Privacy Policy - Chelsea Cleaners

Chelsea Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our customers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, store, and protect personal information when you use our cleaning services. It applies to all Chelsea Cleaners customers in area, including individual household customers, landlords, tenants, and business clients who engage us for cleaning services. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with this policy and applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal information that is necessary to provide and manage our cleaning services. The type of data we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, the name of a business or property manager.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including property access instructions, service preferences, cleaning schedules, and notes about areas requiring special attention.
Billing and payment information such as invoice details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records including messages, complaints, service updates, and feedback.
Technical and usage information where relevant, such as basic website or booking system interaction data if you use our digital services.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily, for example when sharing access or safety instructions that may indirectly reveal sensitive information. Where such data is received, we apply enhanced care and limit its use to what is necessary.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to operate our business and deliver services efficiently and safely. This may include:

booking and managing cleaning appointments;
providing quotations and confirming service requirements;
delivering cleaning services at your property or business premises;
handling invoices, payments, and account administration;
responding to queries, complaints, and service requests;
maintaining internal records and service history;
meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We process personal data only for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes and do not use it in a way that is incompatible with those purposes.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Chelsea Cleaners relies on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes arranging cleaning visits, managing bookings, and completing invoicing and payment administration.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include improving our service delivery, managing customer relationships, securing our operations, preventing misuse, and keeping internal records.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal duties, such as accounting, tax reporting, recordkeeping, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications or when processing any sensitive information that is not covered by another lawful basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We do not sell personal data. However, we may share data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf, or with independent controllers where required by law or necessary for service delivery. These may include:

Payment providers that process card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with invoices, tax records, and financial administration.
IT and software providers that support booking systems, email services, data storage, and security tools.
Communication providers that help us send service-related messages.
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers where necessary.

Where third parties act as processors, they are required to process personal data only on our instructions, keep it secure, and use appropriate safeguards. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any processor we use provides sufficient guarantees regarding data protection and security.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or regulatory request, or where disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, safety, or property of Chelsea Cleaners, our customers, or others.

5. International Transfers

Some service providers may store or access data outside the UK. If personal data is transferred internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures permitted under data protection law.

6. Data Retention

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

Customer and service records are retained for the duration of our business relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle follow-up queries or disputes.
Financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records are retained only as long as needed to manage the relevant enquiry or service issue.
Security and access information is kept only for the time necessary to protect our services and personnel.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and limited data sharing. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the information we process.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances of the processing. They include:

The right to be informed about how your data is used.
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, also known as the right to be forgotten, in certain situations.
The right to restrict processing where you want us to limit how we use your data.
The right to data portability for data you have provided to us, where applicable.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Rights related to automated decision-making where such processing applies, although Chelsea Cleaners does not normally make decisions based solely on automation.

If we process your data based on consent, you have the right to withdraw consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

9. How We Handle Requests

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. This is to protect your data and prevent unauthorised disclosure. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law and will inform you if we need more information to complete your request.

10. Children’s Data

Our cleaning services are generally intended for adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for service delivery and provided by an adult customer or legal guardian. If we become aware that we have collected child-related data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Contact and Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you should raise them with us first so we can try to resolve the matter. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage all customers to contact us promptly with any privacy questions, requests, or concerns so we can address them in a fair and timely manner.

Summary of our commitment: Chelsea Cleaners processes personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently; keeps it only as long as needed; uses trusted processors with safeguards; and respects your data protection rights.