Privacy Policy - Removals South Kensington

This Privacy Policy explains how Removals South Kensington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, packing, storage, and related moving services. It applies to all Removals South Kensington customers in the area, including individuals, families, landlords, tenants, and businesses that use our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity data: name, title, and, where needed, proof of identity.
Contact data: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service data: details about your move, property access, inventory items, preferred dates, and special handling requirements.
Payment data: billing details, transaction history, and payment confirmation records.
Communication data: records of correspondence, enquiries, complaints, feedback, and service updates.
Technical data: limited website or device information if you interact with our digital systems, such as IP address, browser type, and usage logs.
Special category data: we do not usually collect this type of data. If you voluntarily provide information that may reveal health conditions or accessibility needs, we will only use it where necessary to support your move safely and lawfully.

We may collect this data directly from you, from someone acting on your behalf, or from third parties involved in your move, such as estate agents, landlords, solicitors, or building managers, where appropriate and permitted by law.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and assess moving requirements;
to plan, deliver, and manage removal services;
to communicate with you about bookings, schedules, and service changes;
to process payments and issue invoices;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and claims;
to maintain internal records and improve our services;
to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, and legal obligations;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and the law allows us to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotes, arranging removals, packing items, and carrying out your move.

Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal obligations, such as record keeping, tax compliance, insurance documentation, and lawful responses to regulatory requests.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include service improvement, internal administration, fraud prevention, and defending legal claims. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and whether your interests require additional protection.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to provide optional information or agree to receive certain communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who help us deliver our services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We require them to handle data securely and lawfully.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

payment processing providers;
IT and cloud hosting providers;
email and communication service providers;
accounting and bookkeeping providers;
storage and logistics partners;
survey, scheduling, and operational software providers;
professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, and legal advisers where necessary.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, to prevent fraud or crime, to protect our rights or property, or in connection with a business transfer, merger, or reorganisation. Whenever possible, we limit shared data to what is necessary for the relevant purpose.

5. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we take appropriate safeguards to protect your information. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We take steps to ensure that any international transfer maintains an appropriate level of protection.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the context in which it is used.

Customer and service records: retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by applicable law.
Complaint and claim records: retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and defend any potential claim.
Technical logs: retained for a limited period for security and operational purposes.

When data is no longer required, we delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling practices. However, no system is completely secure, and you should also take care when sharing information with us.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limitations, these rights include:

Right of access: you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: you can request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability: you can request a structured copy of certain data you provided to us.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law, unless an extension is justified.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed to children as a separate customer group, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in connection with a household move. In such cases, we process the information only to the extent required to deliver the service and safeguard the move.

10. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, you should first raise them with us so that we can address the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, our services, or our data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Removals South Kensington is committed to handling customer data responsibly, securely, and transparently. We collect only what is needed, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and share it only with trusted processors or where the law requires it. By using our services, customers in the South Kensington area can expect their personal data to be treated with care and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.