Privacy Policy - Harrow On The Hill Carpet Cleaners

Last updated: May 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Harrow On The Hill Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Harrow On The Hill Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who enquire about our services, request a quotation, book a cleaning appointment, receive a service, or communicate with us in any other way.

We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is designed to help you understand what personal data we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the information needed to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. The personal data we may collect includes:

• Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of your household or business.
• Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service information such as the type of cleaning requested, property access instructions, cleaning preferences, booking dates, and any relevant notes about carpets or fabrics.
• Payment information such as payment status, billing details, and transaction records. We do not usually store full card details when payments are processed through secure third-party payment providers.
• Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to appointments or enquiries.
• Technical data that may be collected when you interact with our online systems, such as IP address, device details, browser type, and general usage information, where applicable.
• Special instructions you choose to provide, for example access details or cleaning concerns relating to allergies, pets, or sensitivities.

We generally collect data directly from you when you make an enquiry, place a booking, complete a form, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may also receive information from third parties acting on your behalf, such as property managers, landlords, tenants, or referral partners, where appropriate and lawful.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data only where there is a lawful reason to do so. The main purposes for which we process data are:

• to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
• to arrange, deliver, and manage carpet cleaning services;
• to communicate with you about bookings, changes, and follow-up matters;
• to process payments and maintain financial records;
• to handle complaints, service issues, and customer support requests;
• to improve our services, customer experience, and internal operations;
• to maintain records for accounting, tax, insurance, and legal compliance;
• to protect our business, our staff, and our customers from fraud or misuse;
• to send service-related updates where necessary.

We do not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so and we have informed you where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform our contract with you. This includes managing quotes, bookings, cleaning services, and payment processing.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include maintaining records, improving service quality, handling enquiries, preventing fraud, and managing business administration.

Legal Obligation

We may need to process and retain certain information to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax, accounting, consumer law, and insurance obligations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where we ask to send certain marketing communications or process information that is optional and not required for service delivery. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances.

Examples of processors may include:

• IT and cloud service providers that store emails, files, or booking records;
• payment processors that handle secure payment transactions;
• accounting and bookkeeping providers that help maintain financial records;
• customer management or scheduling systems used to organise appointments;
• professional advisers such as insurers, lawyers, or auditors when required;
• subcontractors or staff who need access to limited information to perform the service.

Where we use processors, we require them to protect your personal data and to process it only on our instructions and for lawful purposes. We may also disclose personal data if required by law, to enforce our rights, to protect the safety of others, or in connection with a business transfer or reorganisation.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. The exact period depends on the type of data and the reason for processing.

• Customer and booking records are generally retained for the duration of the business relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
• Invoice, payment, and tax records may be kept for up to six years or longer where required by law.
• Correspondence and complaint records may be retained for as long as needed to resolve issues and demonstrate fair handling.
• Marketing consent records are kept until you withdraw consent or until they are no longer needed.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality practices, and limiting access to those who need it to carry out their duties. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to protect your data appropriately and review our safeguards from time to time.

7. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• 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 restriction – 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.
• Right to data portability – to request transfer of data you provided in certain circumstances.
• 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 may need to verify your identity before responding. We will aim to deal with requests within the time limits set by law. Some rights may not apply in every situation, as exemptions and legal exceptions can apply.

8. Marketing Communications

If we send marketing communications, we will do so in accordance with applicable law. You may opt out of such communications at any time. Service-related messages that are necessary for bookings, payments, or customer support are not marketing communications and may still be sent where needed to deliver the service.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer in connection with a household service and only where necessary for the service arrangement.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or business operations. The most recent version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

11. How We Apply This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all customers of Harrow On The Hill Carpet Cleaners in the area, together with prospective customers and anyone else whose personal data we process in connection with our carpet cleaning services. By using our services or providing your information to us, you acknowledge that your personal data will be handled in line with this policy and applicable data protection law.

We aim to process personal data responsibly, transparently, and with respect for your privacy at all times.