Privacy Policy - Harrow Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Harrow Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data. It applies to all Harrow Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with us in relation to our carpet, upholstery, and related cleaning services. 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.

1. Who We Are

Harrow Carpet Cleaners provides professional cleaning services to residential and commercial clients in the local area. 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 decide why and how your personal data is processed.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our relationship with you, and meeting legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as booking details, property access instructions, cleaning preferences, and notes about the items or areas to be cleaned.
Payment information such as billing records and payment confirmations.
Communication records including messages, enquiries, complaints, and service feedback.
Technical data if you contact us electronically, such as basic device or usage information needed to operate our systems.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is absolutely necessary and you choose to provide it. If such information is ever shared with us, we will handle it carefully and only where a lawful basis exists.

3. How We Use Your Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes.
To arrange, manage, and deliver cleaning services.
To communicate about bookings, changes, and service updates.
To handle payments, invoices, and accounting records.
To keep records of our customer relationship and service history.
To deal with complaints, queries, or follow-up requests.
To comply with legal, tax, and regulatory duties.
To improve our services and maintain appropriate business records.

We only use your data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected, unless we have a lawful reason to use it differently.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for every processing activity. Harrow Carpet Cleaners relies on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes booking services, arranging appointments, delivering cleaning work, and handling payment.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This includes maintaining customer records, improving our services, managing our business efficiently, and protecting against fraud or misuse. We always consider whether our interests are balanced and appropriate.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to meet legal and regulatory requirements, such as accounting, tax, insurance, and record-keeping obligations.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for specific optional communications. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it only when necessary and only with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These may include:

Payment providers who process transactions securely.
Accounting or bookkeeping processors who assist with financial records.
IT and system providers who support our data storage, email, or administrative tools.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where required.
Regulatory, tax, or law enforcement authorities where disclosure is required by law.

Whenever we use third parties to process data on our behalf, they act as processors and are only permitted to use the data according to our instructions. We require them to keep your information secure and confidential.

6. Data Retention

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

Customer service records are generally kept for a reasonable period after the service has been completed to support queries, warranty issues, or business administration.
Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be kept for as long as needed to manage ongoing relationships or resolve disputes.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymised. We regularly review the data we hold to ensure it is not retained longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, alteration, loss, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness procedures, and limited access to customer records. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and work to safeguard your information.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations or exemptions, but we will always consider and respond to your request appropriately.

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – in some circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request a copy of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where consent is the basis, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been breached.

9. International Transfers

We generally aim to keep personal data within the UK or the European Economic Area where possible. If any service provider stores or processes data outside these areas, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with applicable data protection law.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and businesses, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children without appropriate authorisation. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such data, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our internal practices. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised policy. We encourage customers to review this document periodically to stay informed about how we use personal data.

12. Summary of Key Commitments

Harrow Carpet Cleaners is committed to treating your personal information responsibly and transparently. In particular, we will:

collect only the data we need;
use it for clear and lawful purposes;
keep it secure;
retain it only as long as necessary;
share it only with trusted processors or where required by law; and
respect your rights as a data subject.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to all Harrow Carpet Cleaners customers in the area. We are dedicated to ensuring that your personal data is handled with care, integrity, and in compliance with applicable GDPR requirements.