Privacy Policy - Selhurst Carpet Cleaners

Selhurst Carpet 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 personal data when you use our carpet cleaning and related services. It applies to all Selhurst Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who contacts us about our services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, Selhurst Carpet Cleaners is the data controller in relation to the personal data we collect and process for our services. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. We are committed to complying with data protection law and to respecting your rights.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity data: your name and, where relevant, your business name.
Contact data: address, phone number, and email address.
Service data: details about the cleaning services requested, property access information, appointment times, and service preferences.
Payment data: billing information, payment status, and transaction records. We do not retain more payment data than is necessary.
Communication data: records of enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data: basic information such as device or browser details if you interact with us electronically, where relevant to service delivery or security.
Special category data: we do not normally seek sensitive personal data. If you voluntarily provide such information, we will only process it where permitted by law and necessary for a specific purpose.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed. Providing accurate information helps us deliver services safely and efficiently.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quote or make an enquiry;
book or use our services;
communicate with us by phone, email, or other methods;
submit a complaint, review, or feedback;
make a payment or request an invoice.

We may also receive information from third parties where necessary for service fulfilment, such as payment providers, business partners, or property managers acting on your behalf.

4. How We Use Personal Data

We process personal data only for legitimate business purposes and in a way that is compatible with the law. Typical uses include:

providing carpet cleaning and related services;
managing bookings, scheduling, and service delivery;
sending quotes, invoices, receipts, and service updates;
responding to queries, complaints, and requests;
maintaining business records and service histories;
improving our services and customer experience;
meeting legal, accounting, and tax obligations;
protecting against fraud, misuse, and security risks.

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

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every processing activity. Depending on the circumstances, Selhurst Carpet Cleaners relies on the following lawful bases:

Performance of a Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to provide the service you have requested, manage bookings, issue invoices, or take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where we are required to do so by law, such as for tax records, accounting, fraud prevention, or compliance with regulatory requirements.

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. This may include handling customer enquiries, maintaining service records, improving operations, and protecting our business from misuse or security threats.

Consent

In some situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for specific optional communications or processing activities. If we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

Important: where we process special category data or other sensitive information, we will only do so when permitted by law and, if necessary, with your explicit consent or another applicable legal condition.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

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

Our processors may include:

Payment processors, who handle secure payment transactions;
IT and hosting providers, who store or support our business systems;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers, who help manage financial records;
Customer management or scheduling tools, where used to organise appointments and records;
Professional advisers, such as legal or tax advisers;
Subcontractors or service partners, where necessary to fulfil a service request.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to keep data secure, and to comply with data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

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

7. Data Retention

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

Customer and service records: retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards for administration, dispute handling, and audit purposes.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law.
Communications and complaints: retained long enough to resolve the matter and maintain appropriate records.
Consent-based records: kept until you withdraw consent or the purpose no longer applies.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights regarding your personal data. These may 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 if your data is inaccurate or incomplete;
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, also known as the right to be forgotten;
The right to restriction of processing in certain situations;
The right to data portability for information you have provided to us, where applicable;
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Rights in relation to automated decision-making, where applicable.

If we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law.

9. Data Security

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

Although we work hard to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we continuously seek to improve our safeguards.

10. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place and that the transfer complies with applicable data protection law. This may include the use of approved contractual protections or transfers to countries with adequate protection standards.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or operational practices. 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.

12. Summary of Key Principles

Selhurst Carpet Cleaners processes personal data only when necessary, only for lawful purposes, and only for as long as needed. We aim to be transparent about how information is used, to work with trustworthy processors, and to respect every customer’s privacy rights. Our approach is based on fairness, security, accountability, and data minimisation.

If you use our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be handled in accordance with this policy and applicable law. We are committed to ensuring that your information is treated with care and respect at every stage of the service relationship.