Privacy Policy - Cleaners Hackney

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaners Hackney collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the cleaning services we provide. It applies to all Cleaners Hackney customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, book, receive, or manage our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Scope of this Policy

This policy applies to personal data processed when you use our services, communicate with us, make a booking, request a quotation, submit feedback, or otherwise interact with Cleaners Hackney. It also applies to data collected through administrative, operational, and customer management activities related to our cleaning services.

Personal data means any information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to an individual. This may include your name, address, email address, telephone number, service preferences, payment details, and service history.

2. Data We Collect

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

• Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, business name or household details.
• Contact data: address, telephone number, email address, and preferred communication methods.
• Service data: booking details, cleaning instructions, service notes, visit dates, frequency of service, and customer preferences.
• Payment and billing data: payment status, invoices, transaction references, and limited financial information necessary to complete payments and maintain records.
• Communication data: messages, complaints, enquiries, feedback, and records of correspondence.
• Technical and usage data: limited information about how you interact with our online or digital systems, where applicable, such as device or browser details used for service administration.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for the service. For example, you may share access instructions or information relevant to health, mobility, or safety. If such information is supplied, we will only process it where lawful and necessary.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotations, confirm bookings, and deliver cleaning services;
• to manage customer accounts and service preferences;
• to communicate about appointments, changes, updates, or service issues;
• to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records;
• to respond to enquiries, complaints, and feedback;
• to ensure health, safety, and security during service delivery;
• to improve service quality, customer experience, and business operations;
• to comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance obligations;
• to prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access to our systems or services.

We only collect data that is relevant and limited to what is necessary for these purposes. We do not sell personal data.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the context, Cleaners Hackney relies 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, managing appointments, carrying out cleaning services, and handling billing or payment matters.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service administration, internal record-keeping, customer support, improving our services, and maintaining security.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax law, accounting requirements, health and safety duties, or lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example when you provide optional information or agree to receive specific types of communication not necessary for service delivery. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for service delivery, operational support, or legal compliance. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the relationship and purpose.

Processors may include:

• Payment processors who handle card or electronic payments;
• Accounting and invoicing providers who support financial administration;
• IT and cloud service providers who host systems, store records, or support communication tools;
• Customer management software providers who help manage bookings and service records;
• Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary;
• Regulatory, tax, or law enforcement authorities where required by law.

Where we use processors, we require appropriate data protection safeguards and contractual commitments to protect personal data. Processors are only permitted to process data on our instructions and for the agreed purpose.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, reporting, or dispute-resolution requirements.

• Customer service and booking records are typically retained for the duration of the service relationship and a reasonable period afterwards.
• Financial, invoicing, and tax-related records are retained for the period required by law.
• Communication records may be kept for as long as needed to resolve disputes, maintain service quality, or demonstrate compliance.
• Where data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the legal obligations that apply. We review retained data periodically to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, limited user permissions, secure storage, and staff awareness procedures.

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, we take reasonable steps to minimise risk and to respond promptly if a data incident occurs.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under UK GDPR in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exemptions.

• Right of access: you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to erasure: you may request deletion of your data in certain situations.
• Right to restrict processing: you may ask us to limit how your data is used in certain cases.
• Right to data portability: you may request that certain data be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
• Right to complain: you may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. In some cases, we may be unable to comply fully if legal obligations or legitimate grounds allow us to retain or continue processing the data.

9. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or process data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections designed to preserve your rights and the security of your data.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer in connection with a service arrangement, and only where necessary and lawful.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, service arrangements, or operational practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Cleaners Hackney is committed to protecting your privacy and using personal data responsibly. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. All Cleaners Hackney customers in the area are covered by this policy, and we aim to treat every customer’s personal information with care, respect, and transparency.