Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Kentish Town

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Kentish Town collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, transport, loading, unloading, and related services. It applies to all Man And A Van Kentish Town customers in area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, businesses, and anyone who requests or receives our services within our operating area.

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy explains the categories of data we collect, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep information, which third parties may process data on our behalf, and the rights available to you under data protection law.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide and manage our services. Depending on the service requested, this may include the following:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and address for service delivery or collection.
Booking details including move date, collection and delivery locations, property access information, inventory notes, and service preferences.
Payment information such as billing name, payment method, transaction references, and invoicing information. We do not intentionally store full card details where payment is handled securely by a third-party processor.
Communication records including emails, phone notes, messages, complaints, quotations, confirmations, and customer service correspondence.
Service information such as item descriptions, van size requirements, labour requirements, parking notes, and special handling instructions.
Technical data if you interact with any digital booking or enquiry systems, including IP address, device information, and basic usage logs where applicable.
Proof or verification data where needed for fraud prevention, insurance, or lawful compliance.

We do not intentionally collect special category data such as health information, racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or political opinions unless you choose to provide such information to help us complete a service safely, and we have a lawful reason to process it. Where possible, we ask you to avoid sharing unnecessary sensitive information.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and handle bookings.
To plan, deliver, and complete moving and transportation services.
To communicate with customers about appointments, changes, delays, or service requirements.
To process payments, issue invoices, and manage accounts.
To respond to enquiries, complaints, claims, and feedback.
To maintain service quality, improve operations, and train staff.
To protect against fraud, misuse, and unlawful activity.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.

We may also use aggregated or anonymised data for reporting and operational planning. Anonymised data does not identify you and is not treated as personal data under data protection law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, the lawful bases may include the following:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes taking booking details, arranging the move, communicating about the service, and processing payment.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain records where required by law, including tax, accounting, insurance, transport-related obligations, and compliance with lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing operations, improving services, preventing fraud, securing systems, and maintaining service records.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily agree to receive certain marketing communications or where consent is the most appropriate basis for processing specific optional information. You can withdraw consent at any time where it is being used as the lawful basis.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell personal data. We may share information only when necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, or legitimate business operations. Where we use third-party service providers, they act as processors and handle personal data only on our instructions and under appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors and service categories may include:

Payment processors to handle secure card or electronic payments.
Accounting and invoicing providers to manage financial records and tax compliance.
Booking and administration software providers to store customer records and schedule services.
Communication service providers used for email, messaging, or telephone handling systems.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data hosting and backup.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and claims handlers where required for protection, dispute resolution, or compliance.

We may also disclose information to regulators, law enforcement, courts, or other authorities where required or permitted by law. Any third party receiving data is expected to protect it appropriately and use it only for the agreed purpose.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, operational, and dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Booking and service records are generally kept for a period necessary to manage the contract, handle queries, and support after-service issues.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication and complaint records may be kept longer if needed to resolve disputes or demonstrate service history.
Technical logs are retained for a limited period for security, troubleshooting, and audit purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we take appropriate steps to delete, destroy, or anonymise it securely.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and use of trusted processors. Although no system is completely secure, we aim to protect personal information to a standard appropriate to the risk.

Man And A Van Kentish Town expects employees, contractors, and processors to treat customer data with care and only access it where necessary to perform their roles.

7. Your Rights Under Data Protection Law

Under UK GDPR, you have important rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and any legal exceptions. You may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erase your data in certain situations.
Restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability for data you provided to us, where applicable.
Withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis for processing.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you believe your rights have been infringed, you may complain to the relevant data protection authority. We encourage customers to raise any privacy concerns directly so we can address them promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults arranging removals, transport, or related property services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children for marketing or unrelated purposes. If we need to process data relating to a child as part of a household move or property access arrangement, we do so only where necessary and with appropriate care.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or communicated, as relevant. We recommend that customers review this policy periodically to stay informed about how their data is handled.

10. Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to the personal data of all customers, prospective customers, and service users of Man And A Van Kentish Town within the area we serve. By using our services or providing information to us, you acknowledge that your data may be processed in accordance with this policy and applicable data protection law.

Privacy is important to us. We handle customer information with care, use it only when needed, and work to ensure it remains secure, accurate, and lawfully processed.