Privacy Policy - Kentish Town Man And Van

Kentish Town Man And Van is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when you use our moving, delivery, packing, clearance, and related transport services. It applies to all Kentish Town Man And Van customers in our area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who arrange services with us.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Kentish Town Man And Van acts as the data controller for personal data collected in connection with our services. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed and are responsible for ensuring that it is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

We take privacy seriously and aim to only collect the information that is necessary to provide a reliable, efficient, and secure service. We also require any third parties acting for us to respect the same high standards of data protection.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking information including moving dates, property type, service requirements, and access details.
Payment information such as payment confirmation, invoice details, and transaction records.
Communication records including messages, emails, complaints, and service updates.
Service and operational data such as inventory lists, item descriptions, loading instructions, and moving preferences.
Technical data if you interact with us online, such as device type, IP address, and general usage data.

In some cases, we may also process special category data only where it is necessary and permitted by law. For example, you may voluntarily provide health-related access needs or other information relevant to the safe performance of our service. Where this happens, we apply additional safeguards and only use that information for the relevant purpose.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to manage our services and business operations. The main purposes include:

Providing quotes and confirming bookings.
Planning and carrying out removals, deliveries, packing, and clearance work.
Communicating with you about service arrangements, changes, and completion.
Processing payments, issuing invoices, and maintaining financial records.
Handling complaints, claims, and customer support requests.
Meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.
Improving our services, training staff, and managing quality and safety.
Preventing fraud, misuse, and unauthorised access to our systems or premises.

We do not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. We rely on the following bases where appropriate:

Contract: processing is necessary to provide a quote, book, and perform our moving or delivery services.
Legal obligation: processing is necessary to comply with accounting, tax, insurance, safety, and regulatory requirements.
Legitimate interests: processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as improving services, responding to customer requests, maintaining security, and preventing fraud, provided your rights do not override those interests.
Consent: where required, we rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or where special category data is provided and consent is the appropriate basis.

When we rely on legitimate interests, we balance our interests against your rights and freedoms. When we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information necessary and only where there is a lawful reason to do so.

Examples of processors and service partners may include:

Payment processors to handle card or bank transactions securely.
IT and cloud service providers for secure storage, email, booking systems, and operational tools.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for invoicing, tax, and financial administration.
Insurance providers where claims or liability matters require review.
Subcontracted service partners who assist with transport, lifting, packing, or delivery tasks.
Professional advisers such as lawyers, auditors, or consultants where needed.
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, safety, or security.

All processors are required to handle your data securely, use it only for the agreed purpose, and take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason for holding it.

As a general rule:

Booking and service records are kept for a period needed to complete the service and handle any follow-up queries or claims.
Financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records are retained for a reasonable period to manage customer care, complaints, and service history.
Safety, incident, or insurance-related records may be retained longer where necessary to resolve disputes or comply with legal obligations.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and restricted system permissions.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will handle it in accordance with applicable law.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

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 circumstances.
Right to restriction to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
Right to data portability to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data rights have not been respected. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them promptly.

9. Marketing Preferences

We may send you service-related communications necessary to manage your booking or account. We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. You can opt out of marketing at any time.

Where you object to marketing, we will stop using your personal data for that purpose as soon as reasonably possible.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updates will take effect when published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

11. Our Commitment to Fair Processing

Kentish Town Man And Van will process personal data in a way that is lawful, fair, and transparent. We aim to collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, store it safely, and respect your rights at every stage.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to you as a customer in our area. We are dedicated to maintaining trust and handling your information with care, confidentiality, and respect.

Summary of Key Points

Data collection: We collect identity, contact, booking, payment, communication, and service data.
Lawful basis: Contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and consent where needed.
Retention: Data is kept only as long as necessary for service, legal, and business purposes.
Processors: Trusted third parties may process data under strict safeguards.
User rights: Access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, portability, and consent withdrawal.