Privacy Policy - Cleaners Westminster

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaners Westminster collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Cleaners Westminster customers in the area, including current, former, and prospective customers, as well as individuals who enquire about our services or interact with us in any way. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name or title.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details such as property access instructions, cleaning preferences, and booking history.
Payment information necessary to process transactions and issue invoices or receipts.
Communications including messages, feedback, complaints, and service-related notes.
Technical and usage data where applicable, such as basic website interaction data, device information, or cookie preferences.
Special category data only where you voluntarily provide it and where it is necessary for a specific service request, for example accessibility-related information or health-related access needs.

We do not intentionally collect more data than required. If you choose not to provide certain information, we may be unable to deliver some services properly.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To register and manage bookings.
To provide cleaning services and maintain service quality.
To communicate with you about appointments, changes, or service updates.
To process payments, refunds, and invoicing.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, or feedback.
To keep business and legal records.
To improve our services, customer experience, and operational efficiency.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect processing carried out before withdrawal.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process your information when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, delivering cleaning services, and handling payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to comply with legal duties, such as tax records, accounting obligations, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data based on our legitimate interests where these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include managing our business, maintaining records, preventing fraud, improving services, and dealing with disputes.

Consent

We may ask for your consent for certain optional activities, such as using specific service preferences or processing information that is not otherwise necessary. Where consent is used, it must be given freely, specifically, and clearly.

Vital Interests and Public Task

These lawful bases are unlikely to apply in most cases, but we may rely on them where necessary to protect someone’s vital interests or where required by law.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary and appropriate. These third parties may act as data processors on our behalf or as independent controllers. We require all processors to handle personal data securely and in accordance with data protection law.

Typical processors and service providers may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers used for financial administration and compliance.
Customer communication tools used to send service-related messages or manage enquiries.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data storage and operational systems.
Scheduling or booking software providers used to organise appointments and service records.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose information if required by law, to protect our rights or property, to prevent fraud, or to support the safety of customers, staff, and the public. We do not sell personal data.

5. International Transfers

If any service provider processes personal data outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure that your information remains protected. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legally approved measures.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

Customer and booking records are typically retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards for administration, dispute handling, and service history.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaints may be kept for as long as needed to resolve issues and maintain accurate business records.
Consent records may be kept to demonstrate compliance with data protection obligations.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices. However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits, these may include:

The right to be informed about how your data is used.
The right of access to receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification if your data is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, also known as the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing in certain situations.
The right to data portability for information you provided to us where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
Rights relating to automated decision-making where applicable.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable legal requirements. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and general household or business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult for a legitimate service-related reason. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

10. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, you have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. You may also contact us through our usual service channels to discuss any concern first. We take privacy matters seriously and will aim to resolve issues promptly and fairly.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. 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 their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Cleaners Westminster is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal data. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, share it only with trusted processors when necessary, and keep it only for as long as required. Our approach is designed to be transparent, secure, and compliant with applicable data protection law.