Privacy Policy - Deep Cleaning Kingston

This Privacy Policy explains how Deep Cleaning Kingston collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing services to customers in the Kingston area. It applies to all Deep Cleaning Kingston customers in area, including private households, landlords, tenants, letting agents, property managers, and commercial clients who engage our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data 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

Deep Cleaning Kingston is a professional cleaning service provider. In the context of this policy, we act as the data controller for the personal information we collect and use in connection with our services, except where we process data on behalf of a customer under a separate arrangement. This means we decide why and how personal data is processed for our own operational, administrative, legal, and service-delivery purposes.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data necessary to manage bookings, deliver services, communicate with customers, and meet our legal obligations. The categories of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details such as name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as property type, cleaning requirements, access instructions, and appointment preferences.
Billing and payment information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records such as messages, complaints, feedback, and service notes.
Technical data such as limited website or device information if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.
Special instructions that may be relevant to performing a service safely and effectively, provided voluntarily by the customer.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is required for the purpose in question. Where we receive personal data about another person, such as a tenant, resident, or property key holder, we expect the person providing the information to have the authority to share it.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and manage bookings.
To provide cleaning services at the requested property.
To prepare quotations, invoices, and service records.
To communicate appointment updates, service changes, and important notices.
To manage customer accounts and payment administration.
To handle complaints, disputes, and service improvement.
To maintain business records and comply with legal duties.
To protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security risks.

We may also use aggregated or anonymised information for internal analysis, service planning, and operational improvement. Such information does not identify individuals and is therefore not personal data.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data when we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, carrying out cleaning services, handling payments, and communicating about the service.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service quality control, administration, record keeping, business protection, and responding to customer enquiries. We balance our interests against your privacy rights before relying on this basis.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping obligations.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide information that is not required for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing already carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with trusted third parties acting as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. Processors may include:

Payment service providers who handle card or online payments.
Accounting and invoicing providers who support financial administration.
IT and cloud storage providers who host secure business systems.
Communication service providers who help us send emails or text messages.
Operational subcontractors or cleaning staff, where required to deliver the service.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers.

Where processors act on our instructions, they are required to protect personal data, use it only for the agreed purpose, and keep it confidential. We do not sell personal data. We do not share more data than necessary, and we seek contractual protections where appropriate.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. If business ownership or structure changes, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason for holding it.

Customer and booking records are generally retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Invoices and financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Complaints and dispute records may be retained longer where necessary to resolve issues or defend claims.
Communication records are retained only as long as needed for administration and service evidence.

When personal 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 need to retain certain records for legal defence or compliance purposes even after a customer relationship has ended.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to exceptions and limitations in some circumstances.

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 information.
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 some cases.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – you can request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format where technically feasible.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage customers to raise concerns with us first so that we can seek to resolve the matter promptly and fairly.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted use of personal data on a need-to-know basis. While no system can guarantee absolute security, we take data protection seriously and review our safeguards periodically.

9. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or processes data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in connection with a property service and provided by an authorised adult. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without appropriate authority, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operational practices, or service arrangements. The most current version will apply to all customers in the Kingston area. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Approach

Deep Cleaning Kingston is committed to privacy, transparency, and accountability. We collect only the personal data needed to provide and manage our cleaning services, we process it on lawful bases, we limit access to trusted processors, and we retain it only for as long as necessary. Most importantly, we respect your rights and aim to handle your information in a careful and responsible manner.