Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Homerton

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Homerton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, delivery, packing, loading, unloading, and related transport services. It applies to all Man With A Van Homerton customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who request a quote, make a booking, receive a service, or otherwise interact with us in connection with our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to explain your rights and our responsibilities in a clear and practical way.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for operating our services, managing customer relationships, meeting legal obligations, and improving service quality. The categories of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name, title, and any company name you provide.
Contact details such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including the pickup location, delivery address, property access information, inventory descriptions, moving dates, and special handling instructions.
Payment and billing information such as transaction records and invoicing information.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and feedback provided during enquiries, bookings, or complaints.
Operational information such as vehicle allocation, staffing requirements, and service history.
Technical information if you interact with our digital systems, which may include IP address, device type, browser details, and basic usage data.

We do not knowingly collect more information than is required for legitimate business purposes. We also do not intentionally collect special category data unless you voluntarily provide it and it is needed to deliver a service, such as information about access needs or health-related considerations relevant to a move.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and arrange bookings.
To carry out moving, transport, packing, and related services.
To communicate with you about service arrangements, timing, or changes.
To process payments, send invoices, and maintain accurate financial records.
To manage customer service enquiries, complaints, and claims.
To maintain internal records and monitor service quality.
To comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that we need to use it for a compatible and lawful purpose.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following bases:

Performance of a Contract

We process your data when it is necessary to take steps before entering into a contract or to fulfil our obligations under a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, arranging services, and completing booked work.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include handling customer enquiries, improving services, maintaining records, preventing fraud, and managing business operations efficiently. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and apply appropriate safeguards.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal duties, including accounting, tax, insurance, transport compliance, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you ask us to use optional information or where a specific type of communication requires permission. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process information to protect someone’s vital interests, for example if there is an emergency involving safety during a service.

4. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only where necessary and proportionate. These third parties may act as processors on our behalf or as independent controllers in their own right.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and hosting providers who support secure storage, email systems, and business software.
Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with invoicing, tax, and financial administration.
Communication service providers who support customer contact and message delivery.
Cloud storage and data backup providers used to protect records and maintain service continuity.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to keep personal data secure, and to use appropriate technical and organisational measures. We do not permit them to sell your data or use it for their own unrelated purposes.

We may also disclose data where required by law, where necessary to establish or defend legal claims, or where required to protect the rights, property, or safety of our customers, staff, or business.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, and dispute-resolution requirements.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record:

Booking and service records are typically retained for a period necessary to manage the customer relationship and handle any follow-up issues.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law and accounting practice.
Customer correspondence may be retained for a reasonable period to assist with service history, complaints, and legal defence.
Claims, disputes, or incident records may be kept for longer where needed to resolve the matter or meet legal obligations.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed using appropriate methods.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate safeguards to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of internal practices.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection seriously and aim to reduce risk through sound operational and technical controls.

7. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exceptions, but we will always consider your request carefully.

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your data.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – in some cases, you can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
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 in line with applicable data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

8. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that your information remains protected to the standard required by law. This may include approved contractual protections or transfers only to countries with adequate data protection arrangements.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use digital tools that place cookies or similar technologies on devices, they will be used only where necessary or with appropriate consent where required. These technologies may support functionality, analytics, or security. Any such use will be limited and proportionate to the service provided.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. The latest version will apply to your use of our services. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With A Van Homerton is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for no longer than necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We also respect your rights and aim to make it easy for customers to understand how their information is used.

This policy applies to all Man With A Van Homerton customers in the area.