Privacy Policy - Lambeth Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Lambeth Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Lambeth Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and anyone who interacts with us for domestic or commercial cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Lambeth Cleaners provides cleaning services to customers in the local area. In the context of this policy, Lambeth Cleaners acts as the data controller for the personal data we collect and process in connection with our services, customer management, billing, and related operations. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.

2. Personal data we collect

We only collect data that is necessary for the services we provide, for administrative purposes, and to comply with legal obligations. The categories of personal data we may collect include:

• Identity information such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
• Contact information such as address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service details such as the type of cleaning requested, service preferences, access instructions, property details, and appointment times.
• Payment information such as payment status, invoices, and transaction records. We do not intentionally store full card details unless this is required by our payment provider and permitted by law.
• Communication records such as messages, complaints, feedback, and any notes made during service-related interactions.
• Technical information where relevant, such as limited device or usage data from online enquiries, for security and service administration.
• Special category data only in exceptional circumstances, and only where you choose to provide it or where it is necessary for legal or safety reasons, for example accessibility information that helps us carry out a service safely.

We do not collect more information than is reasonably necessary.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To provide cleaning services and manage bookings.
• To communicate with you about appointments, service changes, or service queries.
• To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records.
• To respond to complaints, questions, and customer support requests.
• To improve our services, training, and operational planning.
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
• To prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access.

We will never use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with those described in this policy without informing you, where required by law.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Lambeth Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases depending on the purpose:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes managing bookings, providing cleaning services, and handling payments.

Legal obligation

We process data where necessary to meet legal obligations, such as tax records, accounting requirements, and other lawful record-keeping duties.

Legitimate interests

We may process data for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include service improvement, internal administration, fraud prevention, and responding to customer enquiries. When we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on your privacy and apply appropriate safeguards.

Consent

Where consent is required, we will ask for it clearly and separately. For example, if we ever need to use your data for optional marketing communications, we will only do so with your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time.

5. Sharing your personal data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties, known as processors, who process data on our behalf and under our instructions. These third parties are only permitted to use your data for the specific services they provide to us and must protect it appropriately.

Processors may include:

• Payment service providers for secure payment processing.
• Booking and scheduling systems used to manage appointments and service records.
• IT and cloud service providers used for secure storage, communication, and system maintenance.
• Accounting and invoicing providers used for financial administration and record keeping.
• Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data if required to do so by law, court order, or other lawful request from a public authority. We do not sell your personal data.

6. International transfers

Where any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we take steps to ensure your personal data is protected to an adequate standard. This may include using approved contractual safeguards and assessing the protections offered by the destination country.

7. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, or reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the service provided.

In general:

• Customer and service records are kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
• Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
• Communication records are kept as long as needed to resolve queries, maintain service history, or meet legal obligations.
• Data that is no longer required is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in line with our retention practices.

We regularly review retention periods to ensure we do not keep personal data longer than necessary.

8. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to ensure that personal data is handled responsibly and protected as far as reasonably possible.

9. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and legal exceptions, but we will always assess requests carefully and respond as required by law.

• 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 restrict processing - you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to data portability - you can request that certain data be provided to you or transferred to another controller in a structured format.
• Right to object - you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
• 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 will respond within the time limits required by law and may ask for information to confirm your identity. This helps ensure your data is disclosed only to the right person.

10. Automated decision-making

Lambeth Cleaners does not use personal data for decisions made solely by automated means that have legal or similarly significant effects on you. If this position changes in the future, we will update this policy and provide any required information.

11. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business contacts. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental and necessary in connection with a service request, such as access arrangements that affect a household. Where such information is processed, it will be handled with particular care and only where lawful.

12. Changes to this policy

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

13. Our commitment

Lambeth Cleaners is committed to respecting privacy, using data responsibly, and maintaining trust with every customer. We aim to process personal information in a way that is transparent, proportionate, and secure. If we collect or use your data, we will do so only for legitimate purposes and with appropriate protection.

By using Lambeth Cleaners services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.