Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

HomeIQO is a trading name operated by a sole trader established in England ("HomeIQO", "we", "us" or "our").

For the purposes of UK data protection law, HomeIQO is the controller of personal information where we determine why and how that information is used.

This Privacy Policy explains how HomeIQO collects, uses, shares, stores and protects personal information when you visit our website, make or manage a booking, contact us, use our services, or otherwise interact with HomeIQO.

2. Data protection law and the ICO

We process personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended from time to time.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the UK's independent data protection regulator. You have the right to complain to the ICO if you are concerned about how we use your personal information. We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first, but this does not affect your right to contact the ICO.

HomeIQO has completed the ICO data protection fee self-assessment and, based on the information provided at the time of assessment, no fee was required. An exemption from the data protection fee does not remove HomeIQO's other data protection obligations. We will review our position if our processing activities change.

3. Personal information we collect

Depending on how you interact with HomeIQO, we may collect:

• Identity and contact information, such as your name, email address and telephone number.
• Booking and service information, including service address, property details, selected service, booking dates and times, extras, notes and service history.
• Access and property information that you choose to provide for a booking, such as key-safe or lockbox instructions, smart-lock/access codes, parking information, pet information, and relevant safety or property notes.
• Payment and transaction information. Payments may be processed through third-party payment infrastructure such as Stripe. HomeIQO may receive transaction identifiers, payment status and limited payment-related information, but does not need to store full card details where those are handled by the payment provider.
• Communications and customer-support information, including emails, telephone or WhatsApp communications, complaints, refund requests, damage or missing-property reports and supporting evidence you provide.
• Website, device and technical information, which may include IP address, browser/device information, cookie identifiers, consent choices and website usage information where collected through our website technologies.
• Fraud, security and claims information where reasonably necessary to protect customers, Service Providers and HomeIQO, investigate incidents or respond to payment disputes.

Please do not provide information that is not reasonably necessary for your booking or enquiry. If information about another person is provided to us, you should have authority to provide it where required.

4. How we collect personal information

We collect personal information directly from you when you use our website, submit a booking, create or use an account, communicate with us, provide booking notes, make a payment, submit a complaint or claim, or otherwise provide information to HomeIQO.

We may also receive relevant information from Service Providers assigned to bookings, payment and booking technology providers, website and analytics providers, and other parties where necessary to administer a service, investigate an incident, prevent fraud or comply with law.

5. Why we use personal information and our lawful bases

We only use personal information where we have an appropriate lawful basis. Depending on the purpose, this may include:

• Contract – to take steps at your request before a contract and to arrange, administer and support your booking and services.
• Legal obligation – where processing is necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.
• Legitimate interests – where necessary for legitimate business purposes such as operating and securing the platform, customer support, service administration, preventing and investigating fraud, protecting legal rights, handling complaints and improving operations, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.
• Consent – where we specifically ask for consent, including for non-essential cookies or similar technologies where consent is required. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing that was lawful before withdrawal.

We use personal information to process and coordinate booking requests; assign and communicate with Service Providers; administer payments, refunds and chargebacks; provide customer support; communicate service information; manage complaints, damage and missing-property reports; prevent fraud and misuse; maintain platform and website security; comply with legal obligations; establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and understand and improve our services where lawful.

6. Booking information shared with cleaners

HomeIQO may share information with the Service Provider assigned to your booking where reasonably necessary to perform the service. This can include your name, service address, relevant contact or booking information, access instructions, property notes, pet information and other information required to carry out the confirmed booking safely and properly.

Service Providers must not use customer information for unauthorised purposes. Access information must only be used in connection with the authorised booking.

7. Other organisations we may share information with

Where necessary and lawful, personal information may be shared with:

• Booking and scheduling technology providers, including BookingKoala.
• Payment infrastructure and payment providers, including Stripe.
• Assigned Service Providers where information is required to perform a booking.
• Website hosting, security, communications, analytics and consent-management providers used to operate HomeIQO, including relevant Google services and Complianz where configured on our website.
• Insurers, professional advisers, payment providers, banks or other relevant parties where necessary to investigate or administer a complaint, claim, payment dispute or legal matter.
• Police, courts, regulators or public authorities where disclosure is required by law or reasonably necessary in connection with suspected fraud, theft, safety or other lawful purposes.

We do not sell personal information.

8. Cookies, analytics and website technologies

HomeIQO uses cookies and similar technologies for website functionality, security, preferences and, where enabled and permitted, analytics. Non-essential cookies or similar technologies are controlled through our consent-management arrangements where consent is required.

Our Cookie Policy provides more detailed information about the cookies and technologies used on the HomeIQO website and the choices available to you.

9. International transfers

Some technology providers used by HomeIQO may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where UK data protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we will rely on an applicable lawful transfer mechanism or safeguard provided for by UK data protection law and take reasonable steps appropriate to the transfer.

10. How long we keep personal information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including providing and administering services, maintaining appropriate business and transaction records, resolving complaints and claims, preventing fraud, and meeting legal, accounting or regulatory requirements.

Retention periods can vary by record type. When information is no longer required, we will delete, anonymise or securely dispose of it where reasonably practicable, subject to any continuing legal or legitimate need to retain it.

11. Security

HomeIQO takes reasonable organisational and technical measures appropriate to the nature of the information to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to reduce risk and to respond appropriately to suspected security incidents.

12. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis used, UK data protection law may give you rights in relation to your personal information. These can include the right to:

• be informed about how your personal information is used;
• request access to personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• ask us to erase personal information in certain circumstances;
• ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances;
• object to certain processing;
• receive certain information in a portable format where the right to data portability applies; and
• withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

These rights are not all absolute and may depend on the circumstances. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

To exercise a data protection right, contact contact@homeiqo.co.uk.

13. Automated decision-making

HomeIQO does not currently intend to make decisions about customers based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will provide the information required by applicable data protection law.

14. Marketing communications

Where HomeIQO sends direct marketing, we will do so only where permitted by applicable law. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time using an unsubscribe method provided or by contacting us.

Opting out of marketing does not prevent us from sending necessary booking, payment, safety, account or service communications.

15. Children

HomeIQO's booking services are intended for adults. Customers must be at least 18 years old to make a booking. We do not knowingly design our services for children or seek to collect children's personal information unnecessarily.

16. Complaints and contacting the ICO

If you have a privacy concern or wish to exercise a data protection right, please contact HomeIQO first at contact@homeiqo.co.uk or +44 333 054 0858.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK data protection regulator. Current contact and complaint information is available from the ICO's official website.

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when our services, technology, legal obligations or data-processing activities change. The current version will be made available on the HomeIQO website.

Where a change materially affects how we use personal information, we will take appropriate steps to provide further notice where required.