Privacy Policy - Soho Cleaner

This Privacy Policy explains how Soho Cleaner collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Soho Cleaner customers in area, including prospective customers, existing customers, and individuals who interact with us in connection with our cleaning services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 where relevant.

1. Who We Are

Soho Cleaner provides residential and commercial cleaning services. In the course of delivering our services, we may process personal data about customers, occupants, property managers, billing contacts, and other individuals whose details are provided to us for service-related purposes. We only collect data that is necessary for operating our business, meeting legal obligations, and delivering the services requested.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and any relevant identification details needed to manage a booking or account.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details.
Service data: property access instructions, cleaning preferences, appointment history, notes about service requirements, and instructions provided by you.
Payment and transaction data: billing records, payment status, invoices, and limited payment-related information.
Technical data: basic information collected through devices or systems used to manage bookings or customer interactions, where applicable.
Correspondence data: messages, complaints, feedback, and records of communication with us.

We may also receive personal data from third parties, such as building managers, landlords, letting agents, or other authorised representatives, when necessary to arrange or perform services. We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is essential and you have provided it, or its processing is otherwise permitted by law.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide and manage cleaning services;
to process bookings, amendments, cancellations, and service requests;
to communicate with customers about appointments and service-related matters;
to issue invoices, manage payments, and maintain financial records;
to respond to enquiries, feedback, and complaints;
to maintain internal records and improve the quality of our services;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
to protect our business, customers, and staff from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging bookings, providing cleaning services, and taking payment for services requested.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving service delivery, preventing fraud, maintaining security, and keeping internal business records.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to comply with a legal obligation, such as tax, accounting, employment, health and safety, or regulatory duties.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need permission for a specific optional activity. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

We do not rely on consent where another lawful basis is more appropriate.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. These may include:

payment processors that handle card or other payment transactions;
accounting or bookkeeping providers that support financial administration;
IT, hosting, and software providers that store or support our operational systems;
customer communications tools used for booking confirmations, reminders, or service updates;
professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, legal advisers, or insurers;
regulators, authorities, or law enforcement where disclosure is required by law.

Where we use processors, they are only permitted to process personal data on our instructions and must implement appropriate security measures. We require them to handle personal data confidentially and in compliance with data protection law. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the United Kingdom or European Economic Area, we will take appropriate steps to ensure a lawful transfer mechanism is in place and that your information remains protected to an adequate standard.

7. Data Retention

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

Customer and service records are typically retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records may be retained for as long as needed to manage queries, complaints, or disputes.
Technical or operational logs are kept only as long as needed for security, troubleshooting, or performance monitoring.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, confidentiality obligations, secure storage, staff training, and regular review of our data handling practices. While we work to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
Right to erasure: to request deletion of data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations;
Right to data portability: to request transfer of certain data to you or another provider;
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time;
Right to complain: to raise a concern with the relevant data protection supervisory authority.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal limits. For example, we may need to retain certain records to comply with legal obligations or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Where we use booking systems or digital tools that involve cookies or similar technologies, these may be used for essential site functionality, security, and service administration. Any non-essential use of cookies should be managed in line with applicable law. You can usually control cookies through your browser settings.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with household services and provided by an authorised adult. Where we become aware that we have collected such data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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

13. Summary of Key Principles

In summary, Soho Cleaner processes personal data only when necessary, only for clear and lawful purposes, and only for as long as needed. We aim to keep data accurate, secure, and limited to what is relevant for providing our services. Your privacy matters to us, and we are committed to respecting your rights and maintaining transparent data practices for all Soho Cleaner customers in area.