Privacy Policy - Soho Carpetcleaning

This Privacy Policy explains how Soho Carpetcleaning collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Soho Carpetcleaning customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and any individuals who interact with our services on behalf of a household, business, or property. 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.

We understand that privacy matters. This policy is designed to help you understand what information we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, who may receive it, and what rights you have over your information.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our carpet cleaning and related services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal or operational obligations.

Information you provide directly

We may collect the following types of information when you contact us, request a quote, book a service, or communicate with us:

Identity details, such as your name.
Contact details, such as address, telephone number, and email address.
Service details, such as the type of property, items to be cleaned, access instructions, and special cleaning requirements.
Payment and billing information, where needed to process transactions or issue invoices.
Communication records, including messages, feedback, complaints, and service preferences.
Any additional information you choose to provide when discussing your cleaning needs.

Information collected automatically

We may also collect limited technical information when you interact with our digital systems or communications, where applicable. This may include device information, usage patterns, and basic log data. Such information is used to maintain service quality, improve our operations, and support security.

Information from third parties

In some cases, we may receive information from third parties acting on your behalf, such as landlords, letting agents, property managers, or payment service providers. We only use such information where it is relevant to the service requested and where appropriate legal safeguards are in place.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for specified, legitimate purposes. These may include:

providing carpet cleaning and related services;
responding to enquiries and arranging appointments;
confirming service details and managing bookings;
processing payments and maintaining financial records;
handling complaints, disputes, or service issues;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access;
improving our services, customer support, and operational efficiency.

We do not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and you would reasonably expect that use.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, Soho Carpetcleaning may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, delivering cleaning services, handling payment arrangements, and communicating service updates.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service administration, business record-keeping, fraud prevention, and quality control. When relying on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on privacy and only process data where it is proportionate and justified.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, employment, consumer, and regulatory obligations.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where you explicitly agree to receive certain forms of optional communication. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

4. 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 vary depending on the nature of the information and the context in which it is used.

In general:

Customer and service records are retained for a reasonable period after the last service date to manage enquiries, disputes, warranties, and continuity of service.
Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be retained for a shorter or longer period depending on their relevance to customer service, complaints, or legal claims.
Security and technical logs are retained only for as long as needed for operational and security purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe and appropriate manner.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to run our business and provide our services. These third parties act either as processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.

Processors

Processors are organisations that handle personal data on our behalf and under our instructions. They may include:

IT and hosting providers that support data storage and system maintenance;
Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments;
Communication service providers that help us send messages or manage correspondence;
Administrative and accounting services that assist with record-keeping and compliance;
Professional advisers, such as legal or insurance advisers, where necessary for business or legal support.

We require processors to protect personal data, use it only for the agreed purpose, and apply appropriate security measures. Where required, we enter into written data processing agreements.

Other sharing situations

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, by a court order, or to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, or the public. If a business reorganisation, transfer, or sale occurs, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to applicable safeguards.

6. Security of Your Information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures are designed to reflect the nature of the data and the risks involved. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we regularly review our practices and take reasonable steps to maintain a high standard of protection.

Access to personal data is limited to people who need it for legitimate business purposes and who are subject to confidentiality obligations where applicable.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions, but we will always assess requests carefully and respond in accordance with the law.

Right of access - you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification - you can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure - in some circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing - you can ask us to limit how we use your information in certain situations.
Right to object - you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability - in certain cases, you can request your 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 respond within the time limits required by law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. Exercising your rights will not usually affect the services we provide, except where the requested action makes it impossible to continue lawful processing.

8. 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 as part of a service arrangement and only where relevant and necessary. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate basis, we will take steps to delete it securely.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operational practice, or the way we provide our services. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

By using Soho Carpetcleaning services in the area, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.