Privacy Policy - Man And Van Homerton

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Homerton collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our removal and van services. It applies to all Man And Van Homerton customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, book, or receive services from us.

We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is designed to be clear and transparent so that you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, and the rights you have over that information.

1. Who We Are

Man And Van Homerton provides moving, transport, collection, and delivery services. In the course of providing these services, we may need to process personal data relating to customers, prospective customers, business contacts, and other individuals connected with a booking or enquiry.

For the purposes of data protection law, we act as the data controller for the personal data we determine the purposes and means of processing. In some cases, we may also use third-party service providers who process data on our behalf as data processors.

2. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for legitimate business and service-related purposes. Depending on the nature of your enquiry or booking, the information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information including service date, time, inventory, access details, and move requirements.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records.
Communication records including emails, text messages, notes from calls, and complaint correspondence.
Service-related information such as property access instructions, parking details, and special handling requests.
Technical information such as basic website or device data if you contact us through online systems, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is clearly provided by you and strictly necessary for a specific service-related reason. We ask that you do not share sensitive information unless it is required and relevant.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to manage enquiries, provide quotations, fulfil bookings, deliver services safely, and keep proper business records. More specifically, we may use your information to:

respond to enquiries and provide estimates;
confirm bookings and coordinate service arrangements;
carry out removals, transport, collection, and delivery services;
process payments and issue invoices or receipts;
communicate service updates or operational changes;
handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests;
meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
improve service quality, planning, and efficiency;
prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will only use your data for the purposes stated in this policy or for compatible purposes that are reasonably expected in connection with the services we provide.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, providing services, and handling billing and related communications.

Legal Obligation

We may process information when needed to comply with legal requirements, such as tax, accounting, insurance, record-keeping, and lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate business interests and your rights do not override those interests. Examples include service administration, customer communication, dispute resolution, business improvement, and fraud prevention. We always assess whether such processing is proportionate and necessary.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily choose to receive certain types of optional communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with parties who support our services or where disclosure is required by law. We do not sell your personal data.

Third parties acting as processors may process data on our behalf under contractual obligations to keep it secure and use it only according to our instructions. These may include:

Payment service providers who handle card or online payment processing.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial records and compliance.
IT and cloud service providers who support data storage, email, and operational systems.
Communication providers who help deliver emails, calls, or text-based service updates.
Insurance or legal advisers where required for claims, disputes, or compliance.

In some circumstances, we may also disclose information to independent controllers such as tax authorities, regulators, or law enforcement bodies, but only when required or permitted by law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the nature of the service.

As a general rule:

booking and service records are retained for a period necessary to manage the customer relationship and resolve any post-service issues;
financial and invoicing records are retained in line with tax and accounting obligations;
complaint, claim, and dispute records may be retained for longer where needed to defend or establish legal claims;
data that is no longer needed is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived where appropriate.

We apply data minimisation principles and periodically review information to ensure it is not retained longer than necessary.

7. 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, password protection, and limited access to information on a need-to-know basis.

While we take data security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a personal data breach that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in accordance with legal requirements.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exceptions, but we will always assess requests carefully and fairly.

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

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will aim to respond within the time limits set by law.

9. Automated Decision-Making

Man And Van Homerton does not rely on automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and provide appropriate information about the process involved.

10. International Transfers

Where service providers store or access data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in line with applicable law. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations or standard contractual protections.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or services. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we handle your data.

12. Summary of Our Commitments

In summary, Man And Van Homerton processes personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide and improve our services, we rely on clear lawful bases for processing, we keep data only as long as necessary, and we use trusted processors under appropriate safeguards. We respect your rights and aim to handle all personal data with care, integrity, and responsibility.