Privacy Policy - Balham Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Balham Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Balham Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including private households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who request carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, rug cleaning, stain treatment, or related services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We respect your privacy and only process personal data where there is a valid legal basis to do so.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, communicate with customers, and meet legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a business or property manager.
Contact details such as address, phone number, and email address.
Service information such as property access notes, cleaning requirements, carpet or fabric type, and service history.
Billing details such as invoice records, payment status, and transaction references.
Communication records such as enquiries, feedback, complaints, and notes from telephone calls, emails, or other messages.
Technical information where you interact with our digital systems, including basic device or browser information if it is needed for security, troubleshooting, or analytics.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to disclose it to us and it is relevant to a service request, for example if access arrangements require it. If any such information is provided, we will only process it where a lawful condition applies and where it is necessary for the purpose described.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to deliver services efficiently and to maintain accurate business records. Typical uses include:

Managing quotes, bookings, and appointments.
Delivering carpet cleaning and related cleaning services.
Responding to customer questions and service requests.
Issuing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining accounts.
Keeping internal service records and job notes.
Handling complaints, follow-up queries, and aftercare.
Meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.
Protecting our business against fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We will only use your data for the purpose it was collected for, unless we reasonably believe that a compatible purpose applies or we are required to do otherwise by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis before processing your personal data. Balham Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, delivering cleaning services, and issuing invoices.

Legal Obligation

We process data where required to meet legal and accounting obligations, such as keeping tax records, financial records, and certain business documentation.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving our services, preventing fraud, securing our systems, and maintaining internal records. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have agreed to receive certain types of marketing communication. You may withdraw consent at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties who support our operations. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and under our instructions. Examples may include:

Payment processors who handle card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial records and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers who store or protect data systems and business files.
Communication service providers who help us manage emails, messages, or appointment confirmations.
Professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers where required for business management or dispute handling.

Where processors are used, we ensure appropriate contractual safeguards are in place. These safeguards require processors to protect your data, use it only for authorised purposes, and comply with applicable data protection laws.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, regulation, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority. Any such disclosure will be limited to what is necessary.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as we are legally required to retain it. Retention periods depend on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Customer service records are generally retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage follow-up issues or disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law and accounting rules.
Communication records may be retained for a limited time to help resolve service queries and improve future service quality.
Marketing preferences are retained until you update your preference or withdraw consent.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it where appropriate. We regularly review data to ensure it is not kept for longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our procedures.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take data protection seriously and aim to reduce risk through careful handling and restricted access.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have rights over your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights 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 circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – you can request that certain information be provided to you or another controller in a structured format.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been handled improperly. We encourage you to raise any concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve them promptly.

8. Marketing Preferences

We only send marketing communications where permitted by law. If you have opted in to receive updates or promotions, you may opt out at any time. We will always respect your choice and ensure that marketing stops where required.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally included in a booking or property access arrangement and is necessary for the service. If we become aware that we have collected such data without a valid reason, we will delete it where appropriate.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling 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 personal data is used.

11. Contact and Concerns

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your rights, you may contact us through the channels provided by our service team. We will respond in accordance with applicable data protection laws and aim to handle requests in a timely and professional manner.

By using Balham Carpet Cleaners’ services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy and that your personal data will be processed as described above, subject to your rights and applicable law.