

We will only use personal data in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected, unless a new lawful basis applies or we are otherwise permitted or required by law to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging services, carrying out cleaning work, processing payments, and managing service-related communications.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include managing enquiries, maintaining records, securing our systems, preventing abuse, and improving our services. When relying on legitimate interests, we assess the potential impact on individuals and ensure the processing is proportionate.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain data where required to meet legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example if you choose to receive optional marketing communications. Where consent is used, it will be freely given, specific, informed, and easy to withdraw at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information necessary and require appropriate safeguards to be in place.

Payment service providers for secure payment processing.
IT and cloud service providers who help us store, manage, or secure records and communications.
Accounting or bookkeeping providers supporting financial administration and compliance.
Scheduling or customer management tools used to organise appointments and service records.
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers where necessary.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect our rights, property, staff, or customers.

Where we use processors, they are required to act only on our instructions, keep data secure, and comply with applicable data protection law. We do not permit processors to use personal data for their own unrelated purposes.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as we are legally required to retain it. The retention period depends on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Customer and service records are generally retained for the duration needed to manage the relationship and any follow-up matters.
Financial, billing, and tax records may be retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to resolve disputes, maintain service quality, or demonstrate compliance.

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

7. Data Security

We use appropriate organisational and technical measures to safeguard personal data. These measures are designed to reduce the risk of unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or loss. Such measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful management of third-party access.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect the information entrusted to us and review our practices periodically to improve protection.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exemptions, depending on the circumstances.

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 – you can request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
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 where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will consider your request in line with applicable law and respond within the required timeframe. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in the context of a service request, such as access instructions or household arrangements provided by an adult. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without a proper basis, we will take appropriate steps to remove it where required.

10. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or contractual protections, so that your information receives an equivalent level of protection.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Approach

In summary, Putney Carpet Cleaners collects and uses personal data only where necessary to provide services, manage customer relationships, fulfil legal obligations, and operate efficiently. We rely on appropriate lawful bases, use trusted processors under strict safeguards, retain data only for as long as needed, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Putney Carpet Cleaners customers in area, and we are committed to protecting the privacy and trust of everyone who uses our services.