Privacy Policy - Removal Company Greenwich

This Privacy Policy explains how Removal Company Greenwich collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, packing, storage, and related moving services. It applies to all Removal Company Greenwich customers in the Greenwich area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services or communicate with us in connection with a removal job.

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. This policy is designed to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have in relation to your personal data.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide and manage our services effectively. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details: name, title, and, where relevant, company name or business contact details.
Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and preferred communication method.
Service details: property addresses, moving dates, inventory information, access notes, item descriptions, and service preferences.
Billing and payment information: invoice details, payment status, and limited financial information needed to process payments and maintain records.
Communication records: emails, messages, call notes, quotations, complaints, and feedback.
Technical information: if you interact with our digital systems, we may receive basic technical data such as device type, browser information, and log data for security and service management purposes.
Special category data: we do not intend to collect sensitive personal data unless you voluntarily provide it and it is strictly necessary for the service, such as access needs or health-related mobility considerations.

We aim to keep our data collection relevant and proportionate. We do not knowingly collect unnecessary personal data, and where possible we encourage customers to avoid sharing sensitive information unless it is essential for the service requested.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and confirm bookings;
to plan and carry out removals, packing, dismantling, transport, and storage services;
to communicate about service arrangements, timings, changes, and updates;
to issue invoices, process payments, and manage accounts;
to handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests;
to maintain business records, protect our operations, and improve service quality;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
to detect and prevent fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We only use your personal data where we have a valid legal reason to do so and where the processing is necessary for a specific, legitimate business or legal purpose.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, managing bookings, delivering moving services, and issuing invoices.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to meet legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax records, accounting obligations, and compliance with lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business efficiently, improving our services, protecting against fraud, and maintaining secure records.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive optional marketing communications or provide information that is not strictly necessary for the service. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In exceptional cases, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in a serious emergency during a move. This basis would only apply in rare and urgent circumstances.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and in a controlled manner. We do not sell personal data. We may disclose information to the following categories of processors and recipients:

Payment processors: to handle secure payment transactions and related billing functions.
IT and cloud service providers: to store, host, secure, and manage business records and communication systems.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to support invoicing, tax, and financial reporting.
Operational subcontractors: where additional moving, packing, or storage support is needed to complete a service.
Insurance providers: where a claim or incident requires review and processing.
Legal and professional advisers: where needed for compliance, dispute resolution, or advice.
Public authorities: where disclosure is required by law or necessary for legal proceedings.

Where we use processors, they are required to handle personal data only on our instructions and to implement appropriate security measures. All processors must comply with GDPR standards and may not use your data for their own independent purposes.

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, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the data and the service provided.

Booking and service records: retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards for reference, dispute handling, and service administration.
Financial and accounting records: retained for the period required by law and tax obligations.
Complaint and claims records: retained as long as needed to investigate, resolve, and document outcomes.
Consent and marketing records: retained until consent is withdrawn or the communication preference changes.

When data is no longer needed, we securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it. We take care to ensure that information is not kept longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and procedures for handling data securely.

Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we are committed to maintaining a level of protection that is appropriate to the risks involved in processing customer data. If a personal data breach occurs and it is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in line with applicable legal requirements.

7. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis used for processing.

Right of access: you can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of it.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: in certain cases, you may ask us to delete your personal data.
Right to restriction: you can request that we limit how we use your data in some situations.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
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.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can address your concerns promptly and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a household move and only to the extent required to deliver the service safely and appropriately.

9. International Transfers

Where any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the information in accordance with data protection law. These safeguards may include standard contractual protections or transfers to jurisdictions recognised as providing adequate protection.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or how we process personal data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

Removal Company Greenwich is dedicated to respecting your privacy and using your personal data responsibly. We believe in transparency, security, and accountability in all our data processing activities. If you use our services in the Greenwich area, this policy applies to the personal data we process in connection with your booking, move, storage arrangement, or related service.