Privacy Policy - Ilford Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Ilford Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Ilford Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, communicate with us, or otherwise engage with our cleaning services. We are committed to processing personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Ilford Carpet Cleaners provides carpet, upholstery, rug, and related cleaning services for residential and commercial customers in the Ilford area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller when we decide why and how personal data is used.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant, adequate, and limited to what is necessary for delivering our services and managing our relationship with you.

Categories of data we may collect include:

Identity information: your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact information: email address, telephone number, service address, and billing address.
Service information: details about the cleaning service requested, property type, access arrangements, preferred dates, and notes about the condition of items to be cleaned.
Payment information: payment status, transaction references, and limited financial details necessary to process invoices and payments.
Communication records: emails, messages, call notes, complaint details, and service feedback.
Technical information: basic website or device information if you contact us through digital means, such as IP address, browser type, and time of access, where applicable.
Special instructions: any additional information you voluntarily provide, such as access needs or sensitivities that affect the service.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary sensitive data. If you choose to provide information that may be considered special category data, we will only process it where there is a lawful basis and a clear need to do so.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quote or make an enquiry;
book or reschedule a service;
provide instructions about your property or cleaning requirements;
make a payment or receive an invoice;
leave a review or submit feedback;
contact us by phone, email, or other communication channels.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary for service delivery, such as booking systems, payment processors, or subcontracted service providers acting on our instructions.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We use your data only for lawful and legitimate business purposes. These may include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
managing bookings, appointments, and service delivery;
processing payments and issuing invoices;
maintaining internal records and service history;
handling complaints, disputes, and service-related queries;
improving our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency;
meeting legal, tax, and accounting obligations;
preventing fraud and protecting our business and customers.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. For example, we use your contact details, service address, and booking information to deliver the cleaning service you requested.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain data where required to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, and regulatory requirements.

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 may include managing business operations, keeping service records, responding to complaints, or improving service quality.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly where processing is optional and not required for contract performance or legal compliance. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with trusted third parties who help us operate our services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment processors: to handle card payments or other transactions.
Booking or administration tools: to manage appointments, schedules, and customer records.
IT and cloud service providers: to securely store and maintain business systems.
Accountants or tax service providers: to support financial administration and compliance.
Subcontracted service professionals: where needed to complete a booking, subject to confidentiality and data protection obligations.

All processors are required to handle personal data securely, use it only for the purposes we specify, and apply appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose data where required by law, for example to public authorities, courts, or law enforcement bodies, or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, customers, or property.

7. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protection recognised by law.

8. 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 obligations. Retention periods depend on the nature of the data and the reason for processing.

In general:

quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a limited period to manage follow-up and service history;
booking and invoice records may be retained for tax and accounting purposes;
communication records may be retained to resolve disputes, handle complaints, or maintain accurate service records;
data no longer needed will be securely deleted or anonymised.

Where we no longer have a lawful need to retain personal data, we will remove it in a secure and timely manner.

9. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.

You may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you;
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete information;
Erasure of your personal data in certain circumstances;
Restriction of processing in certain situations;
Object to processing based on legitimate interests;
Data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means;
Withdraw consent at any time where consent is our lawful basis;
Complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We will respond to valid requests within the timeframe required by law and may need to verify your identity before taking action.

10. Data Security

We use appropriate organisational and technical measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff awareness, and limited data sharing on a need-to-know basis. While no system is completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce risks and protect your information.

11. 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 and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult in connection with service arrangements.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or service arrangements. The updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Ilford Carpet Cleaners is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. This policy applies to all Ilford Carpet Cleaners customers in the area and is designed to support your rights and privacy at every stage of our service relationship.