Privacy Policy - Docklands Cleaners

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Docklands Cleaners customers in the area. It explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when you use our cleaning services.

We are committed to handling personal information in a fair, transparent, and lawful way. This policy is designed to comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies whether you contact us by phone, email, online form, or through any other service request method used for booking, account management, billing, or service delivery.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the data we need to provide and manage our cleaning services effectively. The exact information we hold depends on how you interact with us, but it may include:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, company name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including property access instructions, cleaning preferences, appointment times, and service history.
Billing and payment information such as invoice details and payment status. We do not normally store full card details where a third-party payment provider is used.
Communication records including messages, complaints, feedback, and notes about requests or changes to service.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic device or browser data if you submit an online enquiry form.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it and it is necessary for a specific service matter, for example, access or safety instructions that may relate to health considerations. Where such information is received, we handle it with extra care and only as required.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to deliver our services and to run our business efficiently. The main purposes include:

processing enquiries and service bookings;
providing cleaning services at requested locations;
managing schedules, access arrangements, and service updates;
issuing invoices, handling payments, and maintaining financial records;
responding to complaints, queries, and customer support requests;
maintaining internal records and service quality;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
preventing fraud, misuse, or unauthorised access to our systems or premises.

We only use your information where it is necessary and proportionate to the service we provide. We do not sell personal data.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using your personal information. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, delivering services, arranging access, and handling payments.

Legal Obligation

We may need to process data to comply with legal requirements, such as tax rules, accounting duties, insurance obligations, and record-keeping responsibilities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests where these do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving our services, preventing fraud, and maintaining operational security. When we rely on this basis, we consider whether the processing is necessary and whether it is reasonable in context.

Consent

In limited cases, we may ask for your consent, for example where we need to use optional information for a specific purpose. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted processors and service providers who help us operate our business. These parties only process data on our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately. Examples may include:

IT and software providers that support booking, scheduling, messaging, storage, or administration;
payment service providers that process transactions securely;
accounting or bookkeeping providers that help manage invoicing and financial records;
professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary;
subcontractors or cleaning staff involved in fulfilling your service request, where access to relevant details is necessary;
public authorities where required by law or a lawful request.

We require processors to use appropriate technical and organisational measures, including confidentiality obligations and security controls. We only share the minimum amount of data needed for the relevant purpose.

5. International Transfers

Where any provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections, depending on the destination and service arrangement.

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, and reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Customer service and booking records are usually retained for the period needed to manage the relationship and address any disputes.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be kept for a reasonable period to help resolve queries, ensure continuity of service, and protect our legal interests.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you. We regularly review data we hold to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

7. Security of Your Information

We take the security of personal data seriously and use appropriate measures to protect it from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risk and respond promptly to any suspected breach.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, these may include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain situations;
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases;
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable;
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable;
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent;
Right to complain – to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. Some rights are subject to legal exceptions, and we will explain any limits that apply to your request.

9. Data Accuracy and Your Responsibilities

It is important that the information we hold is accurate and up to date. Please let us know if your contact details, access instructions, or service preferences change. Accurate information helps us provide a reliable service and avoid errors.

10. Children’s Data

Our cleaning services are intended for adult customers and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in connection with our services. If we become aware that we have received a child’s data without appropriate authority, we will take reasonable steps to delete it where required.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, service arrangements, or data handling practices. Any updates will take effect when published as the latest version. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and process personal data responsibly. Our approach is built around lawfulness, transparency, minimisation, and security. We collect only what is necessary, use it for clear purposes, keep it only as long as needed, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. This policy applies to all Docklands Cleaners customers in area and is intended to give you clear information about your rights and our obligations.