Privacy Policy - Knightsbridge Cleaners

Knightsbridge Cleaners is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, store, and protect information relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Knightsbridge Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who uses our cleaning services, requests a quote, makes an enquiry, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our services.

We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what personal data we process, why we process it, and what rights you have in relation to it.

1. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing our relationship with you, and meeting our legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

• Identity data: your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
• Contact data: your address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service and booking data: details of the services you request, appointment dates and times, property access instructions, cleaning preferences, and service history.
• Payment data: billing details, payment confirmation, invoice records, and limited transaction information. We do not store full card details where payment is processed by secure third-party providers.
• Communication data: messages, emails, notes from calls, complaint records, and feedback.
• Technical data: basic website or device information if you interact with our digital services, such as IP address, browser type, and usage logs, where applicable.
• Special category data: we do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data unless you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for a specific reason, such as access arrangements or health-related instructions. If this happens, we process it only where lawful and appropriate safeguards are in place.

We generally collect data directly from you when you enquire about our services, make a booking, sign an agreement, communicate with us, or complete payment-related steps. In limited cases, we may receive information from third parties, such as payment processors, property managers, or referral partners, where this is necessary to deliver our services.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide cleaning services and manage bookings;
• to respond to enquiries and customer requests;
• to issue quotes, invoices, and payment confirmations;
• to manage service schedules, access arrangements, and operational planning;
• to maintain records of services provided and customer preferences;
• to handle complaints, claims, and customer support matters;
• to comply with legal, accounting, and tax obligations;
• to improve our services, training, and internal processes;
• to prevent fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe we need to use it for another compatible purpose and that such use is lawful.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

• Contract: where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging and delivering cleaning services, preparing invoices, and managing bookings.
• Legal obligation: where processing is required to meet legal, tax, accounting, or regulatory obligations.
• Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving operations, preventing misuse, and keeping internal records.
• Consent: where we rely on your consent for certain activities, such as optional marketing communications. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Where we process special category data, we will only do so where an additional lawful condition under UK GDPR applies, and we will ensure appropriate protection is in place.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide services to you. These third parties act either as processors or as independent controllers, depending on the nature of their role.

Typical processors may include:

• IT and hosting providers that support our systems, email, data storage, and security;
• Payment service providers that process card or electronic payments securely;
• Scheduling or booking software providers used to manage appointments and service records;
• Accounting and invoicing providers that help us manage financial records;
• Customer communication tools used for service updates or support;
• Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers, where necessary.

All processors are required to handle personal data only in accordance with our instructions, to use appropriate security measures, and to comply with data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose data where required by law, to courts, regulators, law enforcement, or in connection with legal claims, fraud prevention, or the protection of our rights, property, staff, or customers.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for holding it.

In general:

• Customer and service records are retained for as long as the relationship continues and for a reasonable period afterwards to deal with follow-up matters or disputes.
• Financial and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
• Complaints and correspondence may be retained for a period necessary to resolve issues and maintain accurate business records.
• Marketing records are retained until you opt out or withdraw consent, where consent is the basis used.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed. We regularly review our retention practices to ensure data is not kept for longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited permissions based on business need.

While we make every effort to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data breach occurs that presents a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take appropriate steps in accordance with applicable law.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

• 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 information.
• Right to erasure: you may ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction: you can request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations.
• Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing at any time.
• Right to data portability: in some cases, you can receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise these rights, you may need to provide information so we can verify your identity. Some rights may not apply in every situation, and there may be lawful reasons for us to continue processing certain data. We will always respond in line with applicable law.

8. Marketing Communications

We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law. If consent is required, we will obtain it before sending promotional messages. You can opt out of marketing at any time. Even if you opt out of marketing, we may still send non-promotional service messages, such as booking confirmations, invoices, or important account updates.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms, depending on the destination and the provider involved.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or operational practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated to you. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

11. Summary of Key Principles

Transparency

We aim to explain clearly how and why we use personal data.

Data minimisation

We collect only the information that is relevant and necessary for our services.

Security

We use safeguards designed to protect your information.

Accountability

Knightsbridge Cleaners is responsible for ensuring that personal data is handled in compliance with applicable law and in a way that respects your privacy.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Knightsbridge Cleaners customers in the area. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described above, in accordance with legal requirements and the legitimate needs of our business.