Privacy Policy - Hammersmith Cleaners

Privacy Policy - Hammersmith Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Hammersmith Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services. It applies to all Hammersmith Cleaners customers in the area, including people who request a quote, book a service, manage an appointment, or communicate with us in connection with our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal information may be processed as described in this policy. We only collect data that is necessary for service delivery, business administration, legal compliance, and service quality.

1. Information We Collect

We collect different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The information may include:

Identity details: name, and where relevant, company name or title.
Contact details: phone number, email address, and service address.
Service details: cleaning instructions, appointment preferences, property access notes, and service history.
Billing and payment information: invoice details, payment status, and limited transaction records.
Communication records: messages, enquiries, feedback, and complaint information.
Technical information: device or browser information if you contact us through digital channels, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it for a specific reason, such as access or safety requirements. If such data is ever provided, it is handled with extra care and only for the purpose for which it was shared.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to deliver efficient and reliable cleaning services. This includes:

processing service requests and quotations;
arranging appointments and service visits;
communicating about bookings, changes, and service updates;
issuing invoices and recording payments;
responding to questions, complaints, or service issues;
maintaining internal records and service history;
meeting legal, tax, and accounting obligations;
protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud or misuse.

We only use your information for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected. If we need to use your data for a new purpose, we will only do so where permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the activity, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your data where 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 process certain information to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, and regulatory duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process your data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service improvement, record management, security, and handling customer enquiries. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

Where required, we will ask for your consent before processing your information. If we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes without a lawful basis.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share limited personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our services. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. Examples may include:

payment service providers;
accounting and bookkeeping providers;
IT, cloud storage, and communication service providers;
professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers;
administrative support services assisting with bookings or records.

All processors are required to handle personal data securely and only according to our instructions, unless they are independently required to process it by law. We do not sell your personal data. We only share data where necessary and under appropriate safeguards.

In limited circumstances, we may disclose information to law enforcement, regulators, or other authorities where required by law or necessary to protect our rights, customers, or staff.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected. Retention periods depend on the type of information and our legal obligations. In general:

Service and booking records: kept for as long as needed to manage the customer relationship and service history.
Invoice and payment records: kept for the period required for financial and tax compliance.
Communication records: kept for a reasonable period to resolve disputes, respond to enquiries, and maintain service continuity.
Complaints or incident information: retained for as long as necessary to investigate and document the matter.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. If we cannot delete data immediately due to legal or operational requirements, we will store it securely and restrict access until deletion is possible.

6. Security of Your Information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to be proportionate to the nature of the data we process and may include access controls, secure storage, and restricted handling procedures.

While we work to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data incident occurs, we will assess the situation and take any required steps under applicable law.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limitations, these include the right to:

access the personal data we hold about you;
rectify inaccurate or incomplete information;
erase your data in certain circumstances;
restrict 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 where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to raise any concerns so we can address them promptly and fairly.

These rights are not absolute; in some cases, we may be legally permitted or required to continue processing or retaining certain information.

8. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use any digital systems that collect technical data, this will only be for legitimate operational purposes such as security, performance, or basic functionality. Where consent is required, it will be requested in accordance with applicable law. We do not use unnecessary tracking to profile customers.

9. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections. We remain responsible for ensuring that your personal data receives a level of protection consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our internal practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their information is handled.

11. Our Commitment

Hammersmith Cleaners respects your privacy and aims to process personal data only when necessary and with care. We value transparency, accountability, and data minimisation. Our approach is to collect only what we need, keep it only as long as necessary, and protect it appropriately throughout its lifecycle.

In summary: we collect personal information to provide cleaning services, rely on lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where appropriate, retain data for limited periods, use trusted processors under safeguards, and respect your rights under GDPR.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Hammersmith Cleaners customers in the area.