Privacy Policy - Removal Company Battersea

This Privacy Policy explains how Removal Company Battersea collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the provision of removal and related services. It applies to all Removal Company Battersea customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, book, or receive our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a fair, lawful, transparent, and secure manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Removal Company Battersea acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we determine how and why your personal data is processed when you use our services, make an enquiry, or otherwise interact with us.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and any account or reference identifiers.
Contact data: postal address, email address, telephone number, and alternative contact details.
Service data: details relating to your move, property access, inventory information, delivery instructions, and service preferences.
Billing and payment data: invoicing details, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication data: emails, messages, notes from phone calls, and records of complaints or feedback.
Technical data: basic device and browsing information where collected through our systems, such as IP address or log data.
Special category data: we do not ordinarily seek to collect special category data. If such information is shared with us, for example in relation to access needs or vulnerability considerations, we will process it only where strictly necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

We collect personal data directly from you when you submit an enquiry, request a quote, arrange a booking, complete forms, communicate with us, or otherwise use our services. We may also receive data from third parties where necessary to deliver the service, such as estate agents, landlords, tenants, building managers, or payment providers.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotes;
to manage bookings and deliver removal services;
to plan routes, access arrangements, and logistics;
to invoice, take payment, and maintain financial records;
to communicate with you about your service;
to handle complaints, claims, and dispute resolution;
to maintain internal records, quality control, and service improvement;
to comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property;
to detect and prevent fraud or misuse of services.

We only use personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so and where the use is compatible with the original purpose for which the data was collected.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must identify a lawful basis for each processing activity. We rely on the following grounds:

Contract

Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, carrying out removals, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where it is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or other regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include improving our services, maintaining internal records, preventing fraud, and managing customer communications. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is the most appropriate basis for specific optional communications or processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers who act as processors on our behalf. These processors only process personal data according to our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers;
email and communications platforms;
payment processing services;
accounting and invoicing systems;
customer management and scheduling tools;
professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers;
subcontracted operational partners where needed to perform the service.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or lawful request from a public authority. If a business transfer, restructuring, or merger takes place, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

We do not sell your personal data. We limit sharing to what is necessary and only provide access to parties who need it for legitimate service, legal, or operational purposes.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, and insurance obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service.

As a general rule:

quotation and enquiry records may be kept for a limited period to manage follow-up and service administration;
booking and service records may be retained for operational and contractual purposes;
invoice and transaction records are retained for the period required by law;
complaint or claim records may be kept longer where needed to defend or establish legal rights.

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

7. Data Security

We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices. Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risks and review our safeguards regularly.

8. Your Rights Under Data Protection Law

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under the UK GDPR. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, these may 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 request deletion of your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit processing in specific situations;
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format;
Right to object: to 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;
Right not to be subject to automated decision-making: to challenge decisions made solely by automated means where applicable.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law and provide our reasons if we cannot fully comply with your request.

9. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. This may include using approved contractual protections or transferring data only to countries recognised as providing adequate protection under applicable law.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where necessary in the context of a service arrangement involving a parent, guardian, or responsible adult. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle personal data.

12. Contacting Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, your rights, or how your personal data is handled, you may raise the matter through our usual customer communication channels. You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

In summary: Removal Company Battersea processes personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently, using it only where necessary to provide services, meet legal obligations, protect legitimate interests, and respect the rights of all customers in the area.