Privacy Policy - Carpetcleaning E1

This Privacy Policy explains how Carpetcleaning E1 collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our carpet cleaning services. It applies to all Carpetcleaning E1 customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request quotes, book appointments, or receive any related service from us. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, meeting legal obligations, and improving our operations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
Contact information such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including property access instructions, cleaning preferences, booking dates, and specific requests related to the service.
Payment information such as payment status, billing records, and transaction details. We do not retain unnecessary financial details beyond what is required for accounting and compliance purposes.
Communication records including emails, call notes, complaint messages, and feedback.
Technical information such as basic website or device data if you interact with our online systems, where applicable.
Before-and-after service records where needed to document work completed, quality control, or dispute resolution.

We generally do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is provided to us by you and is necessary for service delivery or safety reasons. If such data is ever provided, it will be handled with extra care and only where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To arrange, deliver, and manage carpet cleaning services.
To communicate about appointments, access, service changes, and follow-up matters.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records.
To handle complaints, claims, or service disputes.
To maintain internal records and improve service quality.
To meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory requirements.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We will not use your data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was originally collected, unless we have a valid lawful basis to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Carpetcleaning E1 relies on the following bases depending on the situation:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes booking services, arranging access, completing the cleaning work, and managing payment arrangements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service administration, record keeping, service improvement, preventing fraud, and resolving disputes. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and relevant.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where we are required to do so by law, including tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where we wish to send optional marketing communications or collect certain non-essential information. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency or serious safety situation.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, run our business, or comply with law. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances.

Processors may include:

Payment service providers
Accounting and bookkeeping providers
IT and data storage providers
Booking or scheduling software providers
Communication and email service providers
Insurance or claims handling partners

We only share the minimum information necessary and require processors to protect personal data, use it only on our instructions, and comply with applicable data protection law.

We may also disclose information to:

Law enforcement or public authorities where required by law
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers
Successor businesses in the event of a sale, reorganisation, or transfer of assets

We do not sell your personal data.

5. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, standard contractual protections, or other lawful mechanisms approved under data protection law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Our retention periods depend on the category of information and the reason for holding it.

Customer and booking records: kept for as long as needed to manage the service relationship and deal with follow-up issues.
Invoices and accounting data: typically retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communications and complaint records: retained for a reasonable period to support service history and dispute resolution.
Marketing preferences: retained until you withdraw consent or object.
Technical data: retained for a limited time, unless needed for security or investigation purposes.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness procedures, and limiting access to data on a need-to-know basis.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore encourage customers to take care when sharing personal information.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain limits and exemptions.

Right of access: you can ask for 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 ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability: you can ask for data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: if we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
Right to complain: you may raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We aim to respond to rights requests promptly and in accordance with legal requirements. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults who arrange carpet cleaning in their homes or businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children, and we do not intentionally provide services directed at children. If we become aware that we have collected such data without proper authorisation, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or operational practices. 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 about how personal data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Carpetcleaning E1 is committed to respecting your privacy and using personal data responsibly. We only collect information that is relevant to our services, we process it on a lawful basis, we keep it only as long as necessary, and we share it only with trusted parties where required. All Carpetcleaning E1 customers in the area are covered by this policy. If you have any concern about the way your personal data is managed, your rights under GDPR remain fully protected.

Important: This policy is designed to be read alongside applicable data protection law and does not remove any rights you may have under that law.