Privacy Policy - Richmonduponthames Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Richmonduponthames Cleaner collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Richmonduponthames Cleaner customers in the area, including current, former, and prospective customers who enquire about or receive our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Richmonduponthames Cleaner provides domestic and/or commercial cleaning services within the local area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and process in relation to our services. This means we determine why and how your personal data is used.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary to provide and manage our services, respond to enquiries, and meet our legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

• Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
• Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service information such as cleaning preferences, property access instructions, scheduling details, and service history.
• Billing and payment information such as invoicing details, payment status, and transaction records.
• Communication records such as messages, call notes, complaint details, and feedback.
• Technical data if you communicate with us electronically, such as limited device or usage information.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you provide it voluntarily, for example where a health condition affects access arrangements or service delivery. If we do collect such information, we will ensure an appropriate lawful basis exists and apply additional safeguards.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

• request a quote or service;
• make a booking or change a booking;
• communicate with us by phone, email, text, or other methods;
• provide feedback, raise a concern, or make a complaint;
• make a payment or request an invoice; or
• interact with us in the normal course of receiving services.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary, such as payment providers, subcontracted service providers, or referral sources, but only where this is lawful and relevant to the service we provide.

4. Why We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide cleaning services and manage bookings;
• to communicate with you about appointments, changes, and service matters;
• to process payments and manage accounts;
• to respond to enquiries, complaints, and customer support requests;
• to maintain accurate business and service records;
• to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
• to protect our business, staff, customers, and property;
• to improve our services and customer experience.

We will only use your personal data in ways that are compatible with the purposes set out in this policy. We do not sell personal data.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing activity. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging services, confirming bookings, providing the cleaning service, and handling payment-related matters.

Legal Obligation

We may process your data where necessary to comply with legal requirements, such as tax and accounting record-keeping, fraud prevention, and other obligations imposed by law.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer relationships, improving service quality, keeping business records, and handling complaints or disputes. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and whether your privacy rights should take precedence.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for optional communications or for the processing of special category data that you have chosen to provide. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to deliver our services, operate our business, or meet legal obligations. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Processors are organisations that handle personal data on our behalf and only according to our instructions. Examples may include:

• IT and cloud service providers used for secure storage, email, scheduling, or document management;
• payment service providers that help process transactions;
• accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial administration;
• customer management software providers used to manage bookings and service records;
• professional advisers such as accountants, legal advisers, or insurers where necessary.

We require processors to apply appropriate technical and organisational security measures and to process data only for specified purposes. We do not permit processors to use your data for their own unrelated purposes.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, staff, customers, or property.

7. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms approved under applicable data protection law.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the context in which it was collected.

In general:

• customer and booking records are retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
• financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
• complaint and correspondence records are kept for as long as needed to manage the issue and defend legal claims if necessary;
• unnecessary or outdated data is securely deleted or anonymised when no longer required.

Where data is no longer needed, we will dispose of it securely and in line with our retention practices.

9. Data Security

We take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect personal data from accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, confidentiality obligations, and staff awareness procedures. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risk.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply subject to certain conditions and exemptions. They include:

• Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restrict processing – to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
• Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use personal data for automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects for customers. Any decisions relating to our services are made by people rather than by automated systems.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Richmonduponthames Cleaner respects your privacy and is committed to using personal data responsibly. We collect only the information needed to deliver and manage our cleaning services, use it for clear and lawful purposes, and keep it only for as long as necessary. We also ensure that our processors are bound by appropriate safeguards and that your rights under data protection law are respected.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Richmonduponthames Cleaner customers in the area.