Privacy Policy - Oven Cleaning Merton

Last updated: This Privacy Policy explains how Oven Cleaning Merton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Oven Cleaning Merton customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who communicates with us about our services.

1. Introduction

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy sets out the categories of information we may collect, the reasons we use it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, the third parties that may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to individuals.

By using our services or engaging with us, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our cleaning services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity data: name, title, and any relevant identifying details provided by you.
Contact data: address, email address, and phone number.
Service data: property details, booking preferences, access instructions, service history, and notes relating to the work requested.
Payment data: payment status, transaction references, and billing records. We do not store card details unless explicitly required by a secure payment provider.
Communication data: messages, inquiries, complaints, feedback, and records of correspondence.
Technical data: limited information such as device type, browser type, and general usage information if collected through digital systems used for administration.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is required for a lawful reason and you provide it voluntarily. If such information is ever shared with us accidentally, we will handle it carefully and in line with applicable law.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for specific, legitimate purposes. These include:

responding to enquiries and preparing quotations;
arranging appointments and delivering oven cleaning services;
managing customer records and service history;
processing payments and maintaining accounts;
handling complaints, queries, and follow-up requests;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, or regulatory obligations;
preventing fraud, misuse, and security incidents;
improving our operations, scheduling, and service quality.

We will only use your data in ways that are compatible with the purpose for which it was collected, unless we have a valid legal basis to do otherwise.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must identify a lawful basis for each processing activity. We rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract: where processing is necessary to provide a quote, complete a booking, or carry out cleaning services you have requested.
Legal obligation: where we must retain information for tax, accounting, or regulatory compliance.
Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for the effective operation of our business, such as managing appointments, improving services, keeping secure records, and responding to customer issues, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent: where we rely on your permission for specific optional activities. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Important: We do not rely on consent where another lawful basis is more appropriate for the relevant activity.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These parties are only permitted to process data according to our instructions and must keep it secure. Examples may include:

booking or scheduling software providers;
secure payment processors;
accounting or bookkeeping services;
IT support and secure cloud storage providers;
communication tools used to send service updates or respond to enquiries;
professional advisers, such as accountants or legal advisers, where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data to public authorities, regulators, law enforcement bodies, or courts where required by law or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, customers, staff, or the public.

We do not sell personal data.

6. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Customer and service records: retained for a period reasonably required to manage service history, repeat bookings, and dispute resolution.
Financial records: retained for the period required under tax and accounting law.
Enquiry records: retained for a limited period if no booking is made, unless a longer period is needed for follow-up or legitimate business purposes.
Complaint or legal records: retained as long as necessary to address the matter and protect our legal position.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include restricted access, secure storage, password protection, and data minimisation practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce risks and to respond promptly if an incident occurs.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under data protection law. Subject to legal limits, these rights may include:

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 your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction: to request limited processing in certain situations;
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, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of the rights above, please make a clear request and provide enough information for us to identify you and respond appropriately. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. We aim to respond within the time limits required by law.

9. International Transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with applicable law. These safeguards may include approved contractual protections or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging cleaning services for domestic or commercial premises. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that such data has been collected without proper authorisation, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operations, or our data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or communicated, as appropriate. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically to stay informed.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

We respect your privacy and aim to collect only the data needed to deliver reliable oven cleaning services. We process personal data lawfully, keep it secure, retain it only as long as necessary, and ensure that trusted processors handle it under proper safeguards. Our approach is designed to support transparent and responsible data handling for all Oven Cleaning Merton customers in the area.

In short: your personal information is used carefully, shared only when necessary, and protected in line with data protection law.