Privacy Policy - Streatham Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Streatham Removals collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data in connection with its removal and related services. It applies to all Streatham Removals customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who enquire about our services. We are committed to handling personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Streatham Removals provides house removals, office removals, packing support, storage coordination, and associated logistics services. In delivering these services, we may process personal data about customers, household members, building contacts, payment contacts, and other individuals connected with a move. We act as a data controller for the personal data we determine the purposes and means of processing.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect information that is necessary for managing enquiries, planning removals, delivering services, and meeting legal obligations. The data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as name, title, and business or household role.
Contact details such as telephone numbers, email addresses, and property addresses.
Service information such as move dates, inventory details, access instructions, packing requirements, and special handling needs.
Payment and billing information such as invoices, payment records, and transaction references.
Communication records such as emails, call notes, quotations, complaints, and service updates.
Property and access details such as floor level, parking arrangements, lift availability, and entry instructions.
Limited special category data only where you voluntarily disclose it and only where necessary to accommodate a service request, for example health-related access needs or mobility requirements.

We do not seek to collect more information than is reasonably required. If you provide information about other people, you should ensure that you have the right to share it with us and that they understand how it will be used.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to operate our business and provide services effectively. This includes:

responding to enquiries and preparing quotations;
confirming bookings and organising move logistics;
providing packing, loading, transport, unloading, and storage-related services;
communicating with customers about timing, access, and service requirements;
handling payment processing, invoicing, and account administration;
managing complaints, claims, and customer support issues;
meeting legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or unsafe activity.

We may also use aggregated or anonymised data for internal reporting, service improvement, and operational planning. This information does not identify you personally.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the context, our lawful bases include:

a) Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotations, organising removals, and delivering agreed services.

b) Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, insurance, and other regulatory requirements.

c) Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include improving service quality, handling customer queries, preventing fraud, maintaining security, and managing business operations.

d) Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, particularly where special category data is involved or where we are using data for a purpose that requires consent. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

e) Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process data where necessary to protect someone’s vital interests, such as responding to an urgent safety concern during a move.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services or comply with the law. These third parties act either as independent controllers or as processors acting on our instructions.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and hosting providers that support our systems, email, and data storage;
payment service providers that process transactions securely;
accounting and bookkeeping providers that help with financial administration;
customer management software providers that store booking and service records;
insurance providers and claims handlers where a claim or incident must be assessed;
subcontracted moving teams or specialist handlers where needed to complete the service;
legal, tax, and professional advisers where advice or compliance support is required.

We require our processors to handle personal data securely, to use it only for authorised purposes, and to apply appropriate confidentiality and protection measures. We do not sell personal data.

6. International Transfers

If any of our service providers store or process data outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures permitted by law. Where relevant, we assess whether additional protections are needed to safeguard your data.

7. Data Retention

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

Typical retention practices may include:

quotation and enquiry records kept for a reasonable period to manage follow-up questions and business administration;
contract and service records retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a period afterwards to handle disputes or claims;
financial and tax records retained for the periods required by law;
complaint and incident records retained as long as needed to resolve issues and defend legal claims;
staff and operational records retained in line with business, insurance, and legal obligations.

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

8. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality obligations, and routine review of our data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take reasonable steps to safeguard the information entrusted to us.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit the way we process your data in certain situations.
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 withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. We will assess any request carefully and respond in accordance with applicable law. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use online tools that collect technical or usage information, this may include cookies or similar technologies. Such tools are typically used to support website functionality, measure performance, or improve user experience. Where consent is required, you will be asked to provide it before non-essential cookies are used.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. The most recent version will apply to personal data we process. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Contact and Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal data is handled, you may raise them with us so they can be reviewed. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We aim to address data protection matters promptly, fairly, and transparently.

In summary, Streatham Removals processes personal data responsibly, only for clear and lawful purposes, and with appropriate safeguards. We collect only what we need, keep it only as long as necessary, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Streatham Removals customers in area.