Privacy Policy - Belsizepark Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Belsizepark Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Belsizepark Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, book a cleaning appointment, receive a quote, or otherwise interact with us. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner and to respecting your privacy rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Belsizepark Cleaners provides domestic and commercial cleaning services to customers in the local area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller in relation to the personal information we collect and use for our own business purposes. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for delivering our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting our legal and business obligations. The information we may collect includes:

• Identity details, such as your name and title.
• Contact details, such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service information, such as cleaning preferences, appointment notes, property access instructions, and special service requests.
• Billing and payment details, such as transaction records, invoices, and payment confirmations.
• Communication records, including emails, messages, complaint details, and feedback.
• Account and booking details, where applicable, such as service history and scheduling information.
• Technical information, if you interact with us electronically, such as device or browser-related data collected through standard security and service logs.

We do not seek to collect excessive information. We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, or we are otherwise permitted to process it under data protection law.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide cleaning services and manage bookings;
• to prepare quotations, confirm appointments, and plan work;
• to communicate with you about your service, including scheduling changes and customer support;
• to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records;
• to respond to complaints, queries, and service-related requests;
• to improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency;
• to meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
• to protect against fraud, misuse, and security incidents;
• to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims where necessary.

We will only use your personal data in ways that are compatible with the original purpose for which it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do otherwise.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the context, Belsizepark Cleaners relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Performance of a Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you. This includes arranging services, attending your property, and managing bookings.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include customer administration, service improvement, fraud prevention, internal record-keeping, and responding to complaints.

Legal Obligation

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

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is appropriate to collect certain optional information. When we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary for the operation of our business and the delivery of services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service provided. We ensure that appropriate contractual and security measures are in place before sharing any personal information.

Processors and service providers may include:

• Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments.
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help us maintain financial records.
• IT and cloud service providers that support data storage, email, scheduling, and security systems.
• Customer management or booking tools used to organise appointments and service records.
• Professional advisers, such as lawyers, insurers, accountants, or auditors, where necessary.
• Authorities and regulators where disclosure is required by law or to protect our legal rights.

We do not sell your personal data. Where a third party processes data on our behalf, they are required to act only in accordance with our instructions and to protect your information using appropriate technical and organisational safeguards.

6. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that suitable safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections. We will only transfer personal data where permitted by law and where adequate protection is maintained.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason for processing.

As a general rule:

• Customer service and booking records are kept for as long as needed to manage the service relationship and resolve any queries.
• Invoice, payment, and tax records are retained for the period required by applicable financial and tax laws.
• Complaints and dispute-related records may be kept for longer where needed to defend legal claims or comply with obligations.
• Marketing consent records, where applicable, are kept until you withdraw consent or opt out.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe manner. Retention is reviewed periodically to ensure we do not keep data for longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

We use reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, system protections, and data minimisation practices. While no system can be guaranteed as completely secure, we take privacy and security seriously and continuously review our safeguards.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exceptions depending on the circumstances. They include:

• Right of access – you can request 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 request deletion of your data in certain situations.
• Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your information in certain cases.
• Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to data portability – you can request that certain data be provided to you or another controller in a structured format.
• Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with legal requirements and within the applicable time limits. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online tools or digital systems that place cookies or similar technologies on your device, these are used only where necessary for functionality, security, analytics, or user experience. Where consent is required, it will be obtained in line with applicable law. You can control cookies through your browser settings, although doing so may affect some features.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children unless it is necessary in connection with a household booking or where provided by an adult customer for service administration. If we become aware that we have processed a child’s data without a lawful basis, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or the way we process data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how we protect their personal data.

13. Summary of Your Protection

In summary, Belsizepark Cleaners processes personal data only where necessary, uses it for clear and legitimate purposes, protects it with appropriate safeguards, and retains it only for as long as needed. We aim to be transparent about our practices and to respect your rights at every stage. Your trust matters to us, and we are committed to handling your information responsibly and lawfully.