Privacy Policy - Man And Van Highbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Highbury collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Man And Van Highbury customers in the area, as well as to individuals who enquire about our services, request quotes, or otherwise interact with us in connection with removals, deliveries, and related transport services.

We are committed to handling personal information in a fair, lawful, transparent, and secure manner. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful basis we rely on, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over your information.

1. Data Collection

We collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing bookings, responding to enquiries, and meeting legal and business obligations. The type of data we may collect includes:

Identity information such as your name, and where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service information including moving date, collection and delivery locations, property access details, inventory information, and special handling requirements.
Payment and billing information such as transaction records, invoice details, and payment confirmations.
Communication records including emails, messages, and notes from calls or enquiries.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you contact us through digital channels, including IP address and browser type where applicable.
Support and complaint information if you raise a concern, claim, or feedback regarding a service.

We generally collect information directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, confirm a booking, or communicate with us. In some cases, data may also be received from third parties involved in arranging services, such as landlords, letting agents, property managers, solicitors, or authorised representatives acting on your behalf.

We only collect information that is relevant and limited to what is necessary for the purpose for which it is used. We do not intentionally collect more data than required to deliver and manage our services.

2. How We Use Your Data

Personal data is used for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and respond to service enquiries.
To arrange, confirm, and carry out removal or transport services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after a booking.
To issue invoices, process payments, and manage accounting records.
To maintain service records and handle queries, complaints, or claims.
To meet legal, regulatory, insurance, and tax obligations.
To improve our services, internal processes, and customer experience.

We may also use personal data to prevent fraud, ensure security, and protect our legitimate business interests. Where required, we will seek your consent before using your data for any purpose that is not otherwise covered by another lawful basis.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes at your request, confirming services, completing bookings, and managing payments or service-related communications.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information when required to comply with legal duties, such as tax recordkeeping, accounting obligations, health and safety requirements, and other applicable regulations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include maintaining customer records, improving service operations, preventing misuse, and handling disputes or claims.

Consent

In limited cases, we rely on your consent. For example, if consent is needed for a specific optional purpose, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before it was withdrawn.

4. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Typical retention practices include:

Booking and service records are kept for a reasonable period to support customer service, dispute resolution, and business administration.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint or claim records may be kept longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.
Inactive enquiry records may be deleted after a reasonable period if no service is arranged.

When personal data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise removed from active use. Retention is based on necessity and legal requirement, not convenience.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third-party processors who help us operate and deliver our services. These parties process data only on our instructions and are required to protect it appropriately. They may include:

Payment providers who process card or transfer transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping processors who support financial administration and compliance.
IT and cloud service providers who store or secure data systems and communications.
Communication service providers who assist with email, telephone, or messaging functions.
Insurance providers or claims handlers where necessary for service-related incidents.
Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers when required for compliance or dispute management.

We may also disclose information to public authorities, regulators, law enforcement, or courts where required by law or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, property, safety, customers, or the public.

We do not sell personal data. If data is transferred outside the UK or European Economic Area, appropriate safeguards will be used to ensure it remains protected in line with applicable data protection law.

6. Security of Your Data

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure storage, password controls, staff awareness, and data minimisation practices.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the data we process. In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take steps to investigate and respond in accordance with legal requirements.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply depending on the legal basis for processing and the circumstances of the request:

Right of access – you may request confirmation of whether we process your data and obtain a copy of it.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you may request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in some cases.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests in certain situations.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will review your request and respond within the timeframe required by law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. In some situations, we may not be able to comply fully if a legal obligation or legitimate reason requires us to keep certain information.

8. Complaints and Further Rights

If you have concerns about how your data is handled, you are entitled to raise the issue with the relevant supervisory authority. You may also contact us to discuss any privacy concern or to request further information about how your data is used. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve the matter promptly and fairly.

Man And Van Highbury values privacy and aims to treat all personal data with care, respect, and accountability. This policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in law, regulation, or our internal practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or providing your details to us, you acknowledge that your personal data will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.