Privacy Policy - Leamouth Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Leamouth Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Leamouth Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about, book, receive, or pay for our carpet cleaning and related services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Leamouth Carpet Cleaners provides professional carpet cleaning and associated domestic and commercial cleaning services. In the course of operating these services, we may process personal data belonging to customers, prospective customers, property occupants, and other individuals who interact with our business. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights individuals have in relation to their data.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for service delivery, administration, legal compliance, and legitimate business operations. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity details such as name, and where relevant, business name or property management details.
Contact information such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Service information including booking details, type of cleaning requested, property access notes, and service preferences.
Payment information such as payment status, transaction reference, invoice details, and billing records. We do not intentionally store full payment card details where a secure payment provider is used.
Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaints, service updates, and correspondence.
Technical data where relevant, such as basic website or device information if you interact with us online.
Special instructions that may be necessary to carry out a service safely and effectively, for example access restrictions or known hazards in a property.

We do not collect more information than is needed for the purposes described in this policy. If you choose not to provide certain information, we may be unable to provide some services or respond to requests effectively.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To manage enquiries and provide quotes.
To schedule, deliver, and complete cleaning services.
To communicate with customers about appointments, changes, follow-up, or service issues.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records.
To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests.
To comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, operations, and customer experience.
To maintain business records and protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We may also use aggregated or anonymised information for internal analysis, planning, and service improvement. Such information does not identify any individual.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where a lawful basis under the UK GDPR applies. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging services, confirming bookings, carrying out the cleaning work, and managing payments.

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. This may include managing customer records, improving services, preventing fraud, and maintaining secure business operations.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping obligations.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent. For example, if we need to use your personal data for a purpose that is not covered by another lawful basis, we will ask for your clear permission. You can withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors or independent controllers. We only do so where necessary and where appropriate safeguards are in place. Processors may include:

Payment service providers used to process transactions securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers used to maintain financial records and tax compliance.
Scheduling, invoicing, or customer management software providers used to organise service delivery and records.
IT support and data storage providers used to host systems, maintain security, and back up business data.
Professional advisers such as insurers, accountants, or legal advisers where needed for business administration, claims, or compliance.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect legal rights.

All processors are expected to handle personal data securely and only in accordance with our instructions or their own legal obligations. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose of processing.

Customer service records are generally retained for a reasonable period to manage repeat bookings, disputes, or follow-up service requirements.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be retained for operational and dispute-resolution purposes.
Consent records are kept as evidence of the permission given and any later withdrawal.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed. We review retention regularly to ensure personal information is not kept for longer than necessary.

7. International Transfers

Where a service provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include approved contractual protections and assessments of the receiving country’s data protection standards. We only permit such transfers where they are lawful and reasonably necessary.

8. Security of Your Data

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and data minimisation. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability - to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent 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. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is provided by an adult customer as part of a service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

12. Summary of Key Principles

We collect only the personal data needed to provide and manage our services.
We use lawful bases including contract, legitimate interests, legal obligation, and consent.
We share data only with necessary processors and trusted third parties.
We keep data only for as long as needed and then securely delete or anonymise it.
We respect your legal rights over your personal data.

This policy is intended to provide clear and transparent information about how Leamouth Carpet Cleaners handles personal data for customers in the area. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.