Privacy Policy - Putney Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Putney Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services. It applies to all Putney Cleaners customers in the area, including private households, landlords, tenants, offices, and other commercial clients who use our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Putney Cleaners acts as a data controller for the personal information we collect and process in connection with our services. This means we decide how and why your data is used for the purpose of delivering cleaning services, managing bookings, invoicing, customer support, and meeting legal obligations. In some cases, we may work with third-party service providers who process personal data on our behalf. These providers act as data processors and are only permitted to use information according to our instructions and applicable law.

2. The information we collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for the services we provide and the administration of our business. The categories of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, the name of your business or property management company.
Contact details such as your address, email address, telephone number, and service location.
Booking and service information including preferred dates, access instructions, cleaning requirements, and service history.
Payment and billing data such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records. We do not store unnecessary card information where payment is handled securely by a third-party payment provider.
Communications including emails, messages, complaints, feedback, and notes about your service preferences.
Technical data where applicable, such as basic device or website usage information if you interact with our digital services.
Special category data only where you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific request, such as access needs or health-related instructions that affect service delivery.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a booking, or communicate with us. In some circumstances, we may receive information from property managers, landlords, agents, or other authorised third parties acting on your behalf.

3. How we use your data

Putney Cleaners uses personal data for the following purposes:

to provide and manage cleaning services;
to confirm bookings and service arrangements;
to issue invoices and process payments;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and service requests;
to maintain internal records and service quality;
to improve our services and customer experience;
to comply with legal, accounting, and tax obligations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
to exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe we need to use it for a compatible purpose or another purpose permitted by law.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis to process personal data. Putney Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases, depending on the nature of the information and the service provided:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, providing cleaning services, handling payments, and managing customer accounts.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include maintaining service records, managing communications, improving services, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Legal obligation

We process certain personal data where required to meet legal obligations, including tax, accounting, employment, insurance, and regulatory requirements.

Consent

Where consent is required, such as for certain optional communications or the processing of special category information not otherwise covered by law, we will seek your clear and informed consent. You may withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

Vital interests and public interest

In rare situations, we may process information to protect someone’s vital interests or where processing is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest, as permitted by law.

5. Sharing your personal data

We only share personal data where necessary and appropriate. We may share your information with:

Service providers and processors who support our business operations, such as payment processors, booking administration tools, accounting systems, customer management platforms, IT support providers, and cloud storage services.
Professional advisers including accountants, insurers, legal advisers, and auditors.
Property owners, landlords, or agents where they are authorised to receive service-related information and where this is necessary for service delivery.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to comply with a lawful request.

We do not sell your personal data. Any third party that processes data on our behalf is required to act under a written agreement and to maintain appropriate safeguards to protect your information.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, reporting, and dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held.

Customer and booking records are retained for the period needed to manage the service relationship and handle any follow-up queries or disputes.
Payment and invoice records are generally kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to maintain service continuity and support complaint handling.
Legal and contractual records may be retained longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

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 limited information in backup systems for a short period before it is automatically overwritten.

7. Security of your information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of trusted processors. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and continually review our safeguards.

8. Your rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal limits or exceptions. Your rights include:

The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, such as where data is no longer needed or where consent is withdrawn and no other lawful basis applies.
The right to restrict processing where you want us to limit the way we use your data.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
The right to data portability for data you provided to us, where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
The right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been mishandled.

We will respond to valid requests in accordance with applicable law. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

9. International transfers

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

10. Children’s data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where necessary in connection with household service arrangements and only with appropriate authorisation from an adult responsible for the booking. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take steps to delete it.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

12. Summary of our commitment

Putney Cleaners is committed to handling personal data responsibly and lawfully. We only collect what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your rights and aim to ensure that every customer in the area can use our services with confidence and trust.