Privacy Policy - Cleaner Dulwich

Last updated: This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaner Dulwich collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services. It applies to all Cleaner Dulwich customers in the Dulwich area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with us in connection with our services.

1. Introduction

Cleaner Dulwich is committed to handling personal data in a fair, transparent, and secure way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect and use personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so, and we limit our use of data to what is necessary for delivering our services, managing customer relationships, maintaining records, and meeting legal obligations.

This Privacy Policy is intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your personal data.

2. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details, such as your name and title.
Contact details, such as your address, email address, and phone number.
Service information, such as the type of cleaning service requested, property access notes, preferred appointments, and service history.
Billing and payment information, such as invoice details and payment records.
Communication records, including messages, booking notes, complaints, and feedback.
Property-related notes that are necessary to carry out cleaning safely and effectively, such as access instructions or special cleaning requirements.
Technical data if you interact with us electronically, including device or usage information where needed for security or service administration.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have chosen to provide it to us, for example where it affects service delivery or access arrangements. If such data is provided, we will only process it in accordance with applicable law and with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and manage cleaning services.
To confirm bookings, appointments, and service arrangements.
To communicate with customers about service updates, invoices, and scheduling changes.
To handle customer support requests, complaints, and feedback.
To maintain business records and service quality.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We only process data where it is relevant and necessary for these purposes. We do not sell personal data or use it for unrelated marketing purposes without the appropriate legal basis and where required, your consent.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of your personal data. Cleaner Dulwich relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, carrying out cleaning services, confirming appointments, and handling payment-related administration.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data where we must comply with a legal obligation, such as tax, accounting, record-keeping, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include service administration, quality control, customer support, maintaining security, preventing fraud, and keeping proper business records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide certain optional information or agree to particular forms of communication. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. Data may be shared with trusted third parties acting as processors on our behalf. These processors are only permitted to use the information according to our instructions and for the specific services they provide.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment processing providers that handle card or online payments.
Booking and scheduling systems used to manage appointments and service records.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data hosting, backup, and communications.
Accounting and invoicing providers that help us manage financial records.
Customer support or administrative tools used to manage enquiries and service requests.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, where necessary to protect our rights, property, or safety, or where needed in connection with a legal claim or dispute.

We do not allow processors to use your personal data for their own independent purposes. All processors are expected to maintain confidentiality, security, and compliance with data protection law.

6. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms. We take reasonable steps to ensure that your personal data remains protected wherever it is processed.

7. Data Retention

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

Customer service records are generally kept for the period necessary to manage the relationship and resolve any issues.
Invoice and payment records are usually retained for tax, accounting, and audit requirements.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to support service continuity and complaint handling.
Security-related records may be kept for a shorter or longer period depending on risk, legal needs, and the nature of the incident.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. Retention is reviewed periodically to ensure we do not keep data longer than necessary.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your personal data in certain situations.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability – you can request that certain data be provided to you or another organisation in a structured format, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. In some cases, we may not be able to comply fully where data must be retained for legal reasons or where other lawful grounds apply.

9. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data and the risks associated with processing. Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of harm.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and property-related service arrangements. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a customer’s household arrangement and only to the extent required for service delivery or safety. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. 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 communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how we protect their information.

12. Summary of Key Points

Cleaner Dulwich collects only the personal data needed to provide and manage cleaning services in the Dulwich area. We process data on the basis of contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and, where applicable, consent. We may share data with trusted processors such as payment, booking, IT, and accounting providers, but only under strict instructions. Personal data is kept only as long as necessary, and customers have important rights over their data, including access, correction, deletion, objection, and restriction. We remain committed to processing all personal data lawfully, securely, and transparently.