Privacy Policy - Kennington Cleaners

Kennington Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Kennington Cleaners customers in area, including individuals who request cleaning services, receive quotes, make bookings, or otherwise interact with our business.

1. Who We Are

Kennington Cleaners provides cleaning services to residential and commercial customers in the area. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller when we determine the purpose and means of processing personal data. This means we are responsible for ensuring that personal data is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for delivering our services, managing customer relationships, meeting legal obligations, and improving our operations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details such as name and title.
Contact details such as address, phone number, and email address.
Service details such as booking history, cleaning preferences, service instructions, and property access notes.
Payment information such as billing records, payment status, and transaction references.
Communication records including messages, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical information such as basic website or device usage data where applicable, for example IP address, browser type, or cookies used for site functionality.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it to us voluntarily. If such information is ever shared with us, we will process it only where a valid legal basis exists and with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide cleaning services and manage bookings.
To contact customers about appointments, changes, or service updates.
To prepare quotes, invoices, receipts, and payment records.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, and requests.
To maintain internal records and service history.
To comply with legal, accounting, and tax obligations.
To improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of our services.

We will only use your data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was originally collected. If we need to use it for a new purpose, we will ensure that a lawful basis exists and, where required, notify you.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Kennington Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases where appropriate:

Performance of a Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to provide the cleaning services you have requested, including taking bookings, carrying out the work, managing access arrangements, and handling payments.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate interests to do so, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include record-keeping, responding to customer queries, service improvement, fraud prevention, and operational administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain personal data where we are required to do so by law, including for tax, accounting, dispute resolution, or regulatory compliance purposes.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is necessary for optional communication preferences or certain non-essential data uses. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These organisations act as data processors or, in some cases, separate controllers. We only share the minimum data necessary and require processors to protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processing providers used to handle card or online payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support invoicing and tax compliance.
IT, hosting, or cloud storage providers that store customer and business records securely.
Communication tools used for appointment reminders or service updates.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority. If a business transfer, merger, or restructuring occurs, customer data may be shared with relevant parties under appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards.

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, and reporting obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for holding it.

Customer service records are retained for a reasonable period to manage ongoing relationships, handle queries, and resolve disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for operational and evidential purposes.
Marketing-related data is retained until you withdraw consent or object, where applicable.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices. We regularly review the data we hold to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted handling of sensitive records. While we work hard to safeguard your information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, these may include:

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 situations.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – to 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 in accordance with data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before responding, and some rights may be limited by legal obligations or legitimate business needs.

9. International Transfers

Where any of our processors or systems involve the transfer of personal data outside the UK, we will ensure that suitable safeguards are in place to protect that information in compliance with applicable data protection rules. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms.

10. Children’s Data

Our cleaning services are aimed at adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided in the course of a service arrangement and is necessary for that arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected such information without an appropriate basis, we will take steps to delete it securely.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, business practices, or the way we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how their information is handled.

12. How We Protect Your Rights

Kennington Cleaners is committed to treating personal data with care, transparency, and respect. We aim to collect only what we need, use it responsibly, keep it secure, and delete it when it is no longer required. Our customers in area can trust that their data will be handled in a lawful and fair manner.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Kennington Cleaners customers in area and is intended to provide clear information about our data handling practices.