Privacy Policy - Roehampton Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Roehampton Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, stain removal, rug care, and related services to customers in the Roehampton area. This policy applies to all Roehampton Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who enquire about our services.

1. Who We Are

Roehampton Carpet Cleaners acts as the data controller for the personal data covered by this Privacy Policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data in connection with our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information that is necessary to manage enquiries, provide services, administer bookings, process payments, and maintain accurate business records. The categories of personal data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information including requested services, preferred dates and times, access instructions, and service notes.
Payment information such as transaction details, billing records, and payment confirmations.
Communication records including correspondence by phone, email, text message, or other communication channels.
Service information relating to the condition of carpets, upholstery, rugs, stains, fibres, and treatment requirements.
Technical data if you interact with our online systems, such as IP address, device type, browser type, and basic usage information.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is provided by you and is necessary for a specific service request. If such information is shared, it will be handled with extra care and only where a valid legal basis applies.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, schedule a service, or communicate with us about a job. We may also collect information from third parties where needed to deliver our services, for example payment providers, referral partners, or property managers acting on your behalf. In some cases, we may receive information from publicly available sources where it is necessary to verify details or manage a service request.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to manage bookings and carry out cleaning services;
to communicate with you about appointments, changes, or service updates;
to process payments and maintain accounting records;
to keep records of services completed and customer preferences;
to handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests;
to meet legal and regulatory obligations;
to improve our services, internal processes, and customer experience;
to protect our business, customers, and staff from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected unless we reasonably believe a compatible purpose exists or you consent to a different use.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing enquiries, confirming bookings, carrying out cleaning services, and handling 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. Examples include record-keeping, improving service quality, preventing fraud, and maintaining internal administration. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and respectful of your privacy.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain information where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, consumer protection, and record-retention requirements.

Consent

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

6. Sharing Your Personal Data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information only when necessary and only with trusted third parties that support our operations. These may include:

Payment processors who handle card or electronic payments securely;
IT and cloud service providers who support data storage, communications, scheduling, or security;
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers;
Subcontractors or service partners who assist in delivering services on our behalf;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary for legal claims.

Any processor or third party that acts on our instructions is required to protect your data, use it only for the agreed purpose, and meet appropriate confidentiality and security standards. We do not permit processors to use your data for their own unrelated purposes.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of data and why it is held.

Booking and customer service records are generally retained for a period that allows us to manage follow-up, complaints, and service history.
Payment and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records are kept as needed to evidence instructions, resolve disputes, and maintain accurate business records.
Technical logs are retained for security, operational, and troubleshooting purposes for a limited period.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. We review retention periods regularly to ensure data is not kept longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

We use 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 regular review of internal procedures. While no system can be completely secure, we take reasonable steps to protect your information.

9. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure suitable safeguards are in place to protect it to an adequate standard. This may include standard contractual clauses, adequacy regulations, or other lawful transfer mechanisms permitted under data protection law.

10. Your Rights

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits, these include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – to receive certain information in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve the issue promptly and fairly.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging domestic or commercial cleaning services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children as part of our standard business activities. If we become aware that children’s data has been collected unintentionally, we will take appropriate steps to delete or protect it in accordance with legal requirements.

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 process personal data. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised version. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

13. Contact and Further Information

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide clear information about how Roehampton Carpet Cleaners handles personal data. If you have questions about this policy, your rights, or how your information is processed, you may request further details through our normal customer service channels. We will respond in accordance with applicable data protection laws and aim to resolve concerns in a transparent and respectful manner.

Summary of our commitments: we collect only necessary personal data, use it for legitimate service purposes, share it only with trusted processors when required, retain it for appropriate periods, and respect your legal rights under UK data protection law.