Privacy Policy - Balham Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Balham Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Balham Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our domestic or commercial cleaning work.

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 written to help customers understand what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your information.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant to providing cleaning services, managing bookings, responding to enquiries, and maintaining our business records. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as your telephone number and email address.
Address details including the property address where services are to be provided.
Booking and service details such as service type, preferred dates, access instructions, and cleaning preferences.
Payment-related information where necessary for invoicing, receipts, or account management. We do not retain full card details unless explicitly required by a secure payment provider.
Communication records including emails, messages, notes from calls, and complaint or feedback information.
Technical information if you interact with our digital services, such as basic device or usage data collected for security and performance purposes.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for a lawful reason. Special category data may include information relating to health, religion, ethnicity, or other sensitive personal details. If such information is ever received, we will treat it with additional care and only process it where permitted by law.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business purposes connected to our services. These purposes include:

Providing cleaning services and managing bookings.
Contacting you about appointments, changes, access arrangements, or service updates.
Preparing estimates, invoices, and payment records.
Responding to enquiries, complaints, and feedback.
Maintaining internal records and service history.
Meeting our legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
Protecting our business, customers, staff, and property from fraud or misuse.

We will only use your data for the purposes described above or for purposes that are compatible with those purposes. If we need to use your data for a new purpose that is unrelated, we will explain the lawful basis before doing so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the situation, Balham Cleaners may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Performance of a Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to provide cleaning services, manage bookings, issue invoices, or take steps before entering into a service agreement with you. This is the main basis for much of our customer data processing.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining customer records, improving service quality, handling customer queries, and protecting our business against fraud or disputes. We always consider whether your privacy interests outweigh our need to process the information.

Legal Obligation

We may need to process or retain certain information to comply with legal requirements, including tax rules, accounting duties, and record-keeping obligations. In such cases, processing is lawful because it is required by law.

Consent

Where consent is required, we will ask for it clearly and separately. For example, if we ever use optional marketing communications or collect sensitive information that cannot be processed under another lawful basis, we will rely on your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

4. Data Retention

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

Customer booking and service records are usually retained for the period needed to manage the service relationship and handle any follow-up matters.
Invoices, payment, and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and financial regulations.
Correspondence and complaint records may be retained for a reasonable period to deal with disputes, service issues, or quality assurance.
Marketing-related records, where applicable, are kept until you opt out or withdraw consent.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe and appropriate manner. We do not keep personal data indefinitely.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our business. These parties act as processors when they process information on our behalf and under our instructions. Examples may include:

Payment service providers that process transactions securely.
Accounting or bookkeeping providers that help manage financial records.
IT and cloud storage providers that support data storage, email, and business systems.
Scheduling or administration tools used to organise bookings and customer communications.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary.

All processors are expected to handle personal data securely, use it only for the agreed purpose, and follow appropriate contractual and technical safeguards. We do not sell your personal data. We do not share it with unrelated third parties unless required by law, necessary to protect our rights, or needed to deliver the service you requested.

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place so that your information remains protected to an equivalent standard.

6. Security of Your Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss, or destruction. These measures may include restricted access, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality commitments, and careful control of processors.

While we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, we regularly review our procedures and take steps to reduce risks and respond appropriately if an incident occurs.

7. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to request transfer of certain 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 in accordance with applicable law. In some cases, we may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. There may also be situations where we cannot fully comply because of legal obligations or other lawful grounds for keeping the information.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or those acting on behalf of households or businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children unless it is incidentally provided by an adult customer and is necessary for a service-related purpose. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where required.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or how we operate. Any updates will apply from the date they are published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Balham Cleaners values your privacy and treats your personal data with care and respect. We only collect information needed to provide our services, rely on appropriate lawful bases, keep data only as long as necessary, use trusted processors under contract, and uphold your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Balham Cleaners customers in the area and is intended to provide a clear, transparent explanation of our data practices.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.