Privacy Policy - Westminster Cleaners

This Privacy Policy explains how Westminster Cleaners collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Westminster Cleaners customers in area, including people who request quotes, book services, receive cleaning services, or interact with us in any other way. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner, in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Westminster Cleaners provides cleaning services to residential and commercial customers. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal information about customers, property occupants, payment contacts, and other relevant individuals. We only collect information that is necessary for legitimate business purposes and for the safe and effective delivery of our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

• Identity details such as name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
• Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address.
• Service details including property access instructions, service preferences, booking dates, cleaning requirements, and notes provided by you.
• Billing and payment information such as invoice records, transaction references, and payment status.
• Communication records such as emails, messages, complaints, queries, and feedback.
• Technical information where applicable, such as device or browser data if you contact us through digital channels.
• Special categories of data only where you voluntarily provide it and it is necessary for the service, for example information about allergies, mobility considerations, or access needs. We handle such information with extra care and only when strictly required.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed. If you choose not to provide certain data, we may not be able to complete a booking or deliver some services safely and efficiently.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
• To manage bookings, service delivery, and customer accounts.
• To communicate about appointments, changes, and service updates.
• To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
• To handle complaints, disputes, and service follow-up.
• To maintain safety, quality, and operational records.
• To meet legal, tax, and accounting obligations.
• To improve our services and customer experience.

We will only process your data when we have a valid legal reason to do so. We do not use your personal information for unrelated purposes without proper notice and, where required, consent.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Westminster Cleaners relies on the following bases:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, delivering cleaning services, handling payments, and managing customer requests related to the service.

Legal Obligation

We may process certain data because the law requires it, such as records for tax, accounting, fraud prevention, or compliance with regulatory duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may use personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include managing our business, improving services, maintaining security, and responding to customer issues.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide optional information that is not essential to the service. Where consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that help us operate our business. These organisations act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service they provide. Processors are only allowed to use personal data on our instructions and must protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

• Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments.
• Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial management and tax compliance.
• IT and cloud service providers that host data, store records, and support secure communication systems.
• Scheduling or administration tools used to manage bookings and operational workflow.
• Professional advisers such as legal or financial advisers, where needed for compliance or business protection.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or a lawful request from public authorities. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections. We only transfer data where it is lawful and necessary for the service.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason for processing.

In general:

• Customer and service records are kept for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
• Billing and accounting records are usually kept for the period required by tax and financial law.
• Communication and complaint records are retained long enough to resolve issues and maintain business records.
• Information collected by consent is kept until consent is withdrawn or no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices.

8. Your Rights

You have rights under data protection law in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing.

• Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to erasure – you may request deletion of your data in certain situations.
• Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
• Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
• Right to data portability – you may request data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
• Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can address them promptly.

9. Security of Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limiting data access to authorised personnel only. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work hard to reduce risk and maintain data integrity.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a service requested by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to remove it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. The most current 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. Summary of Our Commitments

Westminster Cleaners is committed to using personal data fairly, transparently, and securely. We only collect information that is necessary, we process it for clear and lawful reasons, we share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, and we keep it only for as long as needed. Our approach is designed to respect your privacy while allowing us to deliver reliable cleaning services to customers across the area.

By using Westminster Cleaners services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.