Privacy Policy - Paddington Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Paddington Cleaners collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Paddington Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who book services, receive quotations, communicate with us, or otherwise use our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Paddington Cleaners is a cleaning service provider that processes personal data to arrange, deliver, and manage cleaning services. In this Privacy Policy, the terms we, us, and our refer to Paddington Cleaners. The term you refers to any customer, prospective customer, website user, or person whose personal data we process in connection with our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant, adequate, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity data, such as your name and title.
Contact data, such as your address, email address, telephone number, and property access details.
Service data, such as booking details, cleaning preferences, instructions, service history, and quotes.
Payment data, such as billing records, payment confirmations, and transaction references. We do not intentionally store full card details where payment services are handled by third-party providers.
Communication data, such as messages, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data, where applicable, such as IP address, browser type, device information, and usage data if you interact with our digital services.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, for example where it is relevant to accessibility, safety, or service delivery requirements. If such information is provided, we will handle it with additional care and only process it where lawful to do so.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To create and manage customer bookings.
To deliver cleaning services at your property.
To handle payments, invoices, refunds, and account administration.
To communicate service updates, changes, and service-related notices.
To manage customer support, complaints, and feedback.
To maintain business records, legal compliance, and internal administration.
To improve our services, processes, and customer experience.
To prevent fraud, misuse, and security incidents.

We will only use your personal data for the purpose for which it was collected unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose. If we need to use your data for an unrelated purpose, we will explain the lawful basis and, where required, seek your consent.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing activity. Depending on the context, we rely on the following lawful bases:

4.1 Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering cleaning services, issuing invoices, and managing customer accounts.

4.2 Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where it is necessary to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including tax, accounting, and record-keeping requirements.

4.3 Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving service quality, maintaining security, preventing fraud, and administering our business effectively. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and whether your interests require extra protection.

4.4 Consent

Where required by law, we may rely on your consent. For example, this may apply to certain types of marketing communications or optional data processing. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for business operations and service delivery. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information required and require appropriate safeguards to be in place.

Examples of recipients include:

Payment processors, to handle payments securely.
IT and cloud service providers, to store data, support communication systems, and maintain operational tools.
Accountants and professional advisers, for financial administration, tax compliance, and legal support.
Scheduling or booking software providers, where used to manage service appointments and customer records.
Subcontractors or cleaning staff, where needed to complete booked services.
Regulators, public authorities, or law enforcement, where disclosure is required by law or to protect our rights and the rights of others.

We do not sell personal data. If a transfer outside the UK were ever necessary, we would ensure appropriate legal safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections.

6. 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. The retention period depends on the nature of the data and why it was collected.

Customer and booking records are generally retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Correspondence and complaints may be kept for a period needed to resolve the issue and evidence our handling of it.
Marketing data is retained until you unsubscribe, object, or withdraw consent, where applicable.

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

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure systems, staff training, and careful selection of processors. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risk involved.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights apply subject to legal limitations and conditions.

8.1 Right of Access

You may request access to the personal data we hold about you and receive information about how we process it.

8.2 Right to Rectification

You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

8.3 Right to Erasure

You may request deletion of your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it, subject to legal retention obligations.

8.4 Right to Restrict Processing

You may ask us to restrict the use of your data in certain circumstances, such as while we verify accuracy or consider an objection.

8.5 Right to Object

You may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing. Where you object to marketing, we will stop using your data for that purpose.

8.6 Right to Data Portability

Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format, where technically feasible.

8.7 Right to Withdraw Consent

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect prior processing that was lawful before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, you should make a clear request and provide sufficient information to help us identify you. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law.

9. Children's Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental and necessary for a service arrangement made by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data that is not appropriate to retain, we will take steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle your personal data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Paddington Cleaners is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We only collect what we need, use it for clear business and legal purposes, keep it for no longer than necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. We also respect your rights and will handle requests promptly and carefully.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.