Privacy Policy - Removals Shoreditch

This Privacy Policy explains how Removals Shoreditch collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, packing, storage, and related moving services. It applies to all Removals Shoreditch customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, book, receive, or support our services. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently 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 data that is necessary to deliver our services, manage our relationship with you, and meet our legal obligations. Depending on the service requested, the information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as phone number and email address.
Address and property information including collection, delivery, storage, and access details.
Booking and service information such as date, time, move size, inventory, and special handling requirements.
Payment and billing details such as transaction records and invoice information.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and feedback.
Access and security information such as instructions for entry, parking arrangements, and site restrictions.
Claims or complaint information where relevant to service issues or insurance matters.

In limited cases, we may also process information that is more sensitive in nature if it is provided to us by you and is necessary for the moving service, for example access needs or details affecting the safe handling of property. We ask that you only share such information where it is relevant and necessary.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to operate our business and provide services efficiently. This includes:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Managing bookings, schedules, and service delivery.
Preparing invoices, processing payments, and reconciling accounts.
Communicating with customers about their move or storage arrangements.
Meeting health and safety requirements and managing logistics.
Handling complaints, claims, or service disputes.
Maintaining records for legal, tax, and accounting purposes.
Improving service quality, training staff, and preventing fraud or misuse.

We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis 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 circumstances, Removals Shoreditch relies on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This applies to quotations, bookings, moving arrangements, and service execution.

Legal Obligation

We may process data to comply with legal requirements, including tax rules, accounting duties, insurance obligations, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include business administration, service improvement, customer support, fraud prevention, and internal record management. We always assess this carefully and use only what is necessary.

Consent

In some situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need permission to use certain optional information or where law requires it. When we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

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

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary and appropriate for the purposes set out in this policy. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Payment service providers for secure payment handling.
Accountants and tax advisers for financial reporting and compliance.
IT and cloud service providers who support our booking, email, and record systems.
Storage facilities or logistics partners where required to complete the move or storage arrangement.
Insurance providers, claims handlers, or legal advisers where a claim, dispute, or legal matter must be addressed.
Regulatory, law enforcement, or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

Where we use processors, we require them to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to use it only for the agreed purpose. We do not sell your personal data.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason it is held. For example, booking and service records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage customer support, resolve disputes, and meet accounting or insurance needs.

When deciding how long to keep data, we consider:

The nature of the information.
Our legal and regulatory obligations.
Whether there is an ongoing contractual, claims, or dispute issue.
Whether the data is needed for legitimate business records.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited sharing on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be completely secure, we work to safeguard data to a high standard.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exemptions, but we will always respond carefully and in line with applicable law.

Right of access – you can ask for confirmation of whether we process your data and request a copy.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data where there is a lawful basis to do so.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how your data is used in certain cases.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the timeframe required by law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

8. Marketing Preferences

We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law. If you receive marketing from us based on consent, you can opt out at any time. If we contact you using a legitimate interest basis, you still have the right to object. We will respect your choice and update our records accordingly.

9. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you are concerned about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to raise the matter with us first so we can review and respond appropriately. 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 breached.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. The latest version will always apply to customer data processed by Removals Shoreditch. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle your personal data.

This Privacy Policy is intended to provide clear, lawful, and transparent information about how Removals Shoreditch handles personal data for customers in the Shoreditch area.