Privacy Policy - Merton Cleaners

Merton Cleaners is committed to protecting the personal data of every customer and visitor whose information we handle. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in connection with our cleaning services. It applies to all Merton Cleaners customers in the area, including anyone who uses our services, makes an enquiry, receives a quote, books an appointment, or communicates with us by any means.

This policy is designed to meet the requirements of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It should be read alongside any service terms or booking information that may apply to your use of our services. We encourage you to read it carefully so you understand what happens to your personal data and what rights you have.

1. Who we are

Merton Cleaners provides domestic and commercial cleaning services. In the context of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we collect and use for our own service operations. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed.

We take a privacy-first approach and aim to use personal data only where it is necessary, proportionate, and handled securely. We do not sell personal data.

2. Personal data we collect

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

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as email address, telephone number, and service address.
Booking and service information such as appointment preferences, cleaning instructions, access notes, and service history.
Payment information such as billing details and payment status. We do not keep more financial information than is necessary for accounting and administrative purposes.
Communication records such as messages, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data such as basic device, browser, or usage information if you interact with our digital systems.
Special category data only where you voluntarily provide it and only when it is necessary, for example if you share health-related access needs, allergy information, or vulnerability-related instructions that affect service delivery.

We generally collect data directly from you when you enquire about services, make a booking, request a quote, or contact us. In some cases, we may receive your details from a third party acting on your behalf, such as a household member, property manager, or business contact.

3. How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide, manage, and complete cleaning services.
To respond to enquiries and prepare quotes.
To arrange appointments, access instructions, and service changes.
To process payments, manage invoices, and maintain business records.
To communicate with you about your service, including reminders, updates, or follow-up messages.
To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests.
To improve our services, internal operations, and customer experience.
To comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only process personal data for the purposes described above or for another purpose that is compatible with those purposes.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. The lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking bookings, providing services, confirming appointments, and handling payment-related administration.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service improvement, customer support, record-keeping, fraud prevention, and internal business administration.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data to meet legal obligations, such as accounting, tax reporting, record retention requirements, and lawful requests from authorities.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to provide optional information or agree to receive certain communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital interests or public interest

These bases are unlikely to be used in ordinary service operations, but may apply in exceptional circumstances where necessary to protect someone’s essential interests or where required by law.

5. Sharing your data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who support our operations. These third parties act as processors when they process data on our instructions, or as independent controllers where they determine their own purposes.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that help us process card or electronic payments.
Scheduling or booking systems used to manage appointments and service records.
IT and cloud storage providers that host our files, emails, and administrative systems.
Communication providers that support email, messaging, or customer notifications.
Accounting and payroll providers that assist with financial administration and business records.
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, legal advisers, or tax specialists, where necessary.

We require our processors to handle personal data securely, use it only for specified purposes, and apply appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards. Where personal data is shared outside our organisation, we do so only when necessary and lawful.

We may also disclose information if required to comply with a legal obligation, enforce our rights, protect safety, or prevent fraud or misuse.

6. International transfers

Some processors may store or access data outside the UK. Where this happens, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protections recognised under applicable law.

7. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, reporting, or dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Customer and booking records are generally kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaints may be retained for as long as needed to resolve the issue and maintain appropriate records.
Optional consent-based data is retained until you withdraw consent or it is no longer needed.

When data is no longer required, we delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to an identifiable person.

8. How we protect your 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 careful administration of data-sharing arrangements.

While no system is completely risk-free, we take reasonable steps to reduce risks and respond promptly to any suspected data incident.

9. Your rights

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

Right of access to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure in certain circumstances, sometimes called the right to be forgotten.
Right to restriction to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability for data you provided to us, where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you are concerned about how your personal data has been handled. We encourage you to raise any concerns promptly so we can address them fairly and efficiently.

10. Children’s data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a household or service arrangement and is provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data practices. The most current version will apply to the way we use personal data. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

12. Summary of key commitments

We collect only the data needed to run and improve our services.
We use personal data under clear lawful bases, including contract, legitimate interests, consent, and legal obligation.
We share data only with trusted processors or where required by law.
We retain data only as long as necessary and dispose of it securely.
We respect your rights and aim to handle all requests in a fair and timely manner.

Merton Cleaners values privacy as part of the trust customers place in us. We are committed to handling personal data responsibly, transparently, and in line with data protection law for all customers in the area.