Privacy Policy - Cleaners EC1

Cleaners EC1 is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the EC1 area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our cleaning services. It applies to all Cleaners EC1 customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who request or receive our services, enquire about bookings, or otherwise interact with us.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we use it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your information.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide and manage our services effectively. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name, title, and any preferred form of address.
Contact data such as your address, telephone number, email address, and service location details.
Booking and service data such as appointment dates, service preferences, property type, access notes, cleaning instructions, and service history.
Payment-related data such as payment status, invoice information, and limited transaction records. We do not store full card details unless this is clearly indicated through a secure payment provider.
Communication data such as messages, enquiries, complaint details, feedback, and records of correspondence.
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, including basic device or usage information where relevant for security and administration.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, for example if you share information relevant to access, safety, allergies, or specific cleaning requirements. Where such information is provided, we handle it with additional care and only for the purpose for which it was shared.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to deliver our services and manage our relationship with you. This may include:

Processing enquiries and service requests.
Arranging appointments and allocating cleaning staff.
Providing the requested cleaning services.
Managing payments, billing, and invoicing.
Communicating about bookings, changes, delays, or service updates.
Handling feedback, complaints, and service recovery.
Maintaining records for administration, accounting, and legal compliance.
Improving service quality, customer experience, and internal operations.
Protecting against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We only use your personal data for purposes that are compatible with the original reason it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to use it for another purpose. Where required, we will ask for your consent before using data in a new or optional way.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Depending on the situation, Cleaners EC1 may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering services, issuing invoices, and communicating about the service you requested.

Legitimate Interests

We may process 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, record-keeping, managing customer relationships, training, and protecting against fraud or misuse.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal obligations such as tax, accounting, consumer, or regulatory requirements.

Consent

In some situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly where processing is optional or involves information you have voluntarily provided beyond what is needed for the service. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process personal data where it is necessary to protect someone’s vital interests, for example in an emergency or where safety concerns require immediate action.

4. How Long We Keep Your Information

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

Customer and booking records are generally retained for a reasonable period after the last service to manage queries, repeat bookings, and service history.
Invoicing and accounting records are retained for the period required by law for tax and financial compliance.
Complaints and correspondence may be kept for a period needed to resolve issues and maintain service records.
Consent-based records are kept until consent is withdrawn or the relevant purpose ends.

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

5. Processors and Third Parties

We may use trusted third-party service providers, also known as processors, to help us operate our business and deliver services. These processors act on our instructions and are required to protect your data. They may include:

Payment providers for secure payment handling.
Booking and scheduling systems to manage appointments and service records.
IT and cloud storage providers to host and secure our data systems.
Accounting or invoicing services to manage financial records.
Communication tools used to send service updates or respond to enquiries.

We may also share data with professional advisers, insurers, or authorities where necessary for legal, contractual, or compliance purposes. We do not sell your personal data.

Where a third party processes data on our behalf, we take steps to ensure appropriate data protection terms are in place and that the data is only used for the agreed purpose.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access to data on a need-to-know basis.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the information we hold.

7. Your Rights

You have a number of rights regarding your personal data under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, these may 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 information.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data where there is no lawful reason to retain it.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – to request a copy of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will assess your request in line with data protection law and respond within the required timeframe. In some cases, legal obligations or legitimate grounds may mean we cannot fully comply with a request, but we will explain our reasons where appropriate.

8. Complaints and Further Information

If you are concerned about how your personal data is handled, you have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. We encourage customers to raise any privacy concerns directly so that we can review and address them appropriately.

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service arrangements. Any updates will apply from the date they are published, and we recommend reviewing this policy periodically.

9. Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to all customers of Cleaners EC1 within the EC1 area, including one-off and recurring clients, residential and commercial customers, and anyone whose personal data is processed in connection with our cleaning services. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal information will be handled in line with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

Cleaners EC1 respects your privacy and aims to process data fairly, lawfully, transparently, and securely at all times.