Privacy Policy - Removals Highbury

This Privacy Policy explains how Removals Highbury collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Removals Highbury customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who makes an enquiry about our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Removals Highbury provides removal-related services to customers in the Highbury area and surrounding local locations. In the context of this Privacy Policy, Removals Highbury acts as the data controller for the personal data it collects and processes for its own business purposes. This means we decide why and how your personal data is used.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing our business, and meeting legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name, title, and any business or household details you provide.
Contact information such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information including details about the property, items to be moved, access requirements, preferred dates, and service instructions.
Billing and payment details where needed for invoicing, payment processing, and record keeping.
Communication records such as enquiries, messages, complaints, and notes of conversations.
Technical information if you interact with digital systems we use, such as device data or usage logs collected for security and performance purposes.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and where a lawful basis exists, for example if you voluntarily provide information relating to accessibility needs or health conditions so that we can plan a safe service.

We usually collect data directly from you when you request a quote, book a service, complete forms, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may receive data from third parties such as property agents, business partners, or payment providers when this is necessary to carry out the service or manage the transaction.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for specific and legitimate purposes. These include:

providing quotations and responding to enquiries;
arranging, carrying out, and managing removal services;
communicating service updates and schedule changes;
processing payments and issuing invoices;
maintaining business records and service history;
handling complaints, disputes, and customer support issues;
improving our services, internal processes, and operational planning;
meeting legal, accounting, tax, and regulatory obligations;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

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

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Removals Highbury may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract – where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as providing a quote, arranging a move, or handling payment.
Legal obligation – where we must process data to comply with tax, accounting, record-keeping, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include service improvement, fraud prevention, or internal administration.
Consent – where you have given clear consent for a specific purpose. You may withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis relied upon.
Vital interests – in rare cases, where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

Where special category data is involved, we will only process it if an appropriate condition under GDPR applies, such as your explicit consent or another valid legal ground.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to deliver our services or run our business. These third parties may act as processors, meaning they process data on our instructions and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

payment processing providers;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
IT, data storage, and software providers;
communication and email service providers;
customer management or scheduling systems;
professional advisers, such as legal or tax advisers, where needed.

We may also disclose data to authorities, insurers, or other parties where required by law, to protect our legal rights, or to prevent fraud and unlawful conduct. Where we engage processors, we take steps to ensure they provide appropriate data protection safeguards, including written contracts and security requirements.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing. For example:

quotation and enquiry records may be retained for a limited period to manage follow-up and business administration;
customer and contract records may be retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
financial and accounting records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws;
complaints or dispute records may be kept longer if needed to defend legal claims or resolve disputes.

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 protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed as completely secure, we take data protection seriously and work to reduce risks as far as reasonably possible.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to certain legal limits, these include the right to:

access the personal data we hold about you;
rectify inaccurate or incomplete information;
erase your data in certain circumstances;
restrict how we process your data in certain situations;
object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
data portability for information you provided to us where applicable;
withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data rights have been breached.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. We will respond within the time limits set by GDPR and may extend the response period where permitted by law and where the request is complex or numerous.

9. Automated Decision-Making

Removals Highbury does not generally make decisions about you based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will ensure that any such processing complies with GDPR requirements and that appropriate safeguards are in place.

10. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms approved under data protection law.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Removals Highbury is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only the data needed to provide our services, rely on clear lawful bases for processing, keep data only as long as necessary, and use trusted processors under appropriate safeguards. We also respect your privacy rights and provide ways for you to exercise them.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Removals Highbury customers in the area.