Privacy Policy - Hatton Carpet Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Hatton Carpet Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Hatton Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who interacts with us in connection with our carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, stain treatment, and related services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you use our services. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity information: name, title, and any details you provide when requesting a quote or service.
Contact information: address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details.
Service information: details about the cleaning service requested, property access notes, service preferences, and appointment history.
Payment information: limited payment-related details necessary to process invoices, payments, refunds, or receipts.
Communications: messages, enquiries, feedback, complaints, and records of conversations with us.
Technical and usage information: if you interact with any digital systems used by us, we may collect basic device, browser, and interaction information.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you choose to provide it. If such information is shared with us accidentally or is required for a specific service arrangement, we will handle it with additional care and only where permitted by law.

2. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in several ways:

Directly from you when you request a quote, book a service, make an enquiry, or communicate with us.
From records generated during the delivery of our services, such as appointment notes and service outcomes.
From third parties where necessary to carry out a contract or provide a service, such as payment processors or booking tools.
Automatically through systems that support administration, scheduling, or online interactions.

Where we receive personal data from someone else acting on your behalf, we expect them to have the authority to share that information with us.

3. Why We Use Your Data

We use personal data only where we have a valid reason to do so. Typical purposes include:

Providing quotes, arranging appointments, and delivering cleaning services.
Managing customer relationships and responding to enquiries or complaints.
Processing payments, refunds, and accounting records.
Maintaining internal records, service history, and business administration.
Meeting legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
Improving the quality, efficiency, and reliability of our services.
Protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, we have informed you.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the circumstance, Hatton Carpet 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, carrying out cleaning services, processing payments, and managing service communications.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax records, accounting requirements, insurance obligations, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing our business operations, improving services, handling customer enquiries, preventing fraud, and maintaining security. When relying on this basis, we consider the impact on your privacy and balance our interests against your rights.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required by law or where you choose to receive optional communications. When consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, although this will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who assist in operating our business. These parties act as processors when they handle data on our behalf and only according to our instructions. Examples may include:

Booking and scheduling providers.
Payment service providers.
Accounting and invoicing systems.
IT, data storage, and security service providers.
Customer communication tools.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where needed.

We require processors to protect personal data, keep it confidential, and use it only for the services they provide to us. We do not sell personal data. We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, or other lawful request.

6. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place before such transfers occur. These safeguards may include adequacy decisions, contractual protections, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

7. Data Retention

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

Customer and service records: kept for a period necessary to manage the business relationship and resolve any queries or disputes.
Financial and tax records: kept for the period required by applicable law.
Communication records: retained for a reasonable time to manage follow-up issues, complaints, and service history.
Technical and security records: kept only as long as needed for operational security and system integrity.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with an identifiable person.

8. Security of Your Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure storage, staff confidentiality expectations, and regular review of our procedures.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we aim to reduce risk and handle data responsibly. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to affect your rights and freedoms, we will follow the legal requirements for investigation, reporting, and notification.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several important rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erase your data in certain circumstances.
Restrict how we use your data in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability for information processed by automated means and based on consent or contract, where applicable.
Withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis.

You also have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing where such decisions produce legal or similarly significant effects, although we do not عادة use automated decision-making of this nature in connection with our services.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children as a general rule. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a household service arrangement and provided by an appropriate adult with authority to do so.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

12. Summary of Key Principles

In summary, Hatton Carpet Cleaners only processes personal data where there is a lawful basis to do so, uses it for clear and limited purposes, keeps it only as long as necessary, and works with processors that are required to protect it. We aim to respect your privacy and ensure that all personal data is handled in a lawful, transparent, and secure way.

By using our services, requesting a quote, or communicating with us, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to you as a customer in the area.