Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Cores Group Ltd ("we", "us", "our") provides commercial and domestic cleaning services under the trading name Core Services. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect personal information belonging to our clients, cleaners/sub-contractors, and website visitors.

Contact for data protection queries: support@core-service.co.uk

2. What information we collect

From clients

• Name, address, phone number, email address
• Payment and billing information
• Details relevant to providing the cleaning service (e.g. property access instructions, pets, specific requirements)

From cleaners / sub-contractors

• Name, address, phone number, email address
• Bank details (sort code, account number) for payment
• Right to work documents, ID, proof of address
• DBS check results (where applicable)
• Emergency contact details

From website / enquiry visitors

• Name, contact details, and any information submitted via enquiry forms or messages

3. How we use this information

We use personal information to:

• Provide and manage cleaning services
• Process payments and invoicing
• Communicate with clients and cleaners about bookings, schedules, and service updates
• Meet our legal obligations (e.g. right to work checks, health and safety records, tax and accounting requirements)
• Respond to enquiries and complaints

4. Legal basis for processing

We process personal data under the following legal bases (UK GDPR):

• Contract — where processing is necessary to provide services to clients or manage our relationship with cleaners
• Legal obligation — e.g. right to work checks, health and safety records, tax records
• Legitimate interests — e.g. maintaining accurate business records, responding to enquiries
• Consent — for optional cookies and similar technologies used for website analytics and advertising. You give this through the cookie banner and can withdraw it at any time using the Cookie settings button, without affecting anything you have already done on the site. See section 9.

5. How we store and protect information

• Personal data is stored securely using Google Drive and Google Sheets, with access restricted to company directors
• We do not sell or share personal information with third parties, except where necessary to provide our services (e.g. payment processing via Stripe) or where required by law
• We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law (e.g. financial records are typically retained for 6 years)

6. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request corrections to inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your information, where applicable
• Object to or restrict how we use your information
• Withdraw consent, where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@core-service.co.uk.

7. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us directly in the first instance. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The most recent version will always be available on request or via our website.

9. Cookies and this website

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device when you visit a website. Some sites, including ours, also use similar technologies such as browser storage, which works in much the same way but keeps the information in your browser rather than sending it back to a server. Both are covered by the same rules, and both are described below. We use them sparingly.

What we store

Advertising and the Meta Pixel

If you accept optional cookies, we load the Meta Pixel — a small piece of code provided by Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd, the company behind Facebook and Instagram. It records that a browser visited a page on our site, and allows us to show adverts to people who have shown an interest in our services, and to see whether those adverts result in enquiries or bookings.

We have deliberately switched off Meta's "automatic advanced matching" feature. That feature reads information typed into forms — such as your email address and phone number — and sends it to Meta. We do not use it, so the details you enter on our quote and booking forms are not passed to Meta.

Meta acts as a joint data controller with us for this activity. You can read how Meta uses this information in their privacy policy, and control how it is used for adverts in your Facebook or Instagram ad preferences. If you reject optional cookies on our site, the Pixel is never loaded and Meta receives nothing.

Managing your choice

When you first visit, a banner lets you accept or reject optional cookies. Rejecting is as easy as accepting, and nothing optional is set unless you actively accept. If you reject, neither the Google Analytics script nor the Meta Pixel is loaded at all — no request is made to Google or Meta, and no analytics or advertising cookies are created.

If we add a new type of optional cookie, or start using an existing one for a new purpose, we reset everyone's stored preference and ask again. A previous acceptance does not carry over to a purpose you were never told about.

You can change your decision at any time using the Cookie settings button in the bottom-left corner of any page. This is the most reliable way to do it, because it clears our record directly.

You can also block or remove this data through your browser. Note that clearing cookies alone may not remove our record of your choice, because it is held in browser storage rather than in a cookie — to remove it you would need to clear site data for this website, which browsers usually offer alongside the cookie controls. Doing so means you will be asked for your preference again on your next visit.

Third parties

Payments are processed by Stripe, who act as a separate data controller for the payment information you enter on their checkout page. Photographs or videos you upload with a quote request are stored via Cloudinary. Both handle your data under their own privacy policies.