Privacy Policy - Wandsworth Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Wandsworth Cleaner collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services it provides. It applies to all Wandsworth Cleaner customers in the area, including current, former, and prospective customers who request or receive cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Wandsworth Cleaner acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we determine why and how personal data is processed when providing our services, managing bookings, handling enquiries, processing payments, and maintaining records.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for running our cleaning services, communicating with customers, and meeting our legal and operational obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a business or property manager.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service data such as booking details, service preferences, access instructions, property notes, and cleaning history.
Payment data such as transaction records and billing information.
Communication data such as messages, complaints, feedback, and enquiry records.
Technical data where relevant, such as limited device or usage information if you contact us through digital channels.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and we have a lawful basis to do so. If such data is ever provided to us inadvertently, we will handle it with appropriate care and restrict access as needed.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quote or make a booking;
communicate with us by phone, email, or message;
provide information relating to your property or service requirements;
make a payment or discuss an invoice;
submit feedback, a complaint, or a cancellation request.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary to deliver services, for example from a landlord, letting agent, property manager, or payment provider acting on your behalf. In such cases, we only process the information needed for the relevant service or administrative task.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, our lawful bases may include:

Contract: to provide cleaning services, manage bookings, issue invoices, and perform our obligations under an agreement with you.
Legitimate interests: to operate and improve our business, respond to enquiries, prevent fraud, maintain service records, and manage customer relationships, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation: to comply with tax, accounting, record-keeping, and other regulatory requirements.
Consent: where we rely on your permission for specific optional processing, and you may withdraw consent at any time.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we carry out a balancing assessment to ensure your privacy rights are protected. Where consent is the lawful basis, we make sure it is freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous.

5. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to arrange and deliver cleaning services;
to confirm bookings and service details;
to communicate with you about appointments, changes, or issues;
to process payments and manage invoices;
to respond to complaints, requests, and general enquiries;
to keep records for quality control, training, and business administration;
to comply with legal, accounting, and insurance obligations;
to prevent misuse of our services and protect our staff, customers, and property;
to improve our services and customer experience.

We only use personal data for the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that a compatible purpose applies or a new lawful basis exists.

6. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our services. These parties act as processors when they process personal data on our instructions. Processors may include:

payment service providers;
booking or scheduling platforms;
IT and cloud storage providers;
accounting and invoicing software providers;
customer support or communication tools;
professional advisers such as accountants or insurers where necessary.

We require processors to process personal data securely, only for specified purposes, and in accordance with data protection law. We do not sell personal data. We may also disclose information where required by law, where necessary to establish or defend legal claims, or where needed to protect the rights, safety, or property of Wandsworth Cleaner, our staff, or our customers.

7. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under applicable data protection law. We aim to keep personal data within secure environments and only transfer it when necessary for service delivery or administration.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and contractual requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing, but generally:

booking and service records are retained for an appropriate period after the service is completed;
invoice and payment records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting laws;
complaints and correspondence are retained for a reasonable time to manage customer service and legal obligations;
data no longer needed is securely deleted or anonymised.

When we no longer need personal data, we take steps to ensure it is disposed of safely and permanently where feasible.

9. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, password protection, and appropriate supplier due diligence. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the data we handle.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have several rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

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 data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Some rights may be subject to legal exceptions or limitations. If you exercise a right, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond to legitimate requests within the timeframes set by law.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided in the context of service delivery and is necessary to complete a booking or related administration. Where this occurs, we handle the information carefully and only for the relevant purpose.

12. Changes to This Policy

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

13. Summary of Key Points

What we collect

We collect the personal data needed to provide cleaning services, manage customer communication, and meet legal obligations.

Why we use it

We use your data to fulfil contracts, operate our business, comply with the law, and, where appropriate, rely on legitimate interests or consent.

Who may process it

Trusted processors such as payment providers, software providers, accountants, and other service partners may process data on our instructions.

Your control

You have rights over your personal data, including access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, portability, and withdrawal of consent where relevant.

By using Wandsworth Cleaner’s services, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.