Privacy Policy - Man And Van West Kensington

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van West Kensington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our moving, transport, delivery, packing, and related services. It applies to all Man And Van West Kensington customers in the West Kensington area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a fair, lawful, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy. We only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, meeting legal obligations, and improving the quality and safety of our operations.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you request. The information may include:

Identity details such as your name and, where needed, company name.
Contact details such as telephone number and email address.
Address information including pickup, delivery, billing, and property access details.
Service information such as moving dates, inventory details, floor levels, parking restrictions, and special handling instructions.
Payment information such as transaction records, invoice details, and payment confirmations.
Communication records including emails, messages, quotes, complaints, and service requests.
Technical data such as basic website or device usage information if you contact us through digital channels.
Optional information that you choose to provide, such as access requirements, preferred timings, or vulnerable item notes.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it voluntarily for a specific service need. If such information is received, we will process it with additional care and only where a lawful basis applies.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and arrange moving services.
To plan, manage, and complete removals, deliveries, and related tasks.
To communicate with customers about bookings, service changes, and updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and keep financial records.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, and customer support requests.
To maintain internal records and improve service quality.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory requirements.
To protect the safety of our team, customers, and property.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected unless we reasonably determine that a compatible purpose exists. We will never use your information in a way that is incompatible with the expectations set out in this Policy.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the context, Man And Van West Kensington relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your personal data when it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotes, arranging services, completing moves, and issuing invoices.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include record-keeping, service improvement, fraud prevention, operational management, and protecting our property or staff.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal and regulatory duties, including tax law, accounting obligations, insurance requirements, and lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you provide optional information that is not necessary for the service or where consent is required for a particular type of communication. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare circumstances, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency involving health or safety during a move.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share information with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our services effectively and lawfully. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment service providers that handle card or bank transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that support financial record-keeping.
IT and cloud storage providers that help store and secure data.
Communication tools used for sending emails, invoices, or booking updates.
Professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where necessary.

Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only allowed to process personal data on our instructions and must keep it secure. We require appropriate contractual safeguards to protect your information. If data is shared with independent controllers, such as tax authorities or law enforcement bodies, those organisations will process the data under their own privacy obligations.

We may also disclose data where required by law, to comply with a court order, to prevent fraud, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Man And Van West Kensington, our customers, staff, or others.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and no longer than required by law. Retention periods depend on the nature of the information and our legal obligations.

Quotation and booking records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage service history and customer enquiries.
Invoice, payment, and accounting records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records may be retained to handle disputes, complaints, or ongoing customer support.
Operational notes are kept only as long as needed to complete the service and manage follow-up matters.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you. Where deletion is not immediately possible for technical or legal reasons, the data will be securely stored and isolated until it can be removed.

6. Security of Personal Data

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff permissions, and data minimisation practices. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain an appropriate level of protection for all information we process.

All staff and contractors who handle personal data are expected to respect confidentiality and follow our data protection procedures. Access to information is restricted to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These 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 restriction – you can request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability – you may ask for certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Rights relating to automated decision-making – we do not generally use fully automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects.

If we rely on consent for any processing, you also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

To exercise your rights, you should provide enough information for us to identify you and understand your request. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the statutory timeframe, usually one month, unless the request is complex or numerous.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will make sure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. This may include approved contractual protections or transfers to countries deemed to provide an adequate level of protection. We will only transfer data where necessary and lawful.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not intentionally collect personal data from minors unless it is provided by an adult customer as part of a moving service. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take steps to delete it where legally permitted.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any updates will apply from the time they are published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this Policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is protected.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And Van West Kensington is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to deliver services, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and apply safeguards when sharing it with trusted processors. Customers in the West Kensington area can exercise their data protection rights at any time, and we will handle such requests in accordance with applicable law. Our goal is to ensure that your personal information is treated with care, respect, and accountability throughout every stage of our service relationship.