Privacy Policy - Temple Carpet Cleaners

Temple Carpet Cleaners is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in the area where our services are provided. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Temple Carpet Cleaners customers in the area, including individuals who request quotations, book services, receive cleaning services, or otherwise interact with us in connection with carpet cleaning and related services.

1. Who We Are

Temple Carpet Cleaners is a service provider offering carpet cleaning and related cleaning services to residential and commercial customers. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing customer relationships, and meeting legal or operational obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name, and where applicable, the name of a business or organisation.
Contact details such as address, email address, telephone number, and preferred contact method.
Service information including property access details, cleaning instructions, booking preferences, and information about the items or areas to be cleaned.
Payment-related information necessary to process payments, issue invoices, manage refunds, or maintain accounting records.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence relating to our services.
Technical data where applicable, such as basic device or usage data when you interact with digital services used for administration.
Special category data only where it is strictly necessary and where you have chosen to provide it, for example, information that may reveal health or access requirements affecting service delivery. We handle such data with extra care and only where lawful.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for legitimate operational purposes connected to our business and services. These purposes include:

providing quotations and managing bookings;
delivering carpet cleaning and related services;
communicating about appointments, service updates, and customer requests;
processing payments and maintaining accounting records;
handling complaints, claims, and service follow-up;
maintaining business records and improving customer service;
meeting legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, customers, and staff from fraud or misuse.

We will only use personal data in ways that are compatible with the purposes for which it was collected, or where we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Temple Carpet Cleaners relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract – where processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform our contract with you. This includes arranging services, providing quotes, scheduling work, and delivering cleaning services.
Legal obligation – where processing is required to comply with laws, such as tax, accounting, or regulatory requirements.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our operations, improving services, keeping records, and preventing fraud.
Consent – where we rely on your permission, for example for certain optional communications or where required for processing special category data in limited circumstances.

Where consent is used as the lawful basis, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with trusted third parties acting as processors or separate controllers when needed for business operations, legal compliance, or service delivery.

Processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support invoicing, tax records, and financial administration.
Customer management or booking system providers that help us schedule services and maintain records.
IT and cloud hosting providers that store data securely and maintain our systems.
Communication service providers that assist with email, telephone, or messaging services.

Where processors act on our behalf, they are required to process personal data only in accordance with our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection law. We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, or lawful request from public authorities.

6. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

Customer and service records are retained for a period appropriate to manage our business relationship and any follow-up issues.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for a reasonable time to manage complaints, improve service, and maintain an audit trail.
When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

We do not retain personal data indefinitely. Our approach is to store information only for the minimum period necessary and to review records regularly.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality expectations for staff and contractors, and regular review of data-handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to protect the information we hold.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limitations, these include:

Right of access – you can request 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 request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – you can ask for certain data to be provided in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where consent is the basis for processing, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute, and in some cases we may retain or continue processing data where permitted or required by law. If you exercise a right, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

9. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised by data protection law.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data-handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this Policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Temple Carpet Cleaners respects privacy and handles personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. Our practices are designed to support service delivery while upholding the rights of every customer in the area we serve.