Privacy Policy - Man With Van Balham

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Balham collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the services we provide. It applies to all Man With Van Balham customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who contacts us about our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Man With Van Balham acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal information when you request a quote, make a booking, use our moving services, or interact with us in relation to our business operations.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information that is necessary to provide and manage our services effectively. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name and title.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details such as pickup and delivery addresses, moving dates, inventory of items, access information, and special handling requirements.
Payment-related data such as billing details and transaction records.
Communication data such as messages, enquiries, complaints, and records of correspondence.
Website and technical data if you use our online services, including IP address, browser type, and usage information collected through cookies or similar technologies where applicable.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary to deliver our services, for example from estate agents, landlords, tenants, storage providers, or business partners who arrange services on your behalf. We will only use such information in line with this policy and applicable law.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and respond to enquiries.
To arrange, manage, and carry out removal and transport services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after a service.
To process payments and manage invoicing.
To keep business and financial records.
To handle complaints, claims, or disputes.
To maintain the safety and security of our operations.
To comply with legal, regulatory, and tax obligations.
To improve our services and customer experience.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we will always make sure those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. We only process data in ways that are relevant, proportionate, and necessary for our business.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, confirming bookings, delivering services, and handling payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, fraud prevention, or regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, such as managing communications, improving services, preventing misuse, and maintaining records, provided your rights do not override those interests.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or optional cookies where required. You may withdraw consent at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers only when necessary and appropriate. These may include:

Payment service providers.
IT and cloud storage providers.
Accounting and bookkeeping services.
Insurance providers and claims handlers.
Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers.
Subcontractors or operational partners who assist in service delivery.

Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only permitted to process your data on our instructions and must implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We require processors to handle data in a confidential and lawful manner.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, or the public. Any such disclosure will be limited to what is necessary.

6. International Transfers

In some cases, our processors may store or process data outside the UK. If this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data, such as an adequacy decision, standard contractual clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism recognised under data protection law.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, tax, or insurance requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected. In general:

Customer and booking records are kept for the period needed to manage the service and any follow-up issues.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint, claim, or dispute records may be retained longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. We follow the principle of storage limitation and do not keep data indefinitely without a valid reason.

8. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful handling of records. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to safeguard your data using standards that are appropriate to the nature of the information we process.

9. Your Rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limitations, these rights include:

Right of access ??? to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification ??? to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure ??? to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction ??? to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability ??? to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
Right to object ??? to 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 wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before taking action, and in some cases your request may be limited by legal obligations or the rights of others.

10. Marketing and Communications

We may send service-related communications that are necessary to manage your booking or provide updates about the service. We will only send marketing messages where permitted by law. If you receive any optional marketing communication, you have the right to opt out at any time. We will respect your preferences and ensure that any withdrawal of consent is processed promptly.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use cookies or similar technologies on our digital services, these may be used to enable basic functionality, understand usage, and improve user experience. Where required by law, we will seek consent before placing non-essential cookies. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or any available preference tools.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational needs. The most current version will apply to your use of our services. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your data is handled.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

We are committed to handling your personal information responsibly, securely, and transparently. Man With Van Balham processes personal data only where there is a lawful reason to do so, keeps it only for as long as necessary, and uses trusted processors under appropriate safeguards. We recognise the importance of privacy and aim to protect your information while delivering reliable moving services to customers in the area.

This policy is intended to provide clear information about our data practices and your rights under applicable privacy law.