Privacy Policy - Islington Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Islington Cleaner collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to our customers in the Islington area. It applies to all Islington Cleaner customers in area, including individuals who request domestic cleaning, end-of-tenancy cleaning, deep cleaning, one-off cleaning, regular cleaning, or related services. We are committed to handling personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or providing personal information to arrange cleaning work, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy. We only collect and process data that is necessary for the delivery, management, administration, and improvement of our services.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity details: name, title, and any preferred name used when booking services.
Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details needed to manage services.
Service information: details about the property, cleaning requirements, access arrangements, frequency of visits, and any instructions relevant to the service.
Payment and billing details: payment status, invoice history, and related transaction records. We do not retain more payment data than necessary for accounting and compliance purposes.
Communication records: messages, enquiries, complaints, feedback, and notes from conversations related to bookings or service delivery.
Technical information: limited device and usage information where you interact with digital systems we use for administration, such as logs and basic system identifiers.
Special category data: we do not seek to collect sensitive personal data. If such information is disclosed to us incidentally, for example in access notes or service preferences, we will only process it where necessary and lawful.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, book a service, amend a booking, make a complaint, or communicate with us. We may also receive information from third parties where this is necessary to deliver services, such as property managers, tenants, landlords, or payment processors.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business purposes connected with our cleaning services. These purposes include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotes;
creating and managing customer bookings;
delivering cleaning services at the correct time and location;
handling billing, invoices, and payment administration;
maintaining service records and customer preferences;
dealing with complaints, disputes, or quality issues;
meeting legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property;
improving service quality, planning, and internal operations.

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes. If we ever wish to use data for a new purpose that is not compatible with the original reason it was collected, we will update this policy or seek consent where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include the following:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes handling bookings, service delivery, payment administration, and managing customer requests.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain data to comply with legal obligations, including tax rules, accounting requirements, insurance obligations, and record-keeping duties.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining business records, improving service quality, preventing fraud, handling complaints, and ensuring the security of our systems and premises.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on consent, for example where it is required for optional marketing communications or for certain non-essential processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These third parties act as processors where they process data on our instructions and are required to keep it secure and confidential. Examples may include:

Payment service providers: to process card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to manage invoices, records, and financial compliance.
IT and cloud service providers: to store and secure business records, schedules, and communications.
Communication tools: to send messages, confirmations, or service updates.
Professional advisers: such as insurers, auditors, legal advisers, or consultants where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, for example to regulators, courts, or law enforcement authorities. We do not sell personal data.

Where processors are used, we ensure appropriate contractual safeguards are in place. These agreements require processors to act only on our documented instructions, use suitable security measures, and assist us in meeting data protection obligations.

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 legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Customer and booking records: kept for as long as needed to provide services and manage the customer relationship.
Invoices and payment records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records: retained for a reasonable period to manage queries, complaints, and service history.
Operational records: kept only as long as needed for business administration, security, or audit purposes.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in a way that prevents unnecessary access. We review retention periodically to ensure data is not held longer than needed.

6. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful selection of processors. Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal exceptions and limitations, depending on the circumstances:

Right of access: you can request confirmation of whether we process your data and request a copy.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: in certain cases, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction: you can request that we limit processing in certain situations.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability: where applicable, you may request transfer of certain data in a structured format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

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. We encourage customers to raise concerns so we can try to resolve them promptly and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children except where it is incidentally included in service instructions or household information. If we learn that we have collected data from a child inappropriately, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Islington Cleaner is committed to respecting privacy, limiting data use, and safeguarding the personal information of every customer in the Islington area. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for a justified period, share it only with appropriate processors or legal authorities, and support your rights under data protection law. Your trust matters to us, and we aim to handle your information responsibly at every stage.