Privacy Policy - Cranham Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Cranham Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Cranham Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including anyone who makes an enquiry, requests a quotation, books a service, receives a service, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our cleaning activities.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is designed to help customers understand what information is collected, why it is collected, how long it is kept, and what rights individuals have in relation to their personal data.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services and managing our customer relationships. The information collected may include:

Identity details such as name.
Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information such as property access instructions, service preferences, and notes about the cleaning work required.
Payment information such as transaction records and payment status, where relevant.
Communication records including emails, messages, and notes from calls or booking enquiries.
Property-related information such as room sizes, carpet condition, stain details, or other service-specific observations.

We may also collect limited technical information if a customer contacts us digitally, such as general device or browser information, where needed to operate our systems securely. We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is directly relevant and voluntarily provided by the customer, for example if someone informs us about an allergy, mobility issue, or access requirement. Where special category data is provided, we treat it with extra care and only process it where necessary and lawful.

2. How We Use Personal Data

Personal data is used for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To manage bookings and deliver cleaning services.
To communicate with customers about appointments, access arrangements, or service updates.
To issue invoices, record payments, and manage accounts.
To keep internal records of services provided.
To handle complaints, service issues, and follow-up requests.
To maintain business, tax, and legal records.
To improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that it is necessary for a compatible purpose or another lawful basis applies.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Cranham Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with a customer. This includes managing enquiries, arranging appointments, delivering services, and processing payment-related records.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by the rights and freedoms of the individual. Examples include keeping service records, improving operations, managing customer communications, and protecting our business against fraud or misuse.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping requirements.

Consent

Where required by law, we may rely on consent, particularly for optional communications or for the handling of certain sensitive information provided by the customer. Where consent is used, it can be withdrawn at any time.

We do not sell personal data. We also do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was originally collected without proper notice and a lawful basis.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties that help us operate our business. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and under our instructions. Examples may include:

Booking and scheduling system providers.
Payment processing providers.
Accounting or invoicing software providers.
IT, cloud storage, or email service providers.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers, where necessary.

Where we use processors, we ensure appropriate contracts and safeguards are in place so that personal data is processed securely and only for permitted purposes. Processors are not allowed to use the data for their own purposes.

We may also share personal data where required by law, regulation, court order, or to protect our rights, property, safety, or the rights and safety of others.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and in line with legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Typical retention principles include:

Customer service and booking records are usually kept for as long as needed to manage the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Invoice and payment records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Complaint or dispute records may be kept longer where necessary to defend legal claims or resolve issues.
General correspondence is retained only as long as needed for business purposes.

When data is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, and limiting access to data on a need-to-know basis.

Although we take reasonable steps to protect data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data incident occurs, we will act promptly and in accordance with legal requirements.

7. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it, such as adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses, where applicable. We only permit transfers when they are lawful and necessary for business operations.

8. Your Rights

Individuals whose personal data we process have rights under data protection law. Subject to legal limits, these rights may include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use data in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a portable format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

Requests will be handled in accordance with applicable law, and we may need to verify identity before responding. We may not be able to comply with a request where an exemption applies, such as where retention is required by law.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adult customers and property owners or occupiers. We do not knowingly collect data from children, and our services are not directed at children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal data relating to a child without appropriate basis, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

10. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If a customer has concerns about how personal data is handled, they should raise the matter with us first so that we can review it. Individuals also have the right to complain to the relevant data protection supervisory authority if they believe their rights have been infringed.

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or operational requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. By using Cranham Carpet Cleaners services, customers in area acknowledge that they have read and understood this Privacy Policy.