Privacy Policy - Kennington Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Kennington Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in the Kennington area. It applies to all Kennington Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including individuals who enquire about services, receive quotations, book appointments, or otherwise interact with us in connection with carpet cleaning and related cleaning services.

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. This policy should be read carefully so that you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, and the rights available to you.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information we need to provide our services effectively, manage our business operations, and meet legal obligations. The type of data we collect may include:

Identity information such as your name.
Contact information such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including the type of cleaning requested, property access information, preferred appointment times, and service history.
Payment and billing information where necessary to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain records.
Communication records including messages, notes from calls, and correspondence regarding enquiries, complaints, or service updates.
Technical information that may be collected when you interact with our digital systems, such as device identifiers or basic usage data, if applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have chosen to provide it, or unless required for a lawful reason. Special category data may include information relating to health, religion, or other sensitive matters. If such information is shared with us, we will process it only when permitted by law and when relevant to the service requested.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for specific, legitimate business purposes, including:

responding to enquiries and preparing quotations;
booking, delivering, and managing cleaning services;
communicating with you about appointments, changes, or service-related matters;
processing payments and maintaining accounting records;
handling customer feedback, complaints, or claims;
maintaining internal records and service history;
meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance requirements;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only process personal data for purposes that are clear, relevant, and necessary. We will not use your data in ways that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each category of processing. Depending on the circumstances, Kennington Carpet Cleaners may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Performance of a contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, carrying out carpet cleaning services, confirming appointments, and handling payment-related matters.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include improving service delivery, managing customer relationships, preventing fraud, maintaining business records, and handling operational communications.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with a legal obligation, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping rules.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where the law requires it for a particular type of communication or data use. Where consent is used as the lawful basis, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect processing carried out before the withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors or, in some cases, separate controllers. We only share the information necessary for the relevant purpose and require appropriate safeguards to protect it.

Categories of processors or third parties may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support invoicing, tax records, and financial administration.
IT and system providers that host email, scheduling, storage, or other operational tools.
Customer administration support that assists with booking management or record keeping.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.
Public authorities if disclosure is required by law or a lawful request.

Any processor we use is expected to process personal data only on our instructions, keep it secure, and comply with data protection law. We do not sell personal data. We also do not permit processors to use your data for their own independent purposes unless they are separately acting as controllers and have their own lawful basis.

5. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures recognised under applicable law.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the purpose for which it is used.

As a general approach:

Customer and service records are kept for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint or dispute records may be retained longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.
Inactive or unnecessary data is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived when no longer required.

Where we no longer need personal data, we will take steps to dispose of it securely. In some cases, data may be retained in backup systems for a limited time before it is overwritten or deleted according to our retention schedule.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited sharing on a need-to-know basis.

While no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free, we work to maintain a level of security that is appropriate to the nature of the data and the risks involved.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several important rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limits in some situations.

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you may request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you may request that certain data be provided 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 lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your personal data is handled. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so that we can address them promptly and fairly.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and ensure that any such processing is lawful, transparent, and subject to appropriate safeguards.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our processing practices. The latest version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing it periodically so you remain informed about how we use personal data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Kennington Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting your privacy, using personal data responsibly, and ensuring that information is collected only when necessary and handled with care. We aim to keep our practices transparent, proportionate, and lawful, while maintaining the security and integrity of the information entrusted to us.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this policy applies to your personal data as a customer or prospective customer in the Kennington area. If we change how we process data, we will do so in a way that remains consistent with applicable data protection law.