Privacy Policy - Hayes Carpet Cleaners

Effective date: This Privacy Policy explains how Hayes Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in the area where our services are provided. It applies to all Hayes Carpet Cleaners customers in area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request quotations, book appointments, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful basis we rely on, how long we keep it, the processors we use, and the rights available to you.

1. Personal data we collect

We may collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact information such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information such as details of your property, rooms, carpet or upholstery cleaning requirements, access notes, and service preferences.
Transaction information such as invoices, payment status, payment method, and service history.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to bookings or queries.
Technical information if you interact with our online systems, such as IP address, device information, and basic usage data where applicable.
Special category data only where it is unavoidable and you choose to provide it, for example where access needs or vulnerability-related information is relevant to delivering our service safely and appropriately. We do not seek this information unless necessary.

We aim to collect only the data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. We do not intentionally collect more information than we need.

2. How we use your personal data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and respond to enquiries;
to schedule, deliver, and manage carpet cleaning and related services;
to verify service details and access arrangements;
to process payments and maintain accounting records;
to communicate with you about appointments, changes, service issues, or follow-up matters;
to handle complaints, refunds, or disputes;
to maintain business records and meet legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our services, training, and internal operations;
to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We will not use your data for purposes that are incompatible with those listed above unless we have a lawful reason to do so and, where required, your consent.

3. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Hayes Carpet Cleaners relies on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations at your request, booking cleaning services, communicating about appointments, and carrying out the agreed work.

Legal obligation

We process certain data where we must comply with legal requirements, such as tax, accounting, record-keeping, insurance, or lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our customer relationships, maintaining service records, preventing fraud, improving our operations, and resolving disputes. We always consider whether our interests are proportionate and respectful of your privacy.

Consent

Where we rely on consent, we will ask for it clearly and separately. For example, consent may be used for optional communications or where special category information is provided for a specific reason. You may withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

4. Retention of personal data

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 vary depending on the type of information and why we hold it.

Customer and booking records: typically retained for a reasonable period after the service is completed so we can deal with follow-up questions, complaints, and warranty or service history matters.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by applicable law.
Communication and complaint records: retained for as long as necessary to manage the matter and protect our legal position.
General enquiry records: retained for a limited period unless they lead to a customer relationship or another lawful reason for longer retention.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe manner. We regularly review the data we hold to ensure it is not kept for longer than necessary.

5. Processors and data sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who process data on our behalf, known as processors. These processors are only permitted to use your information under our instructions and must protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment service providers for processing card or electronic payments;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration;
IT and cloud service providers for secure storage, email, and business systems;
Customer administration tools used for scheduling, invoicing, or record management;
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary;
Regulatory, tax, or law enforcement bodies where we are required to disclose information by law.

We do not sell your personal data. Where we transfer data outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure it remains protected in accordance with applicable data protection law, such as relying on approved safeguards.

6. Data security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take privacy seriously and work to reduce risks wherever possible. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will deal with it in line with applicable legal requirements.

7. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

Right of access – you can ask for 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 – in some circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – in some cases, you can ask for your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based 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. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

8. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults and household customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children as part of our normal operations. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data inadvertently, we will take appropriate steps to delete it unless there is a lawful reason to retain it.

9. Complaints and further information

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to raise them so we can address the issue promptly. You also have the right to complain to the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any significant changes will be reflected in an updated version of this policy.

In summary: Hayes Carpet Cleaners processes personal data only where there is a lawful basis to do so, keeps it only for as long as necessary, uses trusted processors, and respects your data protection rights. This policy applies to all Hayes Carpet Cleaners customers in area.