Privacy Policy - Swiss Cottage Cleaners

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Swiss Cottage Cleaners customers in the area. We are committed to protecting your personal data and handling it in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Introduction

When you use our cleaning services, request a quotation, make a booking, or communicate with us in any way, we may process personal data about you. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over your information.

We aim to keep our practices clear and proportionate. We only collect data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our business, meet legal obligations, and improve our customer experience.

2. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details: name, title, and any information you provide when booking or enquiring.
Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details.
Service information: details about the cleaning services requested, appointment dates, access notes, and service preferences.
Billing and payment information: transaction records, payment status, invoice details, and related account information.
Communication records: messages, complaints, feedback, and correspondence with our team.
Technical data: limited information such as device or browser data if you contact us electronically, where relevant to security or functionality.

We do not intentionally collect special category data, such as health data, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or political opinions, unless you choose to provide it and it is strictly necessary for a specific service request. In such cases, we will only process it where a valid legal basis applies and additional safeguards are in place.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to manage bookings and deliver cleaning services;
to maintain service records and customer history;
to process payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable;
to communicate about appointments, changes, or service updates;
to handle complaints, disputes, and customer support;
to meet accounting, tax, and legal requirements;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
to improve our services and internal operations.

We will only use your data in ways that are compatible with the purpose for which it was collected, unless we have a lawful reason to use it differently.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing cleaning services, managing bookings, and taking payment.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, or record-keeping duties.

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 managing customer relationships, improving service quality, preventing fraud, and maintaining secure operations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example if you voluntarily agree to receive certain types of non-essential communications. 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 parties act as processors when they process data on our instructions, or as independent controllers where they decide how to use data for their own purposes.

Examples of processors may include:

payment service providers;
accounting and bookkeeping systems;
booking and scheduling software providers;
IT hosting, email, and data storage providers;
customer communication tools;
professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary.

We only share the minimum data necessary for the relevant purpose. All processors are expected to use appropriate security measures and to process personal data only under our instructions and in accordance with applicable law.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or other lawful request from a public authority, or where necessary to protect our rights, customers, staff, or property.

6. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to ensure your data remains protected. This may include using legally approved safeguards such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes set out in this policy, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

In general:

Customer service and booking records: retained for the period needed to manage the relationship and address any follow-up issues.
Financial and invoice records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint and dispute records: retained for a reasonable period after resolution.
Consent-based marketing records: retained until you withdraw consent or the information is no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

8. Data Security

We use 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 careful selection of trusted processors.

Although we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that is likely to pose a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take the steps required by law.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These may include:

Right of access: you can ask for 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: in some circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: you can ask for data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and are not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer as part of a service arrangement and only where necessary and lawful.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

12. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and process personal data only when we have a valid reason to do so. Swiss Cottage Cleaners is committed to using data responsibly, keeping it secure, and ensuring that customers in the area can trust us with their information.

If you have any questions about how we handle personal data, you should review this policy carefully and understand your rights before using our services.