Privacy Policy - Marylebone Carpetcleaning

This Privacy Policy explains how Marylebone Carpetcleaning collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data. It applies to all Marylebone Carpetcleaning customers in the area, including current, former, and prospective customers who request services, make enquiries, or otherwise interact with us. We are committed to handling personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Marylebone Carpetcleaning provides carpet, upholstery, rug, and related cleaning services to residential and commercial customers. In the course of delivering these services, we may need to collect and process personal data about customers, property occupants, booking contacts, and payment recipients. We act as a data controller for the personal information we decide to collect and use in connection with our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for legitimate business and service purposes. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Identity information such as name and title
Contact information such as address, phone number, and email address
Service details such as requested cleaning type, preferred dates, property access notes, and service history
Payment information such as billing details and records of transactions
Communication records such as enquiries, complaints, feedback, and service confirmations
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, such as device or usage information

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and lawfully permitted. If such information is ever required, we will apply additional safeguards and only process it where permitted by law.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations
To arrange, confirm, and deliver cleaning services
To manage customer accounts, bookings, and service records
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records
To handle customer complaints, aftercare, and service follow-up
To maintain business records and comply with legal obligations
To improve our services, training, and operational efficiency

We use personal data in a fair, lawful, and transparent way, and only for purposes that are compatible with the reasons it was collected.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Marylebone Carpetcleaning relies on the following bases where appropriate:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. For example, we need your contact details, address, and service instructions to carry out a cleaning booking.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include record keeping, service improvement, fraud prevention, and internal administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information where required to comply with tax, accounting, consumer, or other legal obligations.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where optional marketing or non-essential communications are involved. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service provided. We only share the minimum data required and ensure appropriate contractual and security safeguards are in place.

Payment processors to handle card or other payment transactions
IT and cloud service providers that store or support our booking, email, or record systems
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with financial administration
Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers where necessary
Operational subcontractors who support service delivery under our instructions

We do not sell personal data. We do not share information for unrelated third-party marketing purposes.

6. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms designed to protect your personal data.

7. Data Retention

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

Customer and booking records are kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law
Complaint and correspondence records are kept as long as needed to manage the issue and defend potential claims

When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in accordance with our retention procedures.

8. 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, staff awareness, and restricted sharing of information on a need-to-know basis.

While we take data protection seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We continually review our safeguards and aim to reduce risk wherever possible.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under GDPR. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and legal exceptions, but we will always assess requests carefully and respond appropriately.

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 circumstances
Right to restriction - to request that we limit processing in certain situations
Right to object - to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
Right to data portability - to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format
Right to withdraw consent - where processing is based on consent, at any time

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the timeframes set by law.

10. Marketing Communications

We only send marketing communications where permitted by law. If you receive optional marketing messages, you can opt out at any time. We will always respect your preferences and will not use your data for marketing in a way that conflicts with your rights.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless provided by an adult customer for a legitimate service purpose. Where such data is processed, we do so only with appropriate safeguards and lawful justification.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or how we process personal data. The latest version will always apply to your use of our services. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed.

13. Summary of Key Points

In summary, Marylebone Carpetcleaning collects only the information needed to provide and manage cleaning services, relies on lawful bases such as contract, legitimate interests, consent, and legal obligation, shares data only with trusted processors, and keeps data only for as long as necessary. Customers in the area have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to, or port their personal data, subject to legal limits.

We are dedicated to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with care, transparency, and respect.