Privacy Policy - Removals Southkensington

This Privacy Policy explains how Removals Southkensington collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data relating to our customers, prospective customers, suppliers, and other individuals whose information we process in the course of providing removal services. It applies to all Removals Southkensington customers in the area and to anyone who interacts with us in connection with our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Removals Southkensington provides residential and commercial removals, packing, storage coordination, and related logistics services. In delivering these services, we act as a data controller for the personal data we determine the purpose and means of processing. This means we are responsible for deciding why and how your information is used and for ensuring it is protected appropriately.

2. Personal data we collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide, manage, and improve our services. Depending on your relationship with us, this may include:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your email address, phone number, and postal address.
Service information such as moving dates, property access details, inventory lists, special handling instructions, and service preferences.
Payment and billing information such as invoicing details and transaction records.
Correspondence including messages, complaints, feedback, and records of discussions related to your booking or service.
Technical information where applicable, such as limited website usage data or device details if you contact us through online systems.
Special category data only where necessary and where permitted by law, for example information about accessibility needs or health-related handling requirements relevant to a move.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary sensitive information. If you provide such information to help us perform the service safely and effectively, we will only use it for that specific purpose and in accordance with data protection law.

3. How we collect your data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you request a quotation, make a booking, communicate with us, or complete paperwork linked to a move. We may also receive information from third parties where it is necessary to arrange services on your behalf, such as estate agents, landlords, letting agents, storage providers, payment processors, or other service partners involved in the move.

Where someone else provides information about you, we rely on them to have the right to share it. If we need to process your data for a new purpose that is not obvious from the original context, we will seek to ensure there is a lawful basis before doing so.

4. Why we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To manage bookings and deliver removal services.
To plan logistics, allocate staff, and organise transport.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To communicate with you about service changes, timing, access issues, and operational updates.
To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, training, and business operations.
To protect our rights, property, staff, customers, and third parties.

We only use your information when we have a valid reason to do so and when that use is compatible with the purpose for which it was collected.

5. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every use of personal data. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Performance of a contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, providing removal services, communicating about your move, and completing billing.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service planning, internal administration, fraud prevention, quality control, and customer support.

Legal obligation

We process personal data when required to comply with law, including tax rules, accounting duties, insurance requirements, and other legal responsibilities.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly where the law requires it for certain marketing or optional processing activities. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital interests and public interest

These lawful bases are rarely used by us, but may apply in exceptional circumstances, for example where personal safety is at immediate risk.

6. Sharing your personal data and processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, operate our business, or meet legal requirements. These third parties act either as processors or as separate controllers depending on their role.

Processors are service providers who process data on our instructions and are contractually required to keep it secure and use it only for the agreed purpose. Examples may include:

IT and hosting providers.
Cloud storage and data backup providers.
Accounting and invoicing systems.
Payment service providers.
Customer communication tools.
Booking and operational management software providers.

We may also share data with:

Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers.
Delivery, storage, or logistics partners involved in fulfilling the service.
Public authorities, regulators, law enforcement, or courts where required by law.

We do not sell your personal data. If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as approved contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

7. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the legal or business need for keeping it. For example:

Booking and service records are kept for a period necessary to manage follow-up, resolve disputes, and maintain business records.
Financial and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Correspondence and complaint records may be retained for a reasonable period after the service ends in order to respond to issues and defend legal claims.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it. We regularly review retention needs to avoid keeping personal data for longer than necessary.

8. Security of your data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff training, and contractual safeguards with processors. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce risk and respond promptly if an incident occurs.

9. Your rights

As a data subject, you have several rights under data protection law. These rights may be subject to legal limits, but we will always respond appropriately and within required timeframes. Your rights include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit processing in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to request that certain data be provided to you or another controller in a portable format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.
Right to lodge a complaint – with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been mishandled.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity to protect your information. We will not usually charge a fee unless a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

10. Marketing preferences

We may send limited service-related communications where necessary for contractual or operational reasons. If we ever send marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You can object to marketing at any time, and we will respect your preference. We do not use your personal data for unrelated marketing without a proper lawful basis.

11. Children’s data

Our services are directed to adults arranging removals and related logistics. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children except where it is incidentally included in booking or household information and only when necessary for the move. If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a child without an appropriate legal basis, we will take steps to delete or restrict it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operations, or processing practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how we handle personal data.

13. Summary of our privacy commitments

Removals Southkensington will only collect personal data that is necessary, use it for clear and lawful purposes, share it only where needed with appropriate safeguards, and keep it for no longer than required. We respect your rights and will process information in a way that is lawful, fair, transparent, and secure. This policy applies to all Removals Southkensington customers in the area and forms part of our commitment to responsible data protection practice.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.