Privacy Policy - Parsons Green Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Parsons Green Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Parsons Green Carpet Cleaners customers in the Parsons Green area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with us in connection with carpet, upholstery, rug, and related cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in a fair, lawful, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Parsons Green Carpet Cleaners provides professional cleaning services for domestic and commercial clients. In the course of delivering our services, we may process personal data about customers, property owners, tenants, residents, building managers, and other relevant individuals. This policy applies whenever we act as a data controller, meaning we determine the purposes and means of processing personal data.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the provision and administration of our services. The categories of information we may collect include:

Identity details: name, title, and any business or company name provided.
Contact details: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information: property access details, cleaning preferences, service instructions, appointment history, and records of work requested or completed.
Billing and transaction information: payment status, invoices, receipts, and related accounting records.
Communication records: emails, messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and customer service correspondence.
Technical information: limited website or device data such as IP address, browser type, and basic usage data if you contact us online or interact with digital systems used to manage bookings.

We do not intentionally collect special category data, such as health, biometric, or religious data, unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily for a specific reason, for example access arrangements or sensitivities affecting service delivery. Where such information is provided, we will handle it with extra care and only where a lawful basis allows.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations, schedule appointments, and deliver cleaning services;
to manage customer accounts, service notes, and operational records;
to communicate about bookings, service updates, payments, and follow-up matters;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and requests;
to maintain accounting, tax, and administrative records;
to improve our services, service quality, and internal processes;
to comply with legal, regulatory, and contractual obligations;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with those listed above unless we inform you and have a valid legal basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Parsons Green Carpet Cleaners relies on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging appointments, delivering cleaning services, issuing invoices, and managing service-related communications.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining records, improving services, preventing fraud, handling customer enquiries, and ensuring the security and efficient operation of our business. We balance our interests against your privacy rights before relying on this basis.

Legal Obligation

Some data is processed because we must comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, consumer law, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

Where required, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or for processing specific optional information. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf, or in some cases as independent controllers. These third parties are only permitted to process personal data in accordance with our instructions or their own legal obligations. Examples include:

IT and hosting providers: who support secure storage, email, booking, and system administration;
payment processors: who handle card or electronic payment transactions;
accounting and bookkeeping providers: who assist with invoicing, tax, and financial administration;
customer management and communications tools: used for scheduling, record-keeping, and service administration;
professional advisers: such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary;
regulatory, law enforcement, or public authorities: where disclosure is required by law or is necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

We require processors to take appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect personal data. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason we hold it. In general:

customer service and booking records are kept for a reasonable period to manage repeat services, queries, and disputes;
financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
complaints, legal, or insurance-related records may be kept longer where necessary to defend or establish legal claims;
marketing-related data is kept until you opt out, object, or the data is no longer needed.

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

7. Data Security

We take appropriate measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff training, and limited access to records on a need-to-know basis. While no system is completely risk-free, we work to maintain a level of security appropriate to the nature of the data we process.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

access the personal data we hold about you;
rectify inaccurate or incomplete information;
erase your data in certain circumstances;
restrict how we use your data in certain situations;
object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing;
data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means;
withdraw consent where we rely on consent;
lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. We aim to respond within one month, though this may be extended where requests are complex or numerous.

9. Marketing Communications

We may send limited service-related communications where permitted by law. If we send marketing messages based on consent, you can opt out at any time. We will not sell your personal data or use it for unrelated third-party marketing.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If any digital tools are used to support booking or enquiry systems, they may use cookies or similar technologies for essential functionality, security, and basic analytics. Where required by law, we will provide information about such technologies and seek consent for non-essential cookies. You can manage browser settings to limit cookies, though doing so may affect some features.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service request made by an adult responsible for the property or booking. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully from a child, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, or business practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers in the Parsons Green area to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is protected.

13. Summary of Your Position

In summary, Parsons Green Carpet Cleaners processes personal data only where necessary, uses it for clear and lawful purposes, keeps it secure, and retains it only as long as needed. We rely on contract, legitimate interests, legal obligation, and where appropriate consent. We may use carefully selected processors to support our services, and we respect your rights to access, correct, erase, restrict, object, and complain. Our aim is to handle every customer’s information with transparency, fairness, and respect.