Privacy Policy - Collierswood Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Collierswood Cleaner collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Collierswood Cleaner customers in the area, including individuals who request cleaning services, receive quotations, make bookings, or otherwise interact with our business. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Collierswood Cleaner provides domestic and commercial cleaning services. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal data relating to customers, property occupants, account holders, and other individuals connected with a booking or service request. We act as a data controller for the personal data we determine the purposes and means of processing.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information that is necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

• Identity data: name, title, and any relevant account or booking reference.
• Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and service location details.
• Service data: information about cleaning requirements, scheduling preferences, access instructions, and service history.
• Payment data: billing information and payment status. We do not knowingly store full card details unless necessary through secure payment systems.
• Communication data: correspondence, complaints, feedback, and notes from calls or messages.
• Technical data: limited information such as IP address, device type, or browser information if collected through online forms or digital systems.
• Special category data: we do not intend to collect sensitive personal data. If such information is provided unintentionally, it will be processed only where necessary and permitted by law.

We generally collect data directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, make a booking, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may receive information from third parties such as property managers, family members, or payment processors, where relevant to the service.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for legitimate business and operational purposes, including:

• responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
• arranging and delivering cleaning services;
• processing invoices, payments, and refunds where applicable;
• managing customer accounts and booking records;
• communicating service changes, updates, and service-related notices;
• handling complaints, disputes, and service quality issues;
• maintaining internal records, security, and fraud prevention;
• meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
• improving our services and operational efficiency.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original purpose for which it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and have informed you where required.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Collierswood Cleaner relies on the following bases as appropriate:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, providing cleaning services, issuing invoices, and communicating about service delivery.

Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal duties such as accounting, tax recordkeeping, insurance requirements, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes managing customer relationships, improving service quality, preventing misuse, and maintaining internal records. We consider the impact of such processing and apply safeguards where needed.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where optional marketing communications are sent and consent is required. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency affecting health or safety.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide services. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the circumstance. Our processors only handle data on our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

• payment processors for secure transaction handling;
• booking and scheduling systems used to organise appointments;
• email and messaging providers for customer communication;
• IT and cloud service providers for secure storage and administration;
• accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration;
• professional advisers such as legal or insurance advisers when needed.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, regulation, court order, or to prevent fraud, protect our rights, or ensure the safety of individuals and property.

Where processors are used, we take steps to ensure appropriate contractual safeguards are in place, including data processing terms requiring confidentiality, security, and lawful handling of data.

6. Data Retention

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

As a general rule:

• booking and service records are kept for a reasonable period to manage the customer relationship and respond to follow-up queries;
• financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
• complaints and correspondence may be retained for a period needed to resolve disputes and maintain service records;
• data that is no longer needed is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of.

When retention is no longer necessary, we take reasonable steps to ensure the data is securely removed from our systems or archived in a way that limits access.

7. Security of Personal Data

We use reasonable 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, and staff confidentiality requirements. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we aim to maintain a level of security appropriate to the risk and nature of the data processed.

8. International Transfers

If any of our service providers store or process data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection law. Such safeguards may include adequacy regulations or standard contractual protections.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• 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 data.
• Right to erasure: you may request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
• Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to data portability: you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

These rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions. If we are unable to act on a request, we will explain why where permitted by law. You also have the right to raise a concern with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data rights have been infringed.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a customer request or service arrangement and is lawfully provided by an adult responsible for the booking.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Collierswood Cleaner is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and lawfully. We collect only the information needed to provide cleaning services and manage our business, we rely on clear lawful bases, we share data only with appropriate processors or where required by law, and we retain it only for as long as necessary. Protecting your privacy is part of our service commitment to every customer in the area.