Privacy Policy - Cleaners Tjohnswood

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaners Tjohnswood collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services. It applies to all Cleaners Tjohnswood customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about services, receive quotations, book appointments, or use our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Cleaners Tjohnswood provides domestic and commercial cleaning services to customers in the local area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a 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 relevant and necessary for delivering our services, managing bookings, meeting legal obligations, and improving customer experience. The categories of data we may collect include:

• Identity data: name, title, and any other details needed to identify you.
• Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and preferred communication details.
• Service data: booking history, service preferences, property access instructions, cleaning requirements, and notes related to your service.
• Payment data: payment method information, billing records, and transaction details, where applicable.
• Communication data: messages, enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
• Technical data: limited data such as IP address or device information if you contact us through digital channels that record such information.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and we have a lawful basis to do so. If you choose to share sensitive information with us, we will handle it with appropriate care and only use it for the purpose for which it was provided.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for specific and legitimate purposes. These include:

• providing cleaning services and managing bookings;
• responding to enquiries and customer requests;
• processing payments and maintaining accounting records;
• sending service confirmations, reminders, and updates;
• handling complaints, disputes, and service-related issues;
• meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
• protecting against fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access;
• improving our services, operations, and customer communications.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, every processing activity must have a valid lawful basis. Cleaners Tjohnswood relies on the following lawful bases depending on the context:

Performance of a Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering services, issuing invoices, and managing service changes.

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 service management, customer support, business administration, quality assurance, and fraud prevention. We always consider whether our legitimate interests are proportionate and whether the processing is necessary.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where required by law, such as for tax records, accounting obligations, insurance purposes, or compliance with statutory duties.

Consent

Where we rely on your consent, we will make this clear at the time the data is collected. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis, although this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services. These parties act either as processors or independent controllers depending on the relationship and purpose of the processing. We ensure that any processor handles personal data only on our instructions and under appropriate contractual safeguards.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

• booking and scheduling systems;
• payment processing providers;
• accounting and invoicing services;
• IT, cloud storage, and communications providers;
• professional advisers such as lawyers or accountants, where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect our legal rights, the safety of others, or the security of our business.

We do not sell your personal data.

6. International Transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we take steps to ensure an adequate level of protection. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or relying on an adequacy decision where applicable.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

• Customer service records: retained for the period needed to manage the customer relationship and resolve disputes.
• Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by accounting and tax legislation.
• Communication records: retained for a reasonable period to manage service history, complaints, and follow-up.
• Inactive customer records: deleted or anonymised when no longer needed for business or legal purposes.

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

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to ensure that risks are minimised and managed responsibly.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply in different situations and are subject to legal conditions and exemptions. You may have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you;
• Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Erasure of your data in certain circumstances;
• Restriction of processing in certain cases;
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
• Data portability for information you provided to us, where applicable;
• Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing;
• Raise a complaint if you believe your data protection rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, you should provide enough information for us to identify you and understand your request. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

10. Children’s Data

Our cleaning services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided by an adult customer in connection with a service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without appropriate legal grounds, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

11. Cookies and Digital Tracking

If we use online systems that employ cookies or similar technologies, these may be used for essential functionality, analytics, or service improvement. Where consent is required, we will request it before using non-essential cookies. Any such use will be limited to what is necessary and appropriate for our operations.

12. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to raise them with us first so we can try to resolve the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection matters.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any changes will take effect when published in the revised policy version. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is processed.

14. Summary of Our Commitment

Cleaners Tjohnswood is committed to protecting personal data and respecting privacy. We process only the data we need, for clear and lawful purposes, and retain it only for as long as necessary. We work with processors under appropriate safeguards, and we recognise and support the rights of every customer in the area who uses our services. Our approach is built on lawfulness, transparency, security, and accountability.