Privacy Policy - Removal Company Highbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Removal Company Highbury collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Removal Company Highbury customers in the area, including individuals and households who request removals, packing, storage, or related services. We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to current, former, and prospective customers of Removal Company Highbury, as well as anyone who communicates with us about our services. It covers personal information collected when a booking is made, a quote is requested, services are delivered, or any follow-up support is provided. It also applies where we receive data from third parties acting on your behalf, such as landlords, letting agents, estate agents, or business clients arranging a move for you.

2. Data we collect

We only collect data that is necessary for providing our services, managing our relationship with you, and meeting legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity data: name, title, and, where needed, proof of identity.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and move-related addresses.
Service data: details about the property, items to be moved, access conditions, inventory lists, and special handling requirements.
Payment data: billing details, payment status, and limited transaction records.
Communication data: emails, call notes, messages, and any feedback or complaints.
Technical data: IP address, browser details, and basic usage information if you interact with our digital systems.
Special category data: only where strictly necessary and with appropriate safeguards, for example health-related access needs affecting the move.

We do not collect more data than we need. If you provide information about third parties, you must ensure that you have the right to share it with us.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and arrange services;
to carry out removals, packing, storage coordination, and related logistics;
to communicate with you before, during, and after the service;
to manage payments, invoices, and account records;
to respond to complaints, claims, or service issues;
to keep records for legal, tax, insurance, and operational purposes;
to improve service quality and train staff;
to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud or misuse;
to comply with lawful requests from regulators or public authorities.

Service-related communications

We may contact you with information that is necessary to deliver the service, such as arrival updates, access questions, or changes to schedules. These communications are part of our contract with you and are not marketing messages.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

Contract: processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging and completing a move.
Legal obligation: processing is required to comply with laws relating to tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, or regulatory duties.
Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service management, security, record-keeping, and complaint handling.
Consent: in limited cases, we may rely on your consent, especially for certain optional communications or the use of special category data where consent is the most appropriate basis.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we take care to assess necessity and impact. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

5. Sharing your information with processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These processors are only allowed to use data according to our instructions and under written contracts that include appropriate security and confidentiality obligations.

Processors may include:

payment service providers;
IT and cloud storage providers;
customer relationship management software providers;
accounting and invoicing systems;
communication and email service providers;
insurance or claims-handling support providers;
subcontracted service partners involved in the move.

We may also share data with independent controllers where required, such as law enforcement, courts, insurers, or professional advisers. If data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

6. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and in line with legal or business requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of record and the reason for keeping it.

Quotation and booking records: retained for a reasonable period to manage service history and disputes.
Invoices and accounting records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Claims and complaints: retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and defend legal claims.
Operational notes: retained for a limited period after service completion unless needed longer for legal or business purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention procedures. We regularly review records to avoid keeping data longer than necessary.

7. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, staff training, secure storage, password protection, and restricted system permissions. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection that is appropriate to the risks involved.

8. Your rights under data protection law

You have rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions or exceptions under the law. They 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: in some cases, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability: you can request that we provide certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests and to direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you exercise your rights, we may need to verify your identity before acting on the request. We will respond within the time limits required by law unless an extension is permitted.

9. Marketing preferences

If we send marketing communications, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may opt out of marketing at any time. This will not affect service-related communications that are necessary for the delivery of your move or for legal and contractual reasons.

10. Children’s data

Our services are not aimed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is required in connection with a move or service request and only with the involvement of an adult responsible for the arrangement. Where child-related information is processed, it is handled with extra care and only as needed.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data-handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

12. Summary of our approach

Removal Company Highbury takes privacy seriously and aims to process personal data fairly, transparently, and securely. We collect only the information needed to provide reliable removal services, rely on lawful bases under data protection law, keep data only as long as necessary, and use processors under strict contractual controls. Customers in the area can also exercise their privacy rights at any time, subject to the legal rules that apply.