Privacy Policy - Cleaner Docklands

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaner Docklands collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Cleaner Docklands customers in the area, including anyone who books, requests, receives, or enquires about our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Cleaner Docklands provides domestic and commercial cleaning services. In this policy, “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Cleaner Docklands. We act as a data controller for the personal data we collect in connection with our services, bookings, customer communication, payments, and related administration.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for legitimate business purposes and service delivery. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

• Identity data: name, title, and any relevant account or booking identifiers.
• Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details.
• Service data: service preferences, cleaning instructions, property access details, and appointment information.
• Payment data: payment confirmation, billing information, and transaction records. We do not store full card details unless required by a secure third-party payment provider.
• Communication data: messages, feedback, complaints, and notes relating to customer support.
• Technical data: basic information such as device type, browser information, and usage patterns if collected through digital systems used to manage services.
• Special category data: we do not actively seek sensitive personal data. If you choose to provide such information, for example accessibility needs or health-related notes relevant to service delivery, we will only process it where necessary and lawful.

We may collect data directly from you, from a person acting on your behalf, or through service administration systems used to manage bookings and customer records.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to arrange and deliver cleaning services;
• to manage bookings, rescheduling, and cancellations;
• to communicate with customers about appointments and service updates;
• to process payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable;
• to respond to enquiries, complaints, and service requests;
• to maintain internal records and service quality;
• to meet legal, regulatory, accounting, and tax obligations;
• to improve our operations, customer experience, and service planning;
• to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will always process personal data only for specified and legitimate purposes. We do not use personal data in ways that are incompatible with the original reason for collection.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. The lawful bases we rely on include:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes taking bookings, carrying out services, managing appointments, and issuing invoices.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include managing customer relationships, improving service quality, maintaining internal records, and protecting our business from fraud or misuse.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax, accounting, and record-keeping obligations.

Consent

Where required, we will rely on your consent, for example if you provide optional information that is not necessary for the service. You may withdraw consent at any time, although this will not affect processing that has already taken place lawfully.

Vital Interests and Public Interest

These bases are unlikely to apply in ordinary service delivery, but we may use them in exceptional circumstances where necessary to protect someone’s life or to comply with a lawful public duty.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the purpose for which it is held.

• Booking and service records: kept for the period needed to manage services and handle any queries or disputes.
• Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law.
• Customer communications: stored long enough to resolve enquiries and maintain business records.
• Security or incident records: retained as needed for investigation, prevention, or legal purposes.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices.

6. Processors and Third Parties

We may use trusted third-party service providers, known as processors, to help us operate efficiently. These processors act only on our instructions and must protect your personal data appropriately. Examples may include:

• payment processing providers;
• booking and scheduling systems;
• customer management and administration software;
• IT support and data storage providers;
• accounting or bookkeeping services;
• communication tools used for service-related messages.

We may also disclose personal data where necessary to professional advisers, insurers, regulators, law enforcement, or other authorities if required by law or to protect our legal rights.

Where processors handle personal data on our behalf, we require them to implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We do not sell personal data.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable and proportionate steps to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These steps may include access controls, secure systems, restricted permissions, and internal policies governing data handling. While we work hard to safeguard information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure.

8. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider processes data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations or other lawful transfer mechanisms approved under data protection law.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and legal basis for processing:

• 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 cases, you may ask us to delete your data.
• Right to restriction: you may request that we limit how we use your data in some situations.
• Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing where applicable.
• Right to data portability: where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request transfer of your data in a usable format.
• Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. Some rights may be limited where legal obligations require us to retain or continue processing certain information.

10. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you have the right to raise them with the relevant data protection authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office. We would also encourage you to contact us first so we can review and address your concern promptly.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any changes will take effect when published in the updated policy. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Cleaner Docklands respects your privacy and is committed to lawful, transparent, and secure processing of personal data. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, rely on appropriate lawful bases, keep data only as long as necessary, and work with processors who meet data protection standards. Your rights matter, and we will respond to valid requests in accordance with GDPR requirements.