Privacy Policy - Removal Companies Soho

This Privacy Policy explains how Removal Companies Soho collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with the removal, packing, storage, transportation, and related services we provide. It applies to all Removal Companies Soho customers in the Soho area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services or interact with us during an enquiry, quotation, booking, or completed move.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to inform you about what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have regarding your personal information.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to deliver our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, the data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name, and where relevant, the name of your business or organisation.
Contact details such as your telephone number, email address, and service address.
Move details including pickup and delivery addresses, access information, dates, inventory lists, and any special handling requirements.
Billing and payment information such as invoices, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records including emails, call notes, message histories, quotations, and complaints.
Service and operational data such as booking history, staff notes, and photos taken for damage assessment, where needed.
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, including basic device and usage information necessary for security and service administration.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to provide it, for example if you share information that affects access needs, health-related handling requirements, or safety considerations during a move. Where such data is provided, we treat it with extra care and only process it when there is a lawful basis to do so.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and assess the scope of work.
To arrange, confirm, and carry out removal services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after a move.
To manage payments, invoices, refunds, and accounting.
To improve our operations, staff training, and service quality.
To maintain records, resolve disputes, and respond to complaints.
To meet legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance requirements.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, loss, or misuse.

We use your information only for relevant and legitimate purposes. We do not sell your personal data and we do not use it in a way that is incompatible with the reasons it was originally collected.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where a lawful basis under UK GDPR applies. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

Most of the data we process is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, providing removal services, and managing payments.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service administration, fraud prevention, internal record keeping, quality control, and responding to disputes.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide optional information or agree to certain forms of communication. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, for example where urgent action is needed to protect health or safety during a move.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including service delivery, legal compliance, dispute resolution, and record maintenance. Retention periods are determined by the type of data and the reason it was collected.

Quotation and enquiry records are typically retained for a limited period to support follow-up, customer service, and business records.
Contract, booking, and invoice data may be retained for several years to satisfy accounting, tax, and legal obligations.
Complaint, claim, and dispute records may be retained longer where required to defend legal claims or manage insurance matters.
Special category or sensitive information, where collected, is retained only for as long as necessary and then securely deleted or anonymised.

When data is no longer needed, we take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it. Retention is never indefinite without justification.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for service delivery, compliance, or business operations. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers used for secure storage, email, scheduling, and internal administration.
Payment service providers that handle transactions and prevent fraud.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with financial records and tax compliance.
Insurance providers and claims handlers where a claim, incident, or loss must be reviewed.
Communication and customer support tools that help us manage enquiries and service updates.
Subcontracted operational partners where additional moving support is required to complete your service.

All processors are expected to handle data securely, act only on our instructions where applicable, and use appropriate confidentiality and protection measures. We do not permit processors to use your data for their own unrelated purposes.

We may also disclose data where required by law, court order, or a lawful request from a public authority. If our business is restructured, sold, or transferred, personal data may be shared as part of that transaction subject to applicable legal safeguards.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted permissions to sensitive records.

Although we take reasonable steps to safeguard your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data breach occurs, we will assess the risk and notify affected individuals and regulators where required by law.

7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exceptions. 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 data.
Right to erasure in certain circumstances, also known as the right to be forgotten.
Right to restriction to limit how we use your data in specific situations.
Right to data portability to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. Some rights may not apply in all circumstances, for example where we must retain information for legal compliance or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are normally directed to adults or business customers. We do not knowingly seek to collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally required in connection with a household move or similar service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data in error, we will take steps to delete or otherwise protect it as appropriate.

9. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms. We will only make such transfers when necessary and lawful.

10. Automated Decision-Making

We do not generally use fully automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will provide you with clear information about the process, the logic involved, and your rights.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.

12. Summary of Key Points

This policy applies to all Removal Companies Soho customers in the Soho area.
We collect only the personal data needed to provide moving and related services.
We process data using lawful bases such as contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where appropriate.
We retain data only as long as necessary for service, legal, and operational purposes.
We may share data with trusted processors under appropriate safeguards.
You have rights over your personal data, including access, correction, deletion, and objection in certain cases.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.