Privacy Policy - Man With Van Thamesmead

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Thamesmead collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, transport, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Man With Van Thamesmead customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or receives services arranged by us.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We also aim to respect the principles of data minimisation, purpose limitation, accuracy, storage limitation, and security.

1. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information such as collection and delivery addresses, property access notes, inventory details, and moving preferences.
Booking and transaction information such as service dates, requested times, quoted prices, invoices, payment status, and records of services provided.
Communication records such as emails, phone notes, text messages, and other correspondence.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic device or usage details collected through our systems to maintain security and service functionality.
Special category data only where you choose to provide it and where it is necessary for a specific request, such as mobility needs, access requirements, or health-related information relevant to a safe move. We only process this data when there is a valid legal basis and appropriate safeguards.

We generally collect personal data directly from you. In some cases, we may receive information from third parties involved in arranging or paying for a service, such as landlords, letting agents, building managers, or business clients, where this is necessary for the moving service.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes, schedule services, and manage bookings.
To carry out removal, transport, loading, unloading, and related tasks.
To communicate with you about your service and respond to enquiries.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To manage service records, customer accounts, and internal administration.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.
To handle complaints, disputes, and insurance-related matters.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably need to use it for a compatible purpose and are permitted to do so by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where a lawful basis under GDPR applies. Depending on the circumstances, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, arranging services, completing moves, and managing payment and service delivery.

Legal obligation

We may process information where we are required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing operations, improving services, preventing fraud, and maintaining security. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, particularly where optional information is requested or where processing is not covered by another lawful basis. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital interests and public interest

These bases are unlikely to apply in ordinary service delivery, but may apply in exceptional circumstances where necessary to protect someone’s safety or comply with a legal requirement related to public interest.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service.

In general:

Booking and service records are retained for a period necessary to manage the customer relationship, handle disputes, and support business administration.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Communication records are kept for as long as needed to resolve queries or evidence service arrangements.
Special category or sensitive information is retained only for the minimum time needed to carry out the requested service and ensure safety, unless longer retention is required by law.

When personal data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed in a safe manner.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may use trusted third-party processors to help us operate our business and deliver services. These processors act on our instructions and are required to protect your data appropriately. They may include:

Payment processors for handling card or online payment transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration.
IT and system providers for storage, email, scheduling, and security services.
Administrative support providers who assist with booking management and customer service.
Insurance or claims handlers where required to deal with an incident or dispute.

We may also share personal data with:

Professional advisers such as accountants, legal advisers, and insurers.
Authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where we are legally required to do so.
Third parties involved in your booking where necessary for service delivery, such as building management or business clients.

We do not sell your personal data. If data is transferred outside the UK or European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as recognised transfer mechanisms and contractual protections.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted handling of sensitive information.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable steps to reduce risk and to respond promptly to any suspected data incident.

7. Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. 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 how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability – to request transfer of certain data to you or another organisation.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Some rights may not apply in all situations, particularly where we must keep data to comply with legal obligations or where another lawful basis overrides the request. We will respond to valid requests in accordance with applicable law.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals or transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children. If any child-related information is incidentally provided as part of a household move, it will be handled with care and only where necessary for the service.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or service arrangements. The latest version will apply to our processing activities from the date it takes effect.

By using our services, requesting a quote, or making a booking, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. It applies to all Man With Van Thamesmead customers in the area and governs how we handle personal data connected with our services.

Your privacy matters to us, and we aim to process personal information responsibly, securely, and in line with the law.