Privacy Policy

Affordable Professional Cleaning Services ("APC", "we", "us" or "our") is responsible for the personal information described in this Privacy Policy. Our confirmed legal business name, trading address and privacy contact details will be inserted before the website goes live.

We handle personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to use personal information lawfully, fairly and transparently, collect only information that is relevant to our purposes, keep it appropriately accurate and secure, and retain it only for as long as necessary.

Depending on how you interact with APC, we may collect your name, email address, telephone number, billing and service address, property and access information, cleaning requirements, quotation and booking details, appointment history, communications with us, payment status and transaction references, complaints or customer-service records, and technical information generated when you use our website. We will avoid collecting information that we do not reasonably need.

We may collect information directly from you when you request a quotation, make or manage a booking, make a payment, contact us, submit a support form or otherwise communicate with APC. We may also receive limited information from service providers that help us operate the website, process payments, send communications or administer bookings.

We may use personal information to prepare quotations; create, confirm and manage bookings; arrange access and provide cleaning services; take deposits and record payments; contact you about appointments; provide customer support; deal with cancellations, complaints and disputes; maintain business, accounting and tax records; protect our business and customers from misuse or fraud; improve our services; and comply with legal obligations.

The lawful basis depends on why we are using the information. In most cases we expect to process booking and customer information because it is necessary to take steps at your request or perform our contract with you. We may process information where necessary to comply with a legal obligation, or where we have a legitimate interest in operating, securing and improving our business and that interest is not overridden by your rights. Where the law requires consent, such as for certain optional marketing or non-essential technologies, we will ask for it and you may withdraw it as applicable.

APC intends to use a specialist payment provider for online deposits and payments. Payment-card details should be entered into the payment provider's secure payment environment rather than stored directly by APC. We may receive and retain information such as payment status, amount, transaction reference and limited payment-related details needed to administer the booking, refunds, accounting and disputes. The selected payment provider will be identified here before launch.

We may share personal information where reasonably necessary with APC cleaners or authorised team members who need it to fulfil a booking, and with trusted providers that support our website, hosting, database, booking system, payments, email or communications, accounting, professional advice or other business operations. We may also disclose information where required by law, to regulators or authorities, or where reasonably necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. We do not sell customer personal information.

Some technology providers may process or store information outside the United Kingdom. Before launch, APC will review the providers used by the website and, where an international transfer is involved, will use an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism or other safeguard required by UK data protection law. This section will be updated with any material transfer information once the final providers are confirmed.

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including providing services, handling enquiries or disputes and meeting legal, tax, accounting and record-keeping requirements. Different records may therefore have different retention periods. APC will confirm and document its operational retention periods before launch and periodically review information that is no longer required.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. Access to customer and booking information will be limited to people and service providers who reasonably need it for their role. No internet or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but security will be considered when selecting and configuring APC's website, database and payment providers.

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you rights to access personal information we hold about you, request correction of inaccurate information, request erasure, request restriction of processing, object to certain processing, and request data portability. Where processing is based on consent, you may also withdraw that consent. These rights are not absolute and may depend on the lawful basis and circumstances. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

Service messages about a quotation, booking, payment or appointment are different from optional marketing. Where APC sends electronic direct marketing, we will do so in accordance with applicable data protection and electronic marketing rules. Where consent is required, we will obtain it. You can ask us to stop marketing communications at any time, although we may still send necessary service communications about an active booking.

The website may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for features such as security and booking functionality. If APC introduces analytics, advertising or other non-essential technologies, we will provide appropriate information and obtain consent where required before those technologies are used. A separate Cookie Policy will describe the cookies and providers actually used once the website configuration is finalised.

APC does not currently intend to make decisions about customers based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, this Privacy Policy will be updated and any additional information or safeguards required by law will be provided.

If you have a concern about how APC uses your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve it. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator. Current contact and complaint information is available from the ICO's official website. APC's own privacy contact details will be inserted here before launch.

We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, technology providers, legal obligations or use of personal information changes. We will keep the policy under review and update the date shown on this page. Where a change materially affects how existing personal information is used, we will take appropriate steps to bring that change to the attention of affected individuals.