Removals UK Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Removals UK collects, uses, stores and protects your personal data when you use our services. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. This Privacy Policy applies to all Removals UK customers in our service area, as well as anyone who contacts us or uses our website or related services.

Who We Are

Removals UK is a removals and storage service provider operating within our defined UK service area. For the purposes of data protection law, Removals UK is the data controller in relation to the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal information is processed.

Types of Personal Data We Collect

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

Identification and contact information, such as your name, postal address, collection and delivery addresses, and any alternative contact person details you choose to provide.

Contact preferences and communication data, such as your communication history with us, details of enquiries, complaints or feedback, and your marketing preferences where applicable.

Service and booking information, such as details about your removal or storage needs, property access information, inventory descriptions, preferred dates and times, and instructions you give us in connection with a booking or quotation.

Payment and transaction information, such as details of the services purchased, prices, dates of payment, and method of payment. We do not store full card details when payment is handled through secure payment processors.

Technical and usage data, such as basic information about how you interact with our website or online forms, including device information, pages visited and the date and time of your visit. This may be collected through cookies or similar technologies where used and where permitted by law.

Photographs or documentation, such as images of items or property access points when necessary to provide a quotation, plan a move or address a service issue. We will only collect such data where it is relevant to the service.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data in several ways, including:

When you contact us directly, for example by completing an online form, requesting a quotation, making a booking or speaking with our staff.

When we provide services to you, for example during surveys, collections, deliveries and moves.

When you interact with our website or digital services, including cookies or analytics tools where used.

From third parties, for example when another person books a service on your behalf, or where a partner business passes us your details with your knowledge and lawful consent.

Lawful Bases for Processing Your Data

We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under applicable data protection laws. Depending on the context, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract: To take steps at your request before entering into a contract, and to perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, arranging and carrying out removals or storage services, handling payments, and communicating with you about your booking.

Legal obligation: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as keeping certain financial and transactional records for tax or accounting purposes.

Legitimate interests: To pursue our legitimate business interests in a way that does not override your rights and freedoms. This includes managing our relationship with you, improving our services, protecting our business, preventing fraud and ensuring the security of our operations.

Consent: In limited situations where required by law, for example for certain types of marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you are free to withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We may use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations, plan removals, deliver services and manage bookings and contracts.

To communicate with you about your enquiry, quotation or booking, including confirmations, updates and service-related messages.

To process payments, issue invoices and maintain accurate financial and transactional records.

To respond to questions, requests, complaints or claims, and to provide customer support.

To manage our business operations, including scheduling, route planning, capacity planning and quality assurance.

To improve our services, training, procedures and customer experience.

To protect our rights, property and safety, and that of our staff, customers and third parties, including in the context of fraud prevention and dispute resolution.

To comply with applicable laws, regulations and guidance.

Data Sharing and Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary and lawful. These third parties act either as data processors on our behalf or as independent data controllers.

Data processors are service providers who process personal data only in accordance with our instructions and for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy. We use processors for activities such as:

IT hosting, data storage, email, and other business systems.

Payment processing services that securely handle card or bank transactions.

Customer relationship management systems and business administration tools.

Professional advisers such as accountants and insurers, where personal data is necessary for their services.

We ensure that all processors are bound by written contracts requiring them to protect your data, keep it confidential, and act only on our documented instructions.

We may also share your data where required by law, with law enforcement or regulatory authorities, or in connection with legal proceedings. Where appropriate, we may share necessary information with third parties involved in your move, for example a partner company assisting with a specific part of the service, provided this is compatible with the purposes described in this policy.

International Transfers

Where any of our service providers or systems are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will only transfer personal data in compliance with applicable data protection laws. This may involve using standard contractual clauses or other appropriate safeguards to ensure that your personal data remains protected.

Data Retention

We keep your personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, and to comply with legal, regulatory, tax and accounting requirements.

In general, we will retain core customer and transaction records for a number of years after your last interaction with us, in line with statutory limitation periods and financial record-keeping obligations. Information collected only for quotations where no contract is formed may be kept for a shorter period, unless we are required to retain it longer for legal reasons.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise or destroy it in accordance with our data retention procedures.

Security of Your Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. These measures include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and appropriate security procedures for handling and transferring data. While we use reasonable safeguards, no system can be completely secure, and you should take care when sharing information with us.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions:

Right of access: You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of the data we hold about you, along with certain information about how we use it.

Right to rectification: You have the right to ask us to correct or update personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to erasure: In some circumstances, you have the right to ask us to delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected. This right is not absolute and may be limited where we have legal or legitimate grounds to retain the data.

Right to restriction: You may have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we investigate a dispute about its accuracy.

Right to data portability: Where we process your personal data on the basis of your consent or a contract with you, and by automated means, you may have the right to receive the data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to request that we transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to object: You have the right to object to certain types of processing based on our legitimate interests, including direct marketing. If you object, we will stop processing your data for that purpose unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds or we need to continue processing for legal reasons.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before consent is withdrawn.

Exercising Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us using the contact details provided in our standard customer communications or on our main website. We may need to verify your identity before completing your request. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law, usually one month from receipt of a valid request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you are concerned about how we handle your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so we can address your concerns directly where possible.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services or legal obligations. Any changes will be published on our website, and the updated policy will apply from the date of publication. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.