Privacy Policy - Sanderstead Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Sanderstead Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when we provide carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Sanderstead Carpet Cleaners customers in the Sanderstead area, including individuals who request quotations, make bookings, receive services at home or business premises, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our services. 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. Who We Are

Sanderstead Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and associated cleaning services to customers in and around Sanderstead. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in the course of delivering our services and managing our business operations.

This policy applies to data collected from customers, prospective customers, property occupiers, and individuals authorised to arrange services on behalf of another person or organisation.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Depending on the nature of your interaction with us, we may collect:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as your telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service information including appointment dates, service preferences, property access notes, and cleaning requirements.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction references, and limited billing records. We do not intentionally store full card details where a secure third-party payment processor is used.
Communications including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence related to services.
Technical data where relevant, such as basic device or usage information from emails or website interactions, if applicable.
Special category data only where you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for service delivery, for example, information about accessibility needs or health-related access arrangements.

We do not knowingly collect more information than is needed to provide and manage our services.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To schedule, confirm, amend, and complete bookings.
To deliver carpet cleaning and related services at the requested location.
To manage payments, invoices, and service records.
To communicate with you about service changes, reminders, or follow-up matters.
To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support matters.
To maintain business records, accounting records, and compliance documentation.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.
To meet legal, regulatory, insurance, and tax obligations.

We will only use your data for clear and legitimate purposes, and we will not use it in ways that are incompatible with those purposes.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling quotes, bookings, service delivery, and payment administration.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service administration, record-keeping, business improvement, fraud prevention, and resolving disputes.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where we are required to do so by law, including tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory obligations.

Consent

Where required, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications or when processing certain special category information that you choose to share. You may withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the lawful basis for processing.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and deliver our services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on their role.

Payment processors that securely handle card or electronic payments.
Booking and administrative software providers that support scheduling, record management, and communications.
IT and cloud service providers that store data securely and support our systems.
Accountants and professional advisers who assist with financial, legal, or compliance matters.
Insurance providers and claims handlers where required for managing incidents or claims.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, safety, or legal interests.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, to act only on our documented instructions, and to use appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. We do not sell your personal data.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, tax, or insurance requirements.

Quotation and enquiry records are generally retained for a limited period to manage follow-up, customer service, and business administration.
Booking and service records are retained for as long as needed to evidence services provided, handle queries, and support aftercare or dispute resolution.
Financial and tax records are retained in line with statutory obligations.
Complaint and incident records are retained for a reasonable period to manage claims, investigations, and legal defence.

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

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, encryption where appropriate, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted sharing of data on a need-to-know basis.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security. We will act promptly if we become aware of any data incident affecting your personal information.

8. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection law. Such safeguards may include adequacy regulations or standard contractual protections.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under data protection law. Subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions, 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 data.
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 object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your data is handled.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging cleaning services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children as part of our ordinary business activities. If we become aware that we have collected such data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any updated 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 we protect personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Sanderstead Carpet Cleaners is committed to respecting privacy, using personal data responsibly, and maintaining transparency in how customer information is handled. We process data only when we have a valid lawful basis, retain it for no longer than necessary, share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, and uphold your rights under the UK GDPR.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Sanderstead Carpet Cleaners customers in the area.