Privacy Policy - Cleaners Richmond

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Cleaners Richmond customers in the Richmond area and explains how personal data is collected, used, stored, shared, and protected when we provide cleaning 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. This policy is intended to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all Cleaners Richmond customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request a quotation, book a cleaning appointment, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our work. It also applies where we process personal data relating to household members, building managers, or other individuals whose information is necessary to deliver our services.

2. Information we collect

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

• Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the names of household members or authorised contacts.
• Contact details such as email address, telephone number, and service address.
• Booking and service information such as cleaning preferences, appointment history, instructions, access arrangements, and service notes.
• Payment-related information such as billing details and records of payments made or due. We do not store more payment data than is necessary for processing and accounting.
• Communication records such as emails, messages, complaint details, feedback, and correspondence concerning your services.
• Technical information if you use digital channels to contact us, including basic usage or device information that helps us operate and secure our systems.
• Special category data only where you choose to provide it or where it is strictly necessary, for example when access needs, health-related concerns, or allergies are disclosed so we can deliver services safely. We minimise such data and use it only when required.

We generally collect personal data directly from you. In limited cases, we may receive information from third parties such as property managers, family members, or payment providers when they are involved in arranging services or payments.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotations, confirm bookings, and deliver cleaning services;
• to manage your account and service preferences;
• to communicate with you about appointments, changes, or service updates;
• to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records;
• to respond to enquiries, complaints, and feedback;
• to train staff and improve service quality;
• to maintain security, prevent fraud, and protect our business and customers;
• to comply with legal, accounting, tax, and insurance obligations.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably need to use it for a compatible purpose or another lawful reason under data protection law.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, our lawful bases include:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, carrying out cleaning services, handling invoicing, and responding to service requests.

Legitimate interests

We may process 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, service improvement, internal administration, fraud prevention, and maintaining secure systems.

Legal obligation

We process data when necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, regulatory, or insurance requirements.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent, for example if we process optional information that is not necessary to deliver the service. You can withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital interests and special category data

In rare situations, we may process information to protect someone’s vital interests. If special category data is involved, we will only process it where a lawful condition applies and where it is necessary and proportionate.

5. How we share personal data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our business and deliver services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

• Payment processors who handle payments securely.
• IT and cloud service providers who host our systems, email, record-keeping tools, or customer management platforms.
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers who support financial administration and compliance.
• Insurance, legal, and professional advisers where needed for claims, compliance, dispute handling, or business advice.
• Operational contractors or subcontractors involved in delivering cleaning services, where necessary and under appropriate confidentiality and data protection obligations.
• Authorities or regulators where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, safety, or legal interests.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, to act only on our instructions, and to use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, and contractual requirements. The retention period depends on the type of information and the reason for processing.

As a general approach:

• customer and booking records are kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
• payment and invoice records are retained for the period required by applicable financial and tax laws;
• complaints, correspondence, and service notes are retained for as long as needed to manage the matter and support legitimate business record-keeping;
• information collected with consent is kept until consent is withdrawn or the data is no longer needed.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

7. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to help protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to personal data to those who need it to perform their duties.

While we take security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in accordance with applicable law.

8. Your rights

Under data protection law, 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 circumstances.
• Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
• Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
• Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
• Right to complain – to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully.

Some rights are subject to legal limits and may not apply in every case. If you make a request, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

9. International transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that your information remains protected in line with data protection law. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

10. Children’s data

Our services are primarily intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in a household context and provided by an adult customer or guardian for service-related purposes.

11. Changes to this policy

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

12. Summary of our commitment

Cleaners Richmond is committed to protecting the privacy of our customers in the Richmond area. We collect only the information we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We aim to be transparent, respectful, and careful in the way we manage personal data.