Privacy Policy - Removals Dulwich

This Privacy Policy explains how Removals Dulwich collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Removals Dulwich customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who request or use our removal, packing, storage, and related services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to customers, prospective customers, household members, business representatives, and anyone else whose personal data we process in connection with our services. It also applies where a customer provides us with information about another person, such as a family member, landlord, tenant, employee, or delivery contact. If you share someone else’s data with us, you should ensure you have the right to do so and that they are aware of this policy.

2. Information we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing and managing our services. The information we may collect includes:

Identity details such as name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information including property access details, moving dates, inventory details, and service preferences.
Billing and payment information required to arrange invoices, payments, or refunds.
Communication records such as enquiries, feedback, complaints, and correspondence.
Technical information such as basic website or device data if you interact with digital forms or online services.
Special instructions relevant to the move, such as storage requirements, fragile items, or access arrangements.

We do not seek to collect sensitive personal data unless it is genuinely necessary and you choose to provide it, or unless it is required for legal, insurance, or service-related reasons. Where special category data is involved, we will only process it when a lawful condition applies and appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How we collect personal data

Personal data may be collected directly from you when you request a quote, book a service, communicate with us, complete forms, or give instructions. We may also receive data from third parties where needed to deliver our services, such as estate agents, landlords, solicitors, storage providers, or other service partners. In some cases, we may obtain information from public sources or from payment processors and fraud-prevention services, where necessary and permitted by law.

4. Why we use personal data

We use personal data only for clear and legitimate purposes, including:

providing removal, packing, storage, and related services;
preparing quotes and confirming bookings;
managing customer accounts and service administration;
coordinating access, schedules, and logistics;
handling payments, invoices, and refunds;
responding to enquiries, complaints, and claims;
maintaining business records and legal compliance;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or security risks;
improving our services and operational efficiency.

We do not sell personal data. We will never use your data in a way that is incompatible with the reason it was collected.

5. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing a quote, arranging a move, managing bookings, handling payments, and delivering agreed services.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and interests do not override those interests. This can include service improvement, administrative record-keeping, operational planning, fraud prevention, and maintaining secure systems. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the potential impact on you and use safeguards where needed.

Legal obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, consumer protection, and regulatory requirements.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for optional communications or specific uses that are not covered by another lawful basis. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Vital interests and public interest

These bases are rarely used by us, but may apply in exceptional circumstances where data processing is needed to protect someone’s vital interests or where required for a task carried out in the public interest.

6. Sharing personal data

We may share personal data with trusted processors and third parties only when necessary and appropriate. These may include:

Payment providers for processing transactions securely;
IT and cloud service providers that support our systems, storage, and communications;
Accountants and professional advisers for financial, tax, or legal support;
Storage and logistics partners when relevant to your move or storage arrangement;
Insurance providers when a claim, incident, or policy matter must be addressed;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or to protect rights, safety, or security.

All processors are required to process data only on our instructions, keep it secure, and comply with data protection obligations. We take steps to ensure that any third party handling personal data provides sufficient guarantees regarding confidentiality and security.

7. Data retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for processing. For example, booking and invoicing records may need to be retained for accounting and tax purposes, while enquiry records may be kept for a shorter period.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it, anonymise it, or securely archive it in accordance with our retention practices. Where a legal claim, dispute, or regulatory requirement may apply, we may retain relevant data for a longer period to protect our legitimate interests and comply with legal duties.

8. Security of personal data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our data handling procedures. Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we aim to maintain strong protections proportional to the nature of the information we process.

9. International transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate legal safeguards are in place. This may include using countries with adequacy regulations or entering into approved contractual protections. Any such transfer will be carried out only where necessary and in line with data protection law.

10. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply in full or in part depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing. Your 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 request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in specific cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

You may also have the right to challenge automated decision-making where it applies. However, we do not generally make decisions about customers solely by automated means without human involvement.

11. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidentally provided by an adult customer in connection with a move. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without appropriate justification, we will take steps to delete or protect it as required.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or service arrangements. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

13. Contacting us about data protection

If you wish to exercise your rights, ask questions about this policy, or raise a concern about how your data is handled, you may contact us through the usual business channels. We will respond in accordance with applicable data protection law and aim to deal with requests promptly and fairly.

Summary: Removals Dulwich processes customer data lawfully, securely, and transparently; it explains collection, lawful bases, retention, processors, and rights for all customers in the area.