Privacy Policy - Kensington Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Kensington Cleaner collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services to customers in the Kensington area. It applies to all Kensington Cleaner customers in the area, including residential, commercial, and one-off service users. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Kensington Cleaner is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed when we arrange and deliver cleaning services, manage bookings, respond to enquiries, and maintain business records.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our relationship with you, and meeting legal or operational obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

• Identity information: your name and title.
• Contact details: address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service details: booking history, service preferences, access instructions, and property notes relevant to cleaning.
• Payment information: limited billing and transaction details necessary to process payments and issue invoices.
• Communication records: messages, feedback, complaints, and notes from calls or correspondence.
• Technical information: limited information collected through our booking or communication systems, such as timestamps or device-related data, where relevant for security and service administration.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, for example if you share health-related access requirements so we can safely deliver a service. In such cases, we will only process it where there is a lawful basis and appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
• to manage bookings and deliver cleaning services;
• to communicate with you about appointments, access arrangements, and service changes;
• to process payments, handle refunds where applicable, and keep financial records;
• to maintain service quality, handle complaints, and improve our operations;
• to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and accounting obligations;
• to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes it was collected for, unless we reasonably need to use it for a compatible purpose. If we need to use it for a different purpose, we will explain why and ensure it is lawful.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Kensington Cleaner relies on the following lawful 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, sending service-related updates, and handling payment arrangements.

Legal Obligation

We process certain personal data where required to meet legal obligations, such as tax records, accounting requirements, insurance obligations, and responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

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. This may include maintaining service records, improving customer experience, preventing fraud, protecting property, and ensuring the security of our systems and staff.

Consent

In limited cases, we rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide certain optional information or agree to receive non-essential communications. When consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests and Special Category Data

In rare situations, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as where emergency contact or access information is needed to avoid harm. If special category data is processed, we will do so only where permitted by law and with suitable safeguards.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business and provide services. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and only in accordance with our instructions. They are required to keep your data secure and to use it only for the agreed purpose.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

• payment service providers that process card or bank payments;
• booking, scheduling, and customer management software providers;
• email, messaging, and communication service providers;
• cloud storage and IT support providers;
• accountants, payroll providers, and tax support services;
• professional advisers such as insurers or legal advisers, where necessary.

We may also share data with independent data controllers where required by law or where necessary to provide a service, such as banks or public authorities. We do not sell your personal data.

6. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

• Customer and booking records are typically kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards for administration, dispute resolution, and continuity of service.
• Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
• Communication records may be retained for a limited time to manage complaints, service follow-up, and quality control.
• Security and technical logs are retained only as long as necessary for system security and troubleshooting.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it. We review retention on a regular basis to make sure data is not kept longer than necessary.

8. Your Rights

You have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights apply subject to the conditions and exemptions set out in data protection law.

• Right of access: you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your data.
• Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
• Right to data portability: you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing.
• 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 you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve the issue promptly.

9. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, staff confidentiality obligations, secure systems, and regular review of internal procedures. While no system is completely secure, we work hard to protect the information entrusted to us.

10. Data Accuracy

We rely on the information you provide to us to keep our records accurate and up to date. Please let us know if your contact details, access instructions, or other important information change. Accurate records help us deliver services safely and efficiently.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and businesses, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children as a standard part of our operations. If we become aware that we have collected such data without appropriate consent or legal basis, we will take steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. The most current version will apply to your use of our services. Where changes are significant, we will take reasonable steps to make customers aware of them.

13. Summary of Key Commitments

Kensington Cleaner is committed to processing personal data lawfully, transparently, and with respect for your rights. We collect only the information needed to provide and manage our cleaning services, we retain it only as long as necessary, we share it only with trusted processors or when required by law, and we uphold the rights of all customers in the Kensington area.

Your privacy matters to us, and we aim to ensure that every stage of our service is handled responsibly and in line with data protection principles.