Privacy Policy - Cleaner Richmonduponthames

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaner Richmonduponthames collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to its customers in the Richmond upon Thames area. It applies to all Cleaner Richmonduponthames customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about, book, receive, or manage cleaning services. 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.

We respect your privacy and aim to collect only the information that is necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. This policy is designed to explain what we do with your personal data, the reasons we process it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have in relation to your information.

1. Personal data we collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you request. The information we collect may include:

Identity information, such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a household member, landlord, tenant, or business representative.
Contact information, such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details, such as cleaning preferences, service instructions, property access notes, appointment dates, and frequency of bookings.
Payment information, such as records of payments made or due, billing references, and transaction status. We do not keep more payment information than is necessary for processing and accounting purposes.
Communication records, such as emails, messages, calls, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical information, if you interact with our digital systems, such as device information, IP address, browser type, and usage data where applicable.
Legal or administrative information, such as records needed for tax, accounting, insurance, or dispute resolution purposes.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, book a service, request a quote, give instructions, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may also receive data from a third party, such as a property manager, family member, business client, or another person authorised to arrange services on your behalf.

2. How we use your personal data

We use personal data only where we have a valid legal reason to do so. Common purposes include:

Providing and managing cleaning services.
Handling bookings, scheduling visits, and confirming service arrangements.
Communicating with you about your appointment, service changes, or service queries.
Processing payments, issuing invoices, and maintaining financial records.
Responding to complaints, feedback, or requests for support.
Improving service quality, internal operations, and customer experience.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
Protecting our business against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We do not use your personal data for unrelated purposes unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, have informed you about that use.

3. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must identify a lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the circumstances, Cleaner Richmonduponthames may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your information where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes booking services, delivering cleaning work, managing appointments, sending service updates, and processing payments.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests may include maintaining records, managing customer relationships, improving services, preventing fraud, and ensuring the security and effectiveness of our operations.

Legal obligation

We may use personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, employment-related record keeping, insurance, and lawful requests from authorities.

Consent

In limited situations, we may ask for your consent before processing specific information. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

4. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Examples of retention practices include:

Service and booking records are kept for as long as needed to manage the customer relationship and resolve any queries or disputes.
Payment and invoice records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to support service continuity, complaint handling, and internal reference.
Legal and compliance records may be kept longer where required to defend legal claims or meet regulatory duties.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it. We do not keep data indefinitely.

5. Processors and data sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that assist us in operating our business. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. We only share data where necessary and where appropriate safeguards are in place.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with invoicing, records, and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers that support storage, scheduling, communications, or data security.
Customer administration systems used to manage bookings and service records.
Professional advisers, such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors, where necessary.

All processors are expected to protect personal data, use it only on our instructions, and apply appropriate technical and organisational measures. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose information where required by law, to comply with legal processes, to protect our rights, to prevent fraud, or to safeguard the safety of our customers, staff, or the public.

6. Data security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality obligations, and internal data handling procedures. While no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, we work to keep your information protected and to reduce the risk of unauthorised access.

7. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exemptions. They include:

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 certain cases, you may ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in some situations.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – in certain cases, you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will review your request and respond within the time limits set by law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

8. Automated decision-making

We do not use personal data for automated decision-making that has legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and provide appropriate information.

9. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or how we process personal data. Any updated version will apply to all Cleaner Richmonduponthames customers in the area from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your information is handled.

10. Summary of our approach

Cleaner Richmonduponthames is committed to handling customer data responsibly, securely, and lawfully. We collect only the information needed to provide cleaning services, operate efficiently, and meet legal requirements. We rely on lawful bases such as contract, legitimate interests, consent, and legal obligation. We retain data only for as long as necessary, share it only with trusted processors where required, and respect your rights under data protection law.

This policy applies to all Cleaner Richmonduponthames customers in the Richmond upon Thames area.