Privacy Policy - Harringay Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Harringay Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Harringay Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, active customers, and individuals who make enquiries or request services. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Harringay Carpet Cleaners provides carpet cleaning and related cleaning services to local homes and businesses in the Harringay area. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller of the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to provide and manage our services. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name and title.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service data such as property access details, cleaning preferences, service history, and appointment notes.
Payment data such as billing information, transaction records, and payment status.
Communication data such as messages, enquiries, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data if you interact with our online systems, such as device information or basic usage logs.

We do not intentionally collect special category personal data unless it is necessary and permitted by law. Special category data includes information about health, religion, ethnicity, or similar sensitive information. If such data is ever provided to us incidentally, we will handle it with extra care and only where a lawful basis applies.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes.
To arrange, deliver, and manage cleaning services.
To process payments and maintain financial records.
To communicate about appointments, service changes, or customer support matters.
To maintain internal records and improve our services.
To comply with legal obligations, including tax and accounting requirements.
To deal with complaints, disputes, or claims.

We will not use your data for unrelated purposes unless we have informed you and, where required, obtained an appropriate lawful basis.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the situation, we rely 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 taking bookings, delivering cleaning services, managing appointments, and collecting payment.

Legitimate Interests

We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your rights do not override those interests. This may include keeping service records, improving operations, handling enquiries, preventing fraud, and maintaining secure systems. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and use data responsibly.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information when necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, consumer law, and record-keeping requirements.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for certain optional communications or specific uses of information. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties, known as processors, who help us deliver services and run our business. These processors only act on our instructions and are required to protect your data.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle card or electronic payments.
Booking, scheduling, or customer management software providers.
IT and cloud storage providers that host secure systems or backups.
Accountants or bookkeeping providers who assist with legal and financial compliance.
Communication providers that help us send messages or service updates.

We may also disclose data where required by law, such as to HMRC, courts, regulators, or law enforcement authorities. If we sell, reorganise, or transfer part of our business, customer data may be transferred as part of that process, subject to appropriate safeguards.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the context in which it was provided.

In general:

Customer and service records are kept for as long as needed to manage our relationship and for a reasonable period afterward.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Enquiry records may be retained for a shorter period if no service is booked.
Where data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it.

We apply a data minimisation approach and review stored information regularly to ensure we do not keep personal data longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff training, and restricted access to sensitive records.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a strong level of protection and to address risks proportionately.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing.

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

We will respond to valid requests in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before carrying out a request to protect your data and ensure it is not disclosed to the wrong person.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use basic website or system cookies, they may be necessary for functionality, security, or usage analysis. Where cookies are used and consent is required, we will ensure that appropriate notice and control are provided. Any such processing will be limited and proportionate to its purpose.

10. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are generally aimed at adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service arrangement and permitted by law. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practice, or the way we process data. Any updates will take effect when published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is handled.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and aim to use your personal data only when necessary, lawfully, and securely. Our approach is based on transparency, fairness, and accountability. By providing our services across the Harringay area, we ensure that customer information is handled with care, retained only when needed, and shared only with processors and authorities where appropriate.

This policy applies to all Harringay Carpet Cleaners customers in the area. By using our services or contacting us, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.