Privacy Policy - Cleaner Waterloo

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaner Waterloo collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services to customers in the Waterloo area. It applies to all Cleaner Waterloo customers in the area, including residential, commercial, and one-off service users. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Cleaner Waterloo provides professional cleaning services to homes and businesses across Waterloo and surrounding locations within our service area. In delivering these services, we act as a data controller for the personal data we collect and process about our customers, prospective customers, and others whose information we need to manage bookings, service delivery, billing, and customer support.

2. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name, title, and any business or household name you provide.
Contact details such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Booking and service information including cleaning preferences, appointment times, instructions, access notes, and service history.
Billing and payment information such as invoices, payment status, and limited transaction records. We do not store full card details if payments are processed through a secure third-party provider.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and messages exchanged with us.
Technical and usage information if you interact with us electronically, such as basic device or browser details, where needed for security or service improvement.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is provided by you and is necessary for the service, for example, if you voluntarily share access needs or health-related information relevant to safe cleaning arrangements. Where such data is processed, we do so only where permitted by law and with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

Cleaner Waterloo uses personal data for the following purposes:

To manage enquiries and provide quotes.
To arrange, deliver, and improve cleaning services.
To communicate about bookings, changes, reminders, and service updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accounting records.
To deal with complaints, disputes, and service quality issues.
To maintain security, prevent fraud, and protect our staff, customers, and property.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.

We only use data in ways that are relevant to the services we provide and consistent with the expectations of our customers. We do not sell personal information.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Cleaner Waterloo 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 taking bookings, providing services, managing appointments, and collecting payment.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain data where required to meet legal obligations, including tax record keeping, accounting, fraud prevention, and compliance with applicable law.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights. This may include service administration, internal record keeping, improving our operations, and handling customer enquiries. We always consider the impact on your privacy before relying on this basis.

Consent

In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, for example where we wish to send certain marketing communications or process optional information that is not otherwise necessary. You can withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

5. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Processors we may use include:

Payment service providers that process payments securely on our behalf.
Booking and scheduling providers that help manage appointments and reminders.
IT and cloud storage providers that host data, email systems, and business records.
Accounting and invoicing providers that help us manage financial records.
Customer communication tools used to send service-related messages.

We only use processors that provide appropriate contractual commitments, including data protection obligations, confidentiality, and security requirements. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure suitable safeguards are in place.

We may also disclose information if required by law, to respond to legal requests, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Cleaner Waterloo, our customers, our staff, or others.

6. Data Retention

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

Customer and booking records are generally retained for the period needed to manage the service relationship and handle follow-up queries.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to resolve disputes, maintain service quality, and manage ongoing customer relationships.
Unused enquiry data is usually deleted or anonymised after a reasonable period if no service is booked.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. In some cases, we may retain data for longer if necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

7. Security of Your Data

Cleaner Waterloo takes appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to information on a need-to-know basis.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond promptly to any suspected data incident. Protecting customer information is an important part of our service standards.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions.

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 circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability – you can request your data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
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 may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law.

9. Marketing Preferences

Where we send marketing communications, we will do so only in line with applicable law. You may opt out of marketing at any time if you no longer wish to receive such messages. Service-related communications, such as booking confirmations or essential updates, are not marketing and may still be necessary for us to provide the service properly.

10. Children

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer in connection with a household cleaning arrangement and only where it is necessary for the service. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child without proper authority, we will take steps to remove it where appropriate.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

12. Summary of Key Principles

In summary, Cleaner Waterloo processes personal data only when necessary, only for legitimate and lawful reasons, and only for as long as required. We use trusted processors, apply security safeguards, and respect your rights under data protection law. All Cleaner Waterloo customers in the area are covered by this Privacy Policy, and we are committed to handling personal data responsibly and transparently.