Privacy Policy - Cleaners E2

This Privacy Policy explains how Cleaners E2 collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our cleaning services. It applies to all Cleaners E2 customers in the area, including individuals who request, receive, manage, or pay for our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a fair, lawful, and transparent way in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Cleaners E2 provides domestic and commercial cleaning services. In many cases, we determine the purposes and means of processing personal data and act as a data controller. This means we decide why and how personal data is used. Where we use third-party service providers to support our operations, those parties may act as data processors on our behalf or, in some cases, as independent controllers for their own services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to provide and manage our services, maintain our business, and meet legal obligations. Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity information: name, title, and any relevant business or household contact details.
Contact information: address, email address, telephone number, and service location details.
Service information: booking history, service preferences, access notes, instructions, and schedule details.
Payment information: transaction records and payment status. We do not intentionally store full card details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication data: messages, feedback, complaint records, and any correspondence relating to our services.
Technical data: limited information such as device or browser data if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.
Special category data: we do not normally request this. If you voluntarily provide information that could reveal health, accessibility, or vulnerability-related needs, we will treat it with additional care and only process it where necessary and lawful.

We collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, book a service, communicate with us, or provide instructions. We may also receive data from household members, business representatives, payment providers, or trusted service partners acting on your behalf.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only where it is needed to deliver our services, manage our customer relationships, operate efficiently, and comply with the law. Typical uses include:

processing bookings and appointments;
delivering cleaning services at the correct location and time;
communicating about service changes, confirmations, or issues;
handling billing, invoices, and payments;
responding to queries, complaints, or service requests;
maintaining records for accounting, tax, and legal purposes;
improving service quality, internal training, and customer support;
protecting our business, staff, and customers from fraud or misuse.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, we notify you.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data under one or more of the lawful bases set out in the UK GDPR. These include:

Contract: processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you, such as arranging and carrying out cleaning services.
Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving service delivery, managing customer records, securing our operations, and handling routine communications, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.
Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with laws and regulatory requirements, including tax, accounting, employment, and record-keeping obligations.
Consent: where consent is required, for example for certain optional communications or processing of particularly sensitive information, we will obtain it clearly and you may withdraw it at any time.

If we ever need to process special category data, we will only do so where a specific condition under data protection law applies, such as explicit consent or necessity for carrying out obligations in relation to employment, social protection, or legal claims.

5. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to run our services and business. These parties may include:

IT and hosting providers: to store secure records, operate systems, or support communications.
Payment service providers: to process payments and prevent fraud.
Accountants and professional advisers: for finance, audit, tax, or legal support.
Scheduling or customer management tools: to organise bookings and service information.
Insurance providers and claims handlers: where an incident, complaint, or claim must be reviewed.
Regulators or authorities: where disclosure is required by law.

Where these third parties process personal data on our behalf, they act as processors and are only permitted to use the data according to our instructions and applicable law. We require appropriate confidentiality, security, and data protection safeguards in our arrangements with processors.

We do not sell personal data. We do not allow third parties to use customer information for their own unrelated marketing purposes unless you have separately agreed to that with them.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it is held. In general:

customer service and booking records are retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
financial and transaction records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
complaints, incidents, and claims information may be retained longer where needed for legal defence or insurance purposes;
inactive records are securely deleted, anonymised, or archived when no longer needed.

When determining retention, we consider legal requirements, the nature of the information, operational needs, and the risk of keeping data for too long. We review stored data periodically to ensure it is not retained unnecessarily.

7. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited data access on a need-to-know basis. While no system is completely secure, we work to keep your data protected and to respond promptly to any suspected data breach.

8. International Transfers

If any of our processors or service tools store or access data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms permitted under data protection law.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply in full or in part depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis used. They 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 data.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
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, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your rights have been affected, you may request a review of the matter through our internal procedures and, where appropriate, you may contact the relevant data protection authority.

How We Respond to Rights Requests

When we receive a rights request, we may need to verify your identity before acting on it. This helps protect your privacy and ensures we only disclose data to the correct person. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law and will keep you informed if a request is complex or needs additional information.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adult customers and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a limited and lawful context, such as where a customer provides household details relevant to service access. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child in error, we will take appropriate steps to remove it.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We do not generally use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects for customers. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide the information required by law.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. The latest version will apply to all Cleaners E2 customers in the area from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how your data is handled.

Privacy and trust matter to us. We handle personal data with care, keep it only when needed, and use it in ways that are consistent with the law and with the expectations of our customers.