Privacy Policy - Somers Town Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Somers Town Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Somers Town Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or otherwise uses 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.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Somers Town Carpet Cleaners acts as the data controller in relation to personal data collected from customers, prospective customers, and other individuals who interact with our services. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. We only process data that is necessary for delivering our services, managing our business, meeting legal obligations, and improving our customer experience.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as property access instructions, carpet cleaning requirements, cleaning preferences, and appointment details.
Transaction information including payment status, invoices, quotes, and records of services provided.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data where applicable, such as basic website usage information if you visit our digital services, although we do not use this policy to provide website-specific contact details.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it yourself for a specific reason. If such data is ever processed, it will only be handled where permitted by law and with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

Somers Town Carpet Cleaners uses personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes.
To arrange and deliver carpet cleaning services.
To manage bookings, scheduling, and access arrangements.
To process payments and maintain business records.
To handle customer support, complaints, and service follow-up.
To maintain safety, security, and operational efficiency.
To comply with legal, accounting, tax, and regulatory obligations.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use personal data for purposes that are compatible with the original reason for collection, unless we have a lawful basis to use it differently.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where there is a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on the following grounds:

Performance of a Contract

We process data when it is necessary to provide a quote, confirm a booking, carry out carpet cleaning services, arrange access, or manage payment and service delivery. Without this information, we may not be able to complete your requested service.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving service quality, preventing fraud, maintaining internal records, and ensuring safe and efficient operations. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, including tax law, accounting requirements, and other applicable regulations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain optional communications or provide information beyond what is strictly needed for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing before consent was withdrawn.

5. How We Share Personal Data

We may share personal data with trusted processors and service providers who help us operate our business. These parties only process data on our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately. Examples may include:

Payment processors for handling customer payments.
Booking or scheduling systems used to organise appointments.
IT and cloud storage providers used to securely store business records.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where necessary.
Subcontractors or service partners who assist with service delivery, where relevant and subject to confidentiality obligations.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, regulation, or where it is necessary to protect our rights, property, customers, or staff. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period depends on the type of data and the reason it is held.

Customer and booking records: retained for the period necessary to manage the service relationship and any follow-up matters.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law.
Communication records: retained as needed to resolve disputes, provide support, and maintain service history.

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

7. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to data on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of data protection.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights relating to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights may include:

The right to be informed about how your data is used.
The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification if your data is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
The right to data portability in certain cases where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly and fairly.

9. Data Accuracy and Your Responsibilities

We rely on the accuracy of the information you provide. Please ensure that your personal data is current and correct, especially contact and access details. If you notify us of changes, we will update our records where appropriate. Accurate information helps us provide services safely and efficiently.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adult customers and property occupiers. We do not intentionally collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided in the course of a booking or service arrangement and there is a lawful basis for processing it. If we become aware that we have collected child-related data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where required.

11. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections. Any transfer will be carried out only where it is lawful and necessary for business operations.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the way we provide services. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing it periodically so you remain aware of how we protect your personal data.

13. Summary of Key Points

Somers Town Carpet Cleaners collects only the personal data needed to provide and manage carpet cleaning services, process payments, and comply with legal obligations. We process data on lawful bases including contract, legitimate interests, legal obligation, and consent where applicable. Personal data is shared only with trusted processors and retained only as long as necessary. You have important rights over your personal data, including access, correction, deletion, and objection rights.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Somers Town Carpet Cleaners customers in the area and is intended to ensure transparent, responsible, and lawful handling of personal data at every stage of our service relationship.