Privacy Policy - Nunhead Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Nunhead Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in the Nunhead area. This policy applies to all Nunhead Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who enquires about, books, receives, or has received our carpet cleaning and related services. We are committed to handling personal data 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

Nunhead Carpet Cleaners is a carpet and upholstery cleaning service provider operating in and around Nunhead. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we determine why and how your personal data is processed.

2. Personal data we collect

We may collect and process different categories of personal data depending on your relationship with us. The information we collect is limited to what is necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

• Identity details such as your name.
• Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service details such as the type of cleaning requested, property access notes, preferred appointment times, and job history.
• Communication records such as messages, emails, call notes, and complaint or enquiry information.
• Payment information such as billing records and transaction references. We do not keep unnecessary full payment card details where these are processed securely by payment providers.
• Technical data limited to basic website or device information if you submit an enquiry through an online form or digital channel, where applicable.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have chosen to provide it, or unless another lawful condition applies. If you voluntarily share sensitive information with us, we will only use it where permitted by law and needed for the service or for legal compliance.

3. How we collect your data

We collect personal data directly from you when you:

• Request a quote or make an enquiry;
• Book or reschedule a service;
• Communicate with us by phone, email, message, or in writing;
• Provide instructions or access details for a cleaning appointment;
• Raise a complaint, feedback, or aftercare query.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary for service delivery, such as payment processors, booking systems, or referral partners acting on your behalf. In limited situations, we may receive information from property managers, landlords, or insurers where they have authority to do so.

4. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To provide quotes and respond to enquiries;
• To manage bookings, deliveries, and service visits;
• To carry out carpet, upholstery, and related cleaning services;
• To communicate with you about appointments, changes, or service issues;
• To process payments and maintain accounting records;
• To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests;
• To maintain business records and improve our services;
• To comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, and record-keeping duties.

We only use your data for these purposes or for closely related compatible purposes. We do not use your personal data in ways that are unexpected or unfair.

5. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the activity, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you. This includes booking services, delivering cleaning work, and managing service-related communications.

Legitimate interests

We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and interests do not override those interests. This may include record keeping, customer service, responding to queries, maintaining service quality, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Legal obligation

We process some information where required to comply with legal obligations, including tax rules, accounting duties, and lawful business record retention requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need permission to send optional marketing messages or to process certain sensitive information. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

6. Sharing your personal data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These parties act either as independent controllers or as processors processing data on our behalf. Where processors are used, they are required to act only on our instructions and to implement appropriate security measures.

• Payment service providers who process transactions securely.
• Booking and administration systems used to manage appointments and customer records.
• IT and cloud service providers that support our digital storage, email, and business systems.
• Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.
• Public authorities where disclosure is required by law, court order, or regulatory obligation.

We do not sell your personal data. We also require any processor we use to respect confidentiality, apply appropriate safeguards, and process personal data only for the specific services they provide to us.

7. International transfers

Where any service provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place before the transfer occurs. These may include adequacy regulations, approved contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law.

8. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

• Customer and booking records are generally retained for the duration of the business relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle queries, disputes, or repeat services.
• Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
• Communication records are kept as needed to manage customer service, complaints, and evidence of instructions.
• Marketing records are kept until you withdraw consent or opt out, where consent is the lawful basis.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived where appropriate. We aim to retain information for no longer than necessary.

9. Security of your data

We take reasonable and appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of service providers. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to minimise risk and respond promptly to any suspected data incident.

10. Your rights under data protection law

Depending on the circumstances, 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 ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain situations.
• Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to data portability – to request transfer of data you provided to us, where applicable.
• Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. Some rights may not apply in all cases, for example where we must keep information to comply with a legal obligation or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

11. Marketing preferences

If we send you optional marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may opt out at any time. Where you object to direct marketing, we will stop using your data for that purpose.

12. 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 handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their information is protected.

13. Complaints

If you are concerned about how we handle your personal data, you can raise the issue with us first so we can review it. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us promptly so that we may try to resolve any concern in a fair and timely manner.

Summary: This policy explains how Nunhead Carpet Cleaners processes customer data in the Nunhead area, including collection, lawful basis, retention, processors, security, and rights under UK GDPR.