Privacy Policy - Camden Carpet Cleaners

Effective Date: This Privacy Policy explains how Camden Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data for all customers in the Camden area.

This policy applies to all Camden Carpet Cleaners customers in the area.

1. Introduction

Camden Carpet Cleaners is committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. We respect the privacy of our customers, prospective customers, suppliers, and other individuals whose personal information we process in connection with our services. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, the legal bases we rely on under the UK GDPR, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and the rights available to individuals.

We process personal data only where it is necessary for legitimate business purposes, service delivery, legal compliance, and the proper management of our customer relationships. We aim to ensure that all processing is proportionate, secure, and limited to what is required for the relevant purpose.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and similar identifiers.
Contact data: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service data: details of the cleaning services requested, appointment times, property access notes, and service preferences.
Payment data: payment status, billing records, and transaction references. We do not store full card details where a secure third-party payment processor is used.
Communication data: messages, enquiries, feedback, complaints, and records of correspondence.
Technical and usage data: limited data gathered when you interact with our digital systems, such as device or browser information, where applicable.
Operational data: notes relating to job completion, customer instructions, and service history.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you request a quotation, book a service, communicate with us, or enter into a contractual relationship with us. We may also receive information from third parties where necessary to perform a service, verify details, or manage payment-related activity.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide cleaning services and manage bookings;
to communicate with customers about appointments, quotations, and service updates;
to process payments, refunds, and related administrative tasks;
to respond to enquiries, feedback, and complaints;
to maintain internal records and service histories;
to meet legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations;
to improve our service quality, staff training, and operational efficiency;
to protect our business, customers, and staff from fraud, misuse, or security threats.

We will only use personal data for the purpose for which it was collected unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and that such use is lawful.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Camden Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases, depending on the nature of the processing:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, confirming service details, carrying out the requested work, and managing payments.

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 customer record management, service improvement, fraud prevention, business administration, and handling customer complaints.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with a legal obligation, such as tax, accounting, consumer protection, or regulatory record-keeping requirements.

Consent

Where required by law, we will rely on your consent. If we ask for consent, you may withdraw it at any time, and this 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 who act as data processors or independent controllers, only where necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards. These may include:

Payment processors: to securely handle card or online payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to manage invoices, financial records, and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers: to support data storage, email, scheduling, and business systems.
Customer management tools: to organise bookings, service records, and communications.
Professional advisers: such as legal, insurance, or audit advisers when necessary.
Regulators or public authorities: where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights or safety.

Where a third party processes personal data on our behalf, we require them to act only on our instructions and to implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The retention period depends on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Customer and service records: retained for the period necessary to manage our relationship and handle any post-service queries.
Financial and accounting records: retained for the time required by applicable tax and accounting laws.
Communication records: retained for a reasonable period to support customer service, dispute resolution, and business administration.
Legal claims or disputes: retained where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal rights.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe manner.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate organisational and technical safeguards to protect personal data against accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, staff confidentiality obligations, secure systems, and restricted data sharing.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect personal data, no method of transmission or storage is entirely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work continuously to reduce risks and maintain appropriate protections.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will only do so where appropriate safeguards are in place to ensure a level of protection consistent with UK data protection law. Such safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms.

9. Your Rights

Under applicable 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 request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to request limitation of processing in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability: to request transfer of certain data to you or another provider.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions or limitations. If you exercise a right, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or for individuals acting on behalf of a property owner or tenant. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental and necessary for service delivery in a household context. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take 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 practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date of publication or from the effective date specified in the revised policy. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact for Data Protection Matters

If you wish to exercise your rights, raise a concern, or ask questions about this Privacy Policy, you may do so through our usual business channels. We do not include contact information or website details in this text.

By using Camden Carpet Cleaners’ services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.