Privacy Policy - Bermondsey Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Bermondsey Cleaner collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Bermondsey Cleaner customers in area, including current, former, and prospective customers who request or receive our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Bermondsey Cleaner provides domestic and commercial cleaning services. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal information about customers, property occupants, booking contacts, and other individuals connected with a service request. This policy is designed to help you understand what data we collect and why we use it.

2. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for our services, business operations, and legal obligations. The information we may collect includes:

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service information such as requested dates, cleaning preferences, access instructions, and service history.
Billing and payment information such as payment status and transaction references, where needed for invoicing and accounting.
Communication records including messages, feedback, complaints, and any notes relating to your booking or service requirements.
Technical data such as basic device or browser information if you interact with us through digital systems used for administration or booking management.
Special instructions that may relate to allergies, property access, safety issues, or preferences connected to service delivery.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is clearly necessary and you provide it voluntarily, for example where it is relevant to access needs or health and safety considerations. In such cases, we process it only where permitted by law and with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To manage quotations, bookings, and service delivery.
To communicate with you about appointments, changes, or service issues.
To process payments, issue invoices, and manage account records.
To meet legal, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
To handle complaints, queries, and service improvements.
To maintain security, prevent fraud, and manage operational risk.
To analyse service performance and improve our customer experience.

We do not sell your personal data. We also do not use your information for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Bermondsey Cleaner relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering cleaning services, managing service changes, and handling payment-related administration.

Legal Obligation

We process data when necessary to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, and responses to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your rights do not override those interests. Examples include maintaining service records, improving operations, preventing misuse, and handling internal administration. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and respectful of your privacy.

Consent

In some circumstances, we may ask for your consent, for example for certain optional uses of information. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle card or online payment processing.
Booking and scheduling systems used to manage appointments and customer records.
IT and cloud service providers that host or maintain secure business systems.
Accounting and invoicing providers that support financial administration.
Communication service providers that support email, phone, or messaging functions.

We require processors to handle your personal data securely, to use it only on our instructions, and to apply appropriate technical and organisational measures. Where an external party acts as an independent controller, it will be responsible for its own privacy obligations.

We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to protect our rights, property, customers, or staff.

6. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate steps to ensure your information receives an adequate level of protection. This may include approved contractual safeguards or reliance on an adequacy decision where applicable.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Customer booking and service records are generally retained for the period necessary to manage the relationship and resolve any service-related queries.
Financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaints and correspondence may be retained for a reasonable period to support quality control and dispute resolution.
Consent-based records are kept until consent is withdrawn or the data is no longer needed.

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

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, disclosure, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risk and respond promptly to any potential issue.

9. Your Rights

You have rights under data protection law in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limitations, these may include:

The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
The right to restriction to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing where applicable.
The right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are directed at adults arranging cleaning services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is unavoidably included in household or service-related information and is necessary for service delivery or safety. If we become aware that we have collected data improperly, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

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

12. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you may raise them with us so that we can investigate and respond appropriately. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

Summary of our approach: We collect only the information needed to provide cleaning services, rely on clear lawful bases, limit retention, use trusted processors under contract, and respect your data rights. This policy applies to all Bermondsey Cleaner customers in area.