Privacy Policy - Limehouse Carpet Cleaners

Limehouse Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, store, and protect personal information when you use our carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Limehouse Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Limehouse Carpet Cleaners acts as the data controller in relation to the personal data we process. This means we decide how and why your data is used for providing services, managing bookings, handling payments, and meeting our legal obligations.

We take data protection seriously and aim to process personal information fairly, lawfully, and transparently. This policy should be read together with any service terms or contractual information that apply to the services you purchase from us.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

• Identity details such as your name.
• Contact information such as address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service information such as booking details, property access notes, cleaning preferences, and service history.
• Payment information such as payment status, billing records, and transaction references. We do not necessarily store full card details where payments are processed through secure third-party systems.
• Communication records including messages, call notes, complaints, and feedback.
• Technical information if you contact us through digital channels, such as device or usage data collected by service providers.
• Special categories of data only where necessary and where you choose to provide it, for example information relating to allergies, medical issues, mobility needs, or access requirements that may be relevant to safe service delivery.

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for the services we provide. We do not intentionally collect more data than required.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotes and process bookings;
• to carry out carpet cleaning and related services;
• to communicate with you about appointments, service changes, or aftercare;
• to manage payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable;
• to respond to complaints, questions, and requests;
• to maintain accurate business records;
• to improve our services and customer experience;
• to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
• to defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We will only use your data where we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes providing quotes, arranging appointments, delivering cleaning services, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal requirements, such as record-keeping obligations, tax and accounting rules, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining business records, improving service quality, preventing fraud, and handling customer communications. When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and ensure the processing is proportionate.

Consent

In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, especially where special category information is involved or where consent is otherwise required by law. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf under contract and in accordance with our instructions.

Examples of processors may include:

• IT and cloud service providers used for storing emails, files, and business records;
• Payment processors used to handle secure transactions;
• Accounting and invoicing providers used for financial administration;
• Booking or scheduling systems used to manage appointments;
• Customer service tools used to record and manage communications.

We may also share data with professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary. In addition, we may disclose information if required by law, court order, or regulatory authority.

We do not sell your personal data. Any third party that receives data from us is required to protect it appropriately and only use it for the agreed purpose.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

The length of time we retain data depends on the type of information and why it is held. For example:

• booking and service records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage customer history and disputes;
• financial and tax records are usually retained for the period required by law;
• communication records may be kept for as long as needed to address queries or complaints;
• consent-based records may be kept until consent is withdrawn or the information is no longer needed.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you. Retention periods are reviewed regularly to ensure data is not kept for longer than necessary.

7. Your Rights

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data under data protection law. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions, but we will always assess requests carefully.

Right of Access

You have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how we use it.

Right to Rectification

You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to Erasure

In some circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data. This right does not apply where we must keep data for legal or legitimate reasons.

Right to Restrict Processing

You may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations, such as where you contest its accuracy or object to its use.

Right to Data Portability

Where applicable, you may request that certain data be provided to you or transferred to another controller in a structured, commonly used format.

Right to Object

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and in some cases to processing for direct marketing if that ever applies.

Right to Withdraw Consent

If we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Right to Complain

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority. You may also raise concerns with us so we can try to resolve the matter directly.

8. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to data on a need-to-know basis.

Although we take appropriate steps to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work diligently to reduce risks and respond appropriately to incidents.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law. This may include use of adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided in connection with a household booking or service arrangement and only where necessary for service delivery. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete or restrict it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated to customers. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how we process personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Limehouse Carpet Cleaners is committed to lawful, fair, and transparent processing of personal data. We collect only the information needed to deliver services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal responsibilities. We use your data on lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where necessary. We retain data only as long as required, share it carefully with trusted processors, and respect your data protection rights.

Your privacy matters to us, and we aim to handle your information responsibly at every stage.