Privacy Policy - Canary Wharf Cleaners

Privacy Policy - Canary Wharf Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Canary Wharf Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Canary Wharf Cleaners customers in the Canary Wharf area, including anyone who requests, receives, or enquires about our cleaning 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.

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our cleaning services, managing customer relationships, meeting legal duties, and improving our operations. We do not collect more information than we need, and we do not sell personal data to third parties.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Canary Wharf Cleaners acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. Where we use outside service providers to support our business, they act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details, such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details, such as address, email address, and phone number.
Service information, including cleaning preferences, requested service dates, access instructions, and service history.
Billing and payment information, including payment status, invoicing details, and transaction records.
Communication records, such as messages, feedback, complaints, and notes relating to service enquiries.
Technical data, including basic website or device information if you interact with our online systems.
Security and access data, such as entry instructions or key-handling notes where needed to perform services safely.

We may also process limited information that you choose to provide voluntarily, for example, special cleaning instructions, allergy-related details, or other service preferences. Where such data could reveal sensitive information, we will process it only when necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

3. How We Collect Data

We collect personal data directly from you when you:

make an enquiry or request a quote;
book or use a cleaning service;
communicate with us by phone, email, message, or other means;
provide feedback or raise a complaint;
submit payment or invoice details;
share access or service instructions.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary to deliver our services, such as payment providers, booking tools, or property representatives acting on your behalf. If we obtain information from a third party, we will only use it for legitimate business purposes and in accordance with data protection law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract – processing is necessary to provide a cleaning service you have requested, manage bookings, fulfil service arrangements, and issue invoices.
Legitimate interests – processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as responding to enquiries, maintaining service quality, preventing fraud, improving operations, and keeping accurate records, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Legal obligation – processing is required to meet accounting, tax, insurance, safety, or regulatory obligations.
Consent – in limited cases, such as where specific optional marketing or sensitive information is involved, we may rely on your consent. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

We assess the lawful basis carefully for each category of data and each processing purpose. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we apply a balancing test to ensure that your privacy rights are respected.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide cleaning services and manage appointments;
to confirm service details and respond to enquiries;
to process payments and manage billing;
to maintain service records and customer history;
to handle complaints, queries, and customer support;
to improve our services, training, and operational efficiency;
to meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance requirements;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud or misuse.

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and provide the required information.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only where necessary and proportionate. These may include:

Payment processors that handle card or online payments securely;
Booking or scheduling systems that help organise appointments and service records;
Accounting or invoicing providers that support financial administration;
IT and cloud service providers that store or maintain business systems;
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers;
Regulators or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

When a third party processes data on our behalf, they must follow our instructions, protect the information properly, and only use it for the agreed purpose. We take steps to ensure processors offer appropriate security and confidentiality safeguards. If data is shared with an independent controller, that party is responsible for its own compliance.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and our legal obligations. In general:

customer and service records are kept for the period needed to manage the relationship and handle after-service queries;
invoices, payment records, and accounting information are kept for the time required under tax and financial law;
complaints and correspondence are retained for a reasonable period to resolve issues and maintain business records;
where data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in line with our retention procedures.

We review retained data regularly to ensure it is not kept for longer than necessary. If there is a legal claim, dispute, or regulatory requirement, we may retain relevant data for longer until the matter is resolved.

8. Data Security

We use 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, limited staff access, password protection, and provider due diligence. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond promptly to any suspected breach.

9. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exemptions. 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 if information is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the “right to be forgotten.”
The right to restrict processing in certain situations.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Rights related to automated decision-making, although we do not currently use such processing for significant decisions.

If we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

10. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protection measures. We only transfer data where necessary and where the receiving party is required to protect it to a standard consistent with UK GDPR.

11. Children’s Data

Our cleaning services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is provided incidentally by an adult customer or representative. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where required.

12. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or the way we process personal data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and aim to keep your personal information safe, accurate, and used only for clear and lawful purposes. For all Canary Wharf Cleaners customers in area, this policy sets out how we collect and use data in a responsible way. We work to ensure that data is retained only as long as needed, shared only with appropriate processors, and protected using suitable safeguards. If you provide us with personal data, you can expect it to be handled with care, transparency, and respect.