Privacy Policy - Cleaners Highbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaners Highbury collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to all customers in the Highbury area. It applies to every individual who uses our cleaning services, requests a quote, communicates with us, or otherwise interacts with our business in connection with services provided in the area. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all Cleaners Highbury customers in area, including private households, tenants, landlords, estate agents, property managers, and business clients who receive cleaning services. It also applies to individuals who make enquiries, submit booking requests, or provide information on behalf of another person. By engaging with our services, you acknowledge that your data may be processed as described in this policy.

2. Information we collect

We may collect and process several categories of personal data depending on how you use our services. The types of information we collect include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, company or organisation name.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information including service type, preferred dates, access instructions, and special requirements.
Billing and payment information where necessary to process invoices or payments.
Communication records including messages, service requests, complaints, and feedback.
Service-related notes such as cleaning preferences, property details, and instructions necessary to complete work safely and effectively.
Technical data in limited cases, such as basic information collected through email or digital systems used to manage enquiries.

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for the services we provide. We do not intentionally collect more data than required.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotes.
To arrange, deliver, and manage cleaning services.
To confirm appointments, access arrangements, and service updates.
To handle billing, invoicing, accounting, and payment administration.
To manage customer support, complaints, and service improvement.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To maintain internal records and ensure business operations run efficiently.

Where appropriate, we may also use personal information to protect our legitimate interests, provided that these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process personal data only when we have a valid lawful basis under GDPR. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, providing cleaning services, issuing invoices, and communicating about your service.

Legal obligation

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

Legitimate interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, such as improving our services, managing client relationships, maintaining secure records, and resolving disputes. When we rely on this basis, we consider whether your rights and interests require protection and limit processing where appropriate.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may ask for your consent, for example where it is required for certain optional communications or specific processing activities. When consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

5. Data sharing and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These processors are only allowed to use your data according to our instructions and under appropriate contractual safeguards. Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle transaction processing.
Accounting or bookkeeping providers that support financial administration.
IT and cloud storage providers that help us store and manage records securely.
Communication tools used to send service confirmations, reminders, or invoices.
Professional advisers, such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers, where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of our business, our customers, or others. We do not sell personal information.

6. Retention of personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Customer and booking records are retained for the period needed to manage services and deal with follow-up queries.
Financial and invoice records are typically retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to support service history, dispute resolution, and customer care.
Legal or insurance-related records may be retained longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices. We aim to retain information only for the minimum time necessary.

7. How we protect your data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, and staff training. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of data protection.

8. Your rights under GDPR

As a data subject, you have several rights regarding your personal information. These rights may apply depending on the legal basis for processing and the circumstances of your request:

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 data.
Right to erasure – you can request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit processing in certain cases.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to raise concerns so that we may address them promptly.

9. Data accuracy and your responsibilities

We rely on you to provide accurate and up-to-date information so we can deliver services properly. If any of your details change, please ensure they are corrected so that our records remain accurate. Accurate information helps us provide the right service at the right time and reduces the risk of errors.

10. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults and are not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult in connection with a service request. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to remove it where required.

11. Changes to this policy

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

12. Summary of our commitment

Cleaners Highbury is committed to processing personal data in a lawful, transparent, and secure way. We collect only the information needed to provide reliable cleaning services, use it on a valid legal basis, share it only with necessary processors or where required by law, and keep it for no longer than necessary. We also respect and uphold your GDPR rights. This policy applies to all Cleaners Highbury customers in area.