Privacy Policy - Hammersmith Cleaner

Hammersmith Cleaner is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Hammersmith Cleaner customers in area, including current, former, and prospective customers who use our cleaning services.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so and only for clear, limited, and legitimate purposes.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and service location details.
Service data: details of the cleaning services requested, service preferences, appointment dates, notes about the property, and any special instructions.
Payment data: billing details, transaction history, and limited payment information necessary to process payments. We do not intentionally store full card details unless a secure payment provider does so on our behalf.
Communication data: emails, messages, complaints, feedback, and call notes.
Technical data: basic information such as IP address, browser type, device identifiers, and usage information if you interact with our digital systems.
Special category data: we do not usually seek this data. However, you may voluntarily share information that could reveal health or access needs, such as mobility considerations or allergies, so we can provide services safely and appropriately. Where such data is provided, we process it only with your explicit consent or where another lawful basis applies under data protection law.

We aim to keep the amount of data collected to the minimum necessary for delivering our services and running our business responsibly.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations, schedule appointments, and deliver cleaning services;
to manage bookings, changes, cancellations, and customer requests;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
to communicate with you about your service, feedback, or complaints;
to maintain service quality, train staff, and improve our operations;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security threats;
to keep records of customer preferences and service history for continuity and support.

We only use your personal data for purposes that are compatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to use it for a new purpose.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Hammersmith Cleaner 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 managing bookings, delivering cleaning services, billing, and customer support.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to meet legal requirements, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, insurance, and any lawful request 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 service administration, fraud prevention, internal record keeping, and improving service quality. When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and use safeguards to protect your data.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent, for example if you provide special category information voluntarily or opt in to certain optional communications. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Important: We do not use your data for unrelated purposes without checking that a lawful basis applies.

4. Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share your data only when necessary and only with trusted third parties that support our services. These may include:

Payment processors: to process secure payments and refunds;
IT and hosting providers: to store data securely and maintain our systems;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to support financial reporting and compliance;
Customer communication tools: to send service-related messages;
Professional advisers: such as lawyers, insurers, and auditors where needed;
Regulators or public authorities: when legally required.

All processors and service providers are required to handle personal data securely, use it only on our instructions, and comply with applicable data protection laws. We do not sell your personal data.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Customer and service records: retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage queries, disputes, and continuity of service.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law.
Communication records: retained for as long as needed to resolve service issues and maintain accurate business records.
Consent-based data: retained until you withdraw consent or it is no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices.

While we take reasonable steps to safeguard information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore encourage customers to share only the information necessary for service delivery.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are subject to certain conditions and legal 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 ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability: you can ask for your data in a structured, commonly used format where the law allows.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or your local supervisory authority.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a limited service context and provided by an adult with authority to do so. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

9. International Transfers

If any service provider processes data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information and that transfers are carried out in compliance with applicable law.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised version. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Hammersmith Cleaner treats privacy as a core responsibility. We collect only the data we need, use it fairly and lawfully, share it only with trusted processors where necessary, and retain it only for as long as required. We respect your rights and aim to process all customer information in a transparent, secure, and lawful manner.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Hammersmith Cleaner customers in area. If you use our services, we will handle your personal data in accordance with this policy and applicable data protection laws.