Privacy Policy - Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners customers in the area and explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We are committed to handling personal information fairly, lawfully, and transparently. This policy applies whenever you enquire about, book, receive, or pay for our carpet cleaning services, whether you are a residential or commercial customer in the local area.

1. Who we are

Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners provides carpet and upholstery cleaning services to customers in and around Swiss Cottage. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy, meaning we determine how and why your personal data is processed.

We take data protection seriously and aim to ensure that all personal information is used only when necessary and only for legitimate service-related purposes.

2. Personal data we collect

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

• Identity data: your name and, where relevant, company name.
• Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and service location.
• Service data: details of the cleaning service requested, property type, access instructions, and appointment history.
• Payment data: payment status, invoice information, and transaction records. We do not store full card details unless clearly necessary and handled through secure payment systems.
• Communication data: correspondence by phone, email, text, or message relating to enquiries, complaints, quotations, and follow-up support.
• Technical data: limited information such as IP address or device data if you interact with digital systems used to manage bookings or communications.
• Special categories of data: we do not usually collect special category data. If you voluntarily provide information that could reveal health-related or access needs, we process it only where necessary to deliver services safely and appropriately.

We collect most data directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, confirm an appointment, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may also receive information from third parties acting on your behalf, such as a property manager, tenant, landlord, or business administrator.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data only for specific and legitimate purposes, including:

• to provide quotes and manage bookings;
• to deliver carpet cleaning and related services;
• to confirm access arrangements and service requirements;
• to issue invoices, process payments, and manage accounts;
• to communicate with you about appointments, changes, or follow-up matters;
• to handle complaints, refunds, and service issues;
• to maintain business records and comply with legal obligations;
• to improve our services, customer experience, and internal operations.

We will only use your personal data in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe another lawful basis applies.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform the service contract itself. This includes managing bookings, carrying out cleaning work, and processing payments.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include customer service, record-keeping, service improvement, fraud prevention, and operational management.

Legal obligation

We process certain information where necessary to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting, and record retention obligations.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is needed for specific optional communications or for any processing not covered by another lawful basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Special category data will only be processed when a valid legal condition applies, such as your explicit consent or where processing is necessary to protect vital interests or meet legal obligations.

5. Sharing your information and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who assist us in operating our business. These parties act as processors when they process data on our instructions and under appropriate contracts, or as independent controllers where they determine their own purposes.

Processors may include:

• Payment service providers that handle secure transactions;
• Booking and scheduling systems used to manage appointments;
• IT and cloud service providers that store or support business data;
• Communication providers used for email, telephone, or messaging services;
• Accountants and professional advisers where necessary for financial, tax, or legal purposes.

We require processors to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard your information and to process it only for the purposes we specify. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to protect our rights, to prevent fraud, or to respond to lawful requests from public authorities or courts.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods can vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

• Customer and booking records: retained for a period necessary to manage the service relationship and handle any follow-up queries or disputes.
• Invoices and tax records: retained for the period required by law.
• Correspondence and complaints: retained as long as needed to resolve issues and maintain evidence of service interactions.
• Consent-based records: retained until consent is withdrawn or the purpose no longer applies.

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

7. Data security

We use appropriate security measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and limited access to authorised personnel only.

While we work to protect information, no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free. We therefore review our security practices regularly and update them where appropriate.

8. Your rights under GDPR

As a data subject, you have rights over your personal data. Subject to legal limits, these rights include:

• Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances;
• Right to restriction: to request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations;
• Right to data portability: to request transfer of data you provided to us, where applicable;
• Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
• 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 UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

9. Children’s data

Our services are generally intended for adult customers and property representatives. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in a way that is not necessary for service delivery. If we become aware that we have unintentionally collected such data, we will take appropriate steps to delete or protect it.

10. International transfers

Where service providers or systems may process data outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure your personal data receives a level of protection that is essentially equivalent to UK standards. These safeguards may include approved contractual protections and transfer assessments.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or operational needs. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed.

12. Summary of key points

In short: we collect only the data needed to provide carpet cleaning services, we process it under lawful bases such as contract, legitimate interests, consent, and legal obligation, we share it only with trusted processors and relevant third parties where necessary, and we retain it only for as long as required. Your privacy and data rights remain central to how Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners operates.