Privacy Policy - Southlambeth Removals

Southlambeth Removals is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect information relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Southlambeth Removals customers in the Southlambeth area, including anyone who requests, receives, or enquires about our removal services.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws. This Policy is intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your personal information.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide removal services, manage bookings, maintain our business records, and comply with legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details, such as your name and title.
Contact details, such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information, including moving dates, property access details, inventory notes, packing requirements, and delivery instructions.
Billing and payment information, such as invoice details and payment status.
Communication records, including messages, enquiries, complaints, and notes from calls or meetings.
Technical data, if you interact with our digital systems, such as device information or log data used for security and performance purposes.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and where you choose to provide it, for example if you inform us of access needs, medical requirements, or other information relevant to carrying out the service safely and appropriately.

We generally do not seek sensitive information unless it is required to meet a specific service need or legal obligation. Please only provide such information where it is relevant to your move or necessary for us to support you.

2. How We Collect Your Data

We may collect personal data in several ways:

Directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, confirm a booking, or communicate with us.
During the course of providing removal services, including planning, packing, transport, and delivery.
From third parties acting on your behalf, such as agents, landlords, solicitors, or property managers, where they are authorised to share the information.
From payment providers or accounting systems when processing invoices or reconciling payments.
From publicly available sources where necessary to verify addresses or business details.

We aim to keep our collection fair and transparent. Where appropriate, we will explain why certain information is needed and how it will be used.

3. Why We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and assess service requirements.
To schedule and carry out removal services efficiently and safely.
To communicate with you about your booking, changes, delays, or service updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and manage accounts.
To respond to enquiries, feedback, or complaints.
To maintain business records and support internal administration.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.
To meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, systems, and customer experience.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless we have a valid lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing activity. Depending on the circumstances, Southlambeth Removals may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, managing bookings, and delivering the removal service you requested.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business, handling customer communication, maintaining security, preventing fraud, and improving our services.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, particularly for certain optional uses or when handling special category data in circumstances where consent is the appropriate basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Where special category data is processed, we will only do so where a condition under data protection law applies, such as explicit consent, the establishment or exercise of legal claims, or the provision of necessary support relating to the service.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. These third parties may act as processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.

Examples of processors we may use include:

IT and hosting providers that support our systems, data storage, or communications.
Accounting and invoicing providers that help manage payments and financial records.
Customer management systems used to record bookings, service notes, and correspondence.
Payment service providers that process card or electronic payments.
Professional advisers, such as accountants, auditors, insurers, or legal advisers, where they process information on our behalf.
Subcontracted service providers who assist with the fulfilment of removals or related logistics.

All processors are required to handle personal data only in accordance with our instructions, to keep it secure, and to use appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. We do not permit processors to use your data for their own purposes.

We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or law enforcement agency, or where necessary to protect our rights, the safety of our staff, or the safety of others.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, reporting, and insurance requirements. The retention period depends on the type of information and the context in which it was collected.

Quotation and booking records are typically retained for the period needed to manage the customer relationship and any follow-up queries.
Invoices and financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Service communication records are retained for a reasonable period to support customer service, dispute resolution, and business administration.
Complaint or claims-related records may be retained longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised. If deletion is not possible immediately due to backup or system limitations, it will remain protected until removal is feasible.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against accidental loss, unlawful access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, staff confidentiality obligations, and monitoring of systems where appropriate.

While no system is completely secure, we take data protection seriously and continuously review our practices to reduce risk.

8. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

Right of access ??? to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification ??? to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure ??? to request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction ??? to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object ??? to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability ??? to request transfer of data you provided to us, where the legal conditions are met.
Right to withdraw consent ??? where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions or limitations. We will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by law.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it in line with data protection law. This may include the use of approved contractual clauses or transfers to countries recognised as offering 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 our data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this Policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is protected.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Southlambeth Removals handles personal data responsibly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, share it only with trusted processors or where required by law, and keep it only as long as necessary. Our aim is to provide a reliable removals service while respecting your privacy and protecting your information at every stage.