Privacy Policy - Shoreditch Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Shoreditch Cleaner collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing cleaning services to customers in the Shoreditch area. It applies to all Shoreditch Cleaner customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is designed to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and what rights you have.

1. Who We Are

Shoreditch Cleaner provides domestic and commercial cleaning services. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal data about customers, property occupants, billing contacts, and other relevant individuals. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use for our own business operations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, your business name.
Contact information such as your email address, telephone number, and service address.
Service information such as cleaning preferences, booking history, instructions, access notes, and service frequency.
Payment information such as payment status, invoice records, and transaction references. We do not store full card details where payment is handled through a secure third-party provider.
Communication records such as emails, messages, complaints, feedback, and notes from customer support interactions.
Technical information if you interact with our digital systems, such as basic device or usage data needed for security and performance.
Special instructions that may indirectly reveal personal information, for example access arrangements or preferences linked to an individual at the property.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it, or unless another lawful condition applies. Special category data includes information about health, religious beliefs, political opinions, ethnic origin, or similar sensitive information.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to manage bookings and deliver cleaning services;
to communicate with customers about appointments, changes, and service updates;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and service requests;
to maintain safety, security, and access arrangements at customer properties;
to improve service quality, scheduling, and customer experience;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use personal data for specified and legitimate purposes. We do not use customer data for unrelated purposes in a way that would be unexpected or incompatible with the original reason for collection.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the context, the lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract: where processing is necessary to provide our cleaning services, manage bookings, and fulfill our agreement with you.
Legal obligation: where we must retain records or provide information to comply with tax, accounting, employment, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our business operations, such as service management, customer support, security, fraud prevention, and record keeping, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent: where we rely on your freely given consent for optional activities, such as certain forms of marketing or the handling of information that requires explicit permission.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for business operations, service delivery, or legal compliance. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers, depending on their role.

Processors we may use

Payment processors to handle secure payment transactions.
Booking and scheduling providers to manage appointments and service calendars.
Email and messaging providers to send service communications.
Cloud storage and IT support providers to store and protect business records.
Accounting and invoicing providers to manage financial records and reporting.
Customer service tools to organise enquiries and feedback.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, only on our instructions, and in compliance with applicable data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose information to insurers, legal advisers, regulators, law enforcement, or other authorities where necessary to protect our rights, meet legal obligations, or respond to lawful requests.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including the need to comply with legal, accounting, and record-keeping requirements.

Customer service records are generally retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage follow-up matters, disputes, or service history.
Billing and accounting records are typically retained for at least six years to satisfy tax and financial obligations.
Communication records may be retained for as long as needed to evidence instructions, manage complaints, or maintain service continuity.
Security and access notes are kept only as long as necessary for safe service delivery and then reviewed or deleted.

When data is no longer required, we take appropriate steps to delete, anonymise, or securely archive it.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting access to data on a need-to-know basis.

However, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. We continuously review our practices to improve the protection of personal information.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and legal basis for processing.

Right of access — you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification — you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure — you can ask us to delete your data where there is a lawful basis to do so.
Right to restrict processing — you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object — you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, and in some cases to direct marketing.
Right to data portability — you can ask for certain data to be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute. We may need to retain or continue processing some information where required by law or where another lawful basis applies.

9. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or processes personal data outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is protected by suitable safeguards and that your data remains protected to a standard consistent with applicable law.

10. Complaints and Further Information

If you have concerns about how we handle personal data, we encourage you to raise them so they can be reviewed. You also have the right to contact the UK data protection authority if you believe your rights have been breached.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated.

Summary: This Privacy Policy explains how Shoreditch Cleaner handles customer data in the Shoreditch area, including collection, lawful basis, retention, processors, and user rights under UK GDPR.