Privacy Policy - Bickley Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Bickley Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Bickley Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including anyone who requests a quotation, books a service, receives a service, or otherwise interacts with us in relation to carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, stain treatment, rug cleaning, or related domestic and commercial 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. This policy is intended to help you understand what information we may process, why we process it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

1. Who We Are

Bickley Carpet Cleaners is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed. In limited circumstances, we may also act as a data processor where we handle information on behalf of another controller, such as a landlord, managing agent, or business client that has instructed us to carry out cleaning services.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our customer relationships, and meeting legal or regulatory requirements. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name or the name of your organisation.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as the type of cleaning requested, property access notes, appointment times, and instructions.
Payment and billing information such as invoice details and payment status. We do not intentionally store full card details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and complaint or feedback records.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic website enquiry data or device information used for security and service improvement.
Special category data only where you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific service need, for example health-related access requirements, sensitivity to cleaning products, or safety considerations. We will only process this data where appropriate safeguards and a valid lawful basis exist.

We usually collect information directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quotation, confirm a booking, communicate with us, or pay for services. We may also receive data from third parties who book on your behalf, such as landlords, letting agents, property managers, or commercial clients.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only where it is necessary and proportionate. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
arranging, delivering, and managing cleaning services;
processing payments, issuing invoices, and keeping financial records;
communicating about appointments, access, service changes, or aftercare;
handling complaints, refunds, disputes, or service follow-up;
maintaining internal records and business administration;
meeting tax, accounting, insurance, and legal obligations;
protecting the security and integrity of our systems and services;
improving our operations and customer experience.

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes without telling you first, unless the law permits or requires us to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract – processing is necessary to provide a quotation, complete a booking, deliver cleaning services, and manage our agreement with you.
Legal obligation – processing is necessary to comply with tax, accounting, record-keeping, consumer, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests – processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as service administration, quality control, fraud prevention, responding to enquiries, and protecting our business, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Consent – in limited cases, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications or where special category data is involved and consent is the appropriate lawful basis.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we carefully consider whether the processing is necessary and whether your privacy rights are affected. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time, although this will not affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. These parties act either as independent controllers or as processors acting on our instructions. We require appropriate safeguards and expect all processors to protect personal data in line with data protection law.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that host our records, email systems, scheduling tools, or backup systems.
Payment service providers that process transactions securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help us manage invoices, tax records, and financial administration.
Customer communication tools used for appointment reminders, quotes, or service updates.
Website and security providers where relevant for hosting, maintenance, analytics, or protection against misuse.

We may also share data with professional advisers, insurers, legal representatives, or public authorities where necessary to comply with the law, establish or defend legal claims, prevent fraud, or protect our rights and property.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes unless you have separately agreed to that or the law requires otherwise.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a limited period to manage follow-up and customer service.
Booking and service records are kept for as long as needed to complete the service and address any post-service queries or disputes.
Invoice and tax records are normally retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint and legal records may be retained longer where necessary to resolve disputes or comply with legal obligations.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention procedures.

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 controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, password protection, and careful selection of processors. While no system is completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection that is appropriate to the risks involved.

8. Your Rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law. These rights are not absolute and may apply only in certain circumstances. They include:

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data where there is no lawful reason for us to keep it.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you can request that we provide certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, 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 not intended for children as independent customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult with authority in connection with a service request. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. International Transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate legal safeguards are in place before any transfer takes place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

12. Summary of Key Points

In short: we collect only the personal data needed to provide and manage our carpet cleaning services, we process it under lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent, we retain it only for as long as necessary, we may use trusted processors to help deliver our services, and you have rights over your personal data. We are committed to handling your information responsibly, securely, and transparently.

This policy applies to all Bickley Carpet Cleaners customers in area.