Privacy Policy - Southlambeth Removals

Southlambeth Removals is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our customers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in connection with our removal services. It applies to all Southlambeth Removals customers in the area, including people who enquire about our services, receive quotes, book a removal, or otherwise interact with us.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Southlambeth Removals is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed. We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information we need to provide removal services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. The categories 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 details such as moving addresses, property access notes, inventory lists, preferred dates, and special handling instructions.
Payment and billing details such as invoice records and transaction information.
Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, and complaints.
Technical information if you contact us through digital systems, including basic device and usage information where applicable.
Special category data only where necessary and only if you choose to provide it, for example information about accessibility needs that may affect the removal service.

We do not intentionally collect more data than is required for the service. We ask that you avoid sharing sensitive information unless it is necessary for your removal arrangements.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to operate our business and provide services efficiently. Typical uses include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotes;
booking, planning, and delivering removal services;
communicating about schedules, access arrangements, and service changes;
issuing invoices and processing payments;
handling complaints, claims, and customer support;
maintaining internal records and service quality;
meeting legal, tax, and insurance obligations;
preventing fraud and protecting our business and customers.

We only use your personal data for the purposes described in this policy or for purposes that are compatible with them.

4. 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 one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, managing bookings, moving property, and delivering the services you have requested.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. Examples include improving operations, managing enquiries, keeping appropriate business records, and protecting against misuse or fraud. We balance our interests against your privacy rights before relying on this basis.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data when required to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, health and safety, and insurance obligations.

Consent

In limited situations, we may ask for your consent, particularly where processing is not necessary for a contract or legal obligation. If consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing already carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Vital Interests and Special Category Data

We do not generally rely on vital interests. If special category data is processed, we will do so only where a lawful condition applies and where necessary for service delivery, such as accessibility-related arrangements that you voluntarily provide.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services or meet legal requirements. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. We do not sell personal data.

Processors and recipients may include:

Payment service providers who process transactions securely.
Accounting and invoicing providers who help manage financial records.
IT and cloud service providers who store or support our systems.
Communication service providers who help us manage emails, messages, or telephone systems.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, or claims handlers where necessary to manage disputes or claims.
Regulators, law enforcement, or public authorities where we are required to disclose information by law.

Where we use processors, we ensure that appropriate data processing agreements are in place and that they only act on our instructions, keep data secure, and process it in accordance with data protection law.

6. International Transfers

If any of our processors store or access personal data outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place before the transfer occurs. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful transfer mechanisms. We will only transfer data where it is lawful and necessary.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer retention period is required by law. Retention periods may depend on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

Enquiry data may be retained for a short period if no booking is made.
Customer and service records are typically retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Claims or dispute records may be retained longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

8. Data Security

We take 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, confidentiality practices, and staff awareness measures. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a high standard of protection.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights include:

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 ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction ??? to request limited processing in certain situations.
Right to object ??? to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability ??? to request transfer of certain data to you or another controller.
Right to withdraw consent ??? where processing is based on consent.

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 we can try to resolve any issue directly and promptly.

10. Automated Decision-Making

We do not use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects about you. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy and provide the information required by law.

11. Children???s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business or household customers arranging removals. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in connection with our services unless it is necessary and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult.

12. 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 revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend that you review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

13. Summary of Your Data Rights and Our Commitments

Southlambeth Removals will only collect information that is relevant and necessary, use it fairly and lawfully, keep it secure, and retain it only for as long as required. We will always aim to be transparent about our data practices and to respond appropriately to requests from customers in the area.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy.