Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2025

Cousins Plumbing & Heating Kent respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal data when you contact us, use our website, request a quote, book a plumbing service, or communicate with us.

This policy is written in line with UK data protection requirements, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. The Information Commissioner's Office advises that businesses should clearly explain what personal data they collect, why they use it, who they share it with, how long they keep it, and what rights individuals have.

1. Who we are

Cousins Plumbing & Heating Kent is a local plumbing business based in Ashford, Kent, providing domestic plumbing, heating-related plumbing, water treatment, filtration, repair and maintenance services.

For the purposes of data protection law, Cousins Plumbing & Heating Kent is the "data controller" of the personal information you provide to us.

2. What personal information we collect

We may collect and use the following information:

• Your name
• Address and service location
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Details of your plumbing enquiry or job request
• Photographs, videos or documents you send us relating to a plumbing issue
• Appointment and booking details
• Payment and invoice information
• Communication history, including emails, messages and call notes
• Website usage information, such as cookies, analytics data and contact form submissions

We only collect information that is relevant to providing our services, responding to enquiries, preparing quotes, carrying out work, managing bookings, issuing invoices and maintaining business records.

3. How we collect your information

We may collect your personal information when you:

• Complete a contact form on our website
• Request a quote or booking
• Send us photos or details of a plumbing problem
• Contact us by phone, email, WhatsApp, text message, social media or online platforms
• Accept a quote or instruct us to carry out work
• Make a payment
• Leave a review or testimonial
• Use our website

If you provide information about another person, such as a tenant, landlord, family member or neighbour, you should make sure you have their permission to share their details with us.

4. Why we use your personal information

We use your personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries
• Provide quotes and estimates
• Arrange appointments and bookings
• Diagnose plumbing issues, including from photographs or descriptions
• Carry out plumbing work
• Contact you about your job
• Send invoices, receipts and payment confirmations
• Keep records for tax, accounting and insurance purposes
• Manage customer service and complaints
• Improve our website and services
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• Protect our business, customers and staff

5. Our lawful basis for using your data

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using your personal information.

We usually rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Contract — We use your information where it is necessary to provide a quote, arrange a booking, carry out work, issue invoices or provide services you have requested.
• Legitimate interests — We may use your information for our legitimate business interests, such as responding to enquiries, managing customer relationships, keeping service records, improving our website, handling complaints, and protecting our business.
• Legal obligation — We may need to keep certain records to comply with tax, accounting, insurance or legal requirements.
• Consent — Where we rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or non-essential cookies, you can withdraw your consent at any time.

6. Photos and diagnostic information

If you send us photographs, videos or documents relating to a plumbing problem, we will use them only for the purpose of understanding the issue, providing advice, preparing a quote, or carrying out the requested work.

Please avoid sending images that contain unnecessary personal information, such as family photographs, documents, financial information or anything unrelated to the plumbing issue.

7. Marketing communications

We will not sell your personal information to third parties.

We may contact existing customers with relevant service updates, maintenance reminders or useful plumbing advice where we believe this is appropriate and lawful. You can ask us to stop sending marketing or reminder messages at any time by contacting us.

We will only send email marketing where we have a lawful basis to do so.

8. Who we share your information with

We may share your personal information with trusted third parties where necessary, including:

• Payment processors
• Accounting or bookkeeping software providers
• Website hosting and IT service providers
• Booking, quoting or customer management systems
• Insurers or legal advisers
• Subcontractors or specialist trades, where needed to complete your job
• HMRC or other authorities, where legally required

We only share information where necessary and expect third parties to handle your information securely.

9. Payments

If you pay by card, Apple Pay, contactless payment, bank transfer or another payment method, your payment may be processed by a secure third-party payment provider.

We do not store full card details on our own website or systems.

10. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary.

Typical retention periods may include:

• Enquiry records: up to 12 months if no work is carried out
• Customer job records: up to 6 years
• Quotes, invoices and payment records: up to 6 years for tax and accounting purposes
• Photos relating to completed work: only as long as needed for the job record, warranty, insurance, dispute or service history
• Marketing preferences: until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove them

The ICO advises that privacy notices should explain how long personal information is kept before being securely deleted.

11. How we protect your information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure or alteration.

This may include:

• Password-protected systems
• Secure payment processing
• Restricted access to customer records
• Secure storage of invoices and job records
• Deleting information when it is no longer needed
• Using reputable software, hosting and service providers

12. Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to help it work properly, improve user experience, understand website traffic, and support enquiry forms or online booking features.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function. Others, such as analytics or marketing cookies, may require your consent. The ICO states that website visitors should be told when cookies are used and what they do, and that non-essential cookies usually require user agreement.

You can usually control cookies through your browser settings or the cookie banner on our website.

13. Your data protection rights

You have rights over your personal information. These may include the right to:

• Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances
• Ask us to restrict how we use your information
• Object to certain uses of your information
• Withdraw consent where we rely on consent
• Ask for your information to be transferred to another organisation, where applicable

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details in this policy.

14. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we use your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, which is the UK regulator for data protection.

15. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, such as social media pages, payment providers, booking platforms or review platforms.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. You should read their privacy policies before providing personal information to them.

16. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a new "last updated" date.