Privacy Policy - Kingston Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Kingston Cleaners collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data. It applies to all Kingston Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who requests, receives, or enquires about our cleaning services.

1. Introduction

Kingston Cleaners is committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We respect the privacy of our customers, prospective customers, and other individuals whose data we process in connection with our services. This policy describes what information we collect, why we collect it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, the third parties we may use to process it, and the rights available to individuals under data protection law.

By using our services or providing personal data to us, you acknowledge that your information may be processed in line with this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide and manage our services effectively. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details, such as your name and title.
Contact details, such as address, phone number, and email address.
Service details, including property access instructions, cleaning preferences, appointment times, and notes about the work requested.
Payment information, where needed for billing and payment administration. We do not store full card details if payment is handled by a third-party provider.
Communication records, such as messages, enquiries, complaints, and service feedback.
Technical information, if you contact us through digital channels, which may include device or usage information necessary to maintain service security and functionality.

We generally collect data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, book a service, communicate with us, or otherwise interact with Kingston Cleaners. In limited cases, we may receive information from third parties, such as a landlord, property manager, or family member arranging cleaning services on your behalf.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes, schedule appointments, and deliver cleaning services;
to communicate with you about bookings, changes, and service updates;
to handle invoicing, payments, refunds, and account administration;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and requests;
to maintain internal records and service quality;
to comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
to improve our services, processes, and customer experience.

We only process personal data where we have a valid lawful basis to do so. We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with those stated in this policy unless we are required or permitted by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must identify a lawful basis for each processing activity. Kingston Cleaners may rely 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 taking bookings, providing cleaning services, managing payments, and communicating about the services requested.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal duties, such as tax, accounting, or regulatory obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is in our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining service records, preventing fraud, improving our operations, and handling customer communications. When relying on legitimate interests, we ensure that processing is proportionate and relevant to the purpose.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example if a specific optional processing activity requires it. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, although this will not affect processing that has already taken place lawfully.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and in line with applicable legal, accounting, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Customer and service records are generally kept for the period needed to deliver services and to manage any follow-up issues.
Financial and invoicing records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaints and communication records may be retained for a reasonable period to resolve disputes and maintain service history.
Marketing or preference-related data, where applicable, is kept only while it remains relevant or until consent is withdrawn or an objection is made.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it. We do not keep data indefinitely.

6. Data Processors and Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors only process data according to our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately. Examples may include:

Payment processors for taking and managing payments;
Booking or scheduling providers for appointment management;
IT and cloud service providers for secure storage, email, and system support;
Accountancy or professional advisers for financial administration and compliance;
Waste disposal or specialist subcontractors, where needed to complete a service request;
Regulators, courts, or law enforcement, where we are required to disclose information by law.

We do not sell personal data. Where a processor is used, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate contractual, technical, and organisational safeguards are in place. If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that suitable legal protections are used.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, password protection, and staff confidentiality obligations. While we work to protect data, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

We encourage customers to provide only the information needed for service delivery and to notify us promptly of any suspected misuse of their data.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, individuals have a number of rights in relation to their personal data. Subject to legal limits, you may have the right to:

Access your personal data and request a copy of the information we hold about you;
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances;
Restriction of processing in specific situations;
Object to processing based on legitimate interests;
Data portability for information you have provided to us where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means;
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We would, however, welcome the chance to resolve any concern directly and in a timely way.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults or for adults arranging services on behalf of a household. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental and necessary to provide services at a customer’s property. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or how we process personal data. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Kingston Cleaners is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and only for clear and lawful purposes. We collect the minimum information needed to provide our cleaning services, retain it only for as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We also respect the rights of all Kingston Cleaners customers in the area and aim to ensure that personal data is handled with care, transparency, and accountability.