Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Shepherds Bush

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Shepherds Bush collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our removal and man-and-van services. It applies to all Man And A Van Shepherds Bush customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, book, or receive 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. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to provide our services, manage our relationship with customers, and meet legal or operational requirements. The data we collect may include:

Identity details: your name and title.
Contact details: address, telephone number, and email address.
Service information: collection and delivery addresses, moving dates, inventory details, access requirements, and property information relevant to the job.
Payment and billing information: invoice details, payment status, and transaction records. We do not store more payment information than is needed to process payments and maintain accounting records.
Communication records: emails, messages, notes from calls, quotations, complaints, and service requests.
Technical data: limited information such as device or browser details if you interact with us through digital channels, where applicable.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary to perform services, such as landlords, agents, business partners, or payment providers, but only where they are permitted to share it with us.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business and legal purposes. Typical uses include:

providing quotes and assessing service requirements;
confirming and managing bookings;
planning routes, staff allocation, and delivery logistics;
issuing invoices and handling payments;
communicating with customers about service updates, changes, or issues;
responding to questions, feedback, or complaints;
maintaining accounting, tax, and business records;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
meeting legal and regulatory obligations.

We do not sell your personal data. We also do not use it in ways that are incompatible with the purposes described in this policy.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, booking removals, completing deliveries, and handling related customer service.

Legal obligation

We may process and retain certain data to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing our business, improving operations, preventing fraud, resolving disputes, and maintaining service quality. Where appropriate, we consider the impact on your privacy before relying on this basis.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you have specifically agreed to receive certain optional communications. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. How We Share Personal Data

We may share personal data only when necessary and only with organisations that help us operate our services. These may include:

Service processors: companies that support scheduling, payment processing, communications, accounting, or document storage.
Professional advisers: accountants, insurers, legal advisers, or auditors where required.
Public authorities: tax authorities, regulators, law enforcement, or courts when legally required or permitted.
Subcontractors or operational partners: where necessary to carry out a booking or delivery safely and effectively.

All processors and partners are required to handle personal data securely and only in line with our instructions and applicable law. We limit access to personal data to people and organisations that genuinely need it.

5. Processors and Data Protection Controls

Where we use third-party processors, they act on our behalf and may only process personal data according to our instructions. We choose processors carefully and take reasonable steps to ensure they provide appropriate safeguards. Depending on the service, processors may handle:

booking and customer management systems;
payment processing services;
cloud storage and secure file management;
email, messaging, and administrative tools;
accounting and invoicing services.

We expect processors to maintain confidentiality, use appropriate technical and organisational security measures, and notify us of incidents affecting personal data where required.

6. Retention of Personal Data

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 depend on the type of information and the reason it is held. In general:

quotation and booking records are kept for a reasonable period to manage services and address disputes;
invoice, payment, and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws;
customer communication records are retained only as long as needed for service management, complaints, or legal defence;
where data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in a controlled manner.

We regularly review the personal data we hold to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, confidentiality procedures, and staff awareness practices. While no system can be guaranteed to be perfectly secure, we work to protect personal data to a standard that is appropriate to the risks involved.

8. International Transfers

If any service provider or processor stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we will ensure that suitable safeguards are in place before the transfer takes place. These safeguards may include UK adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections.

9. Your Rights

Subject to certain legal conditions and exceptions, you have rights under data protection law in relation to your personal data. These 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 circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format where technically feasible.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary as part of a service arrangement and provided by an authorised adult. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child in error, we will take appropriate steps to delete it unless we are legally required to keep it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our operations, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man And A Van Shepherds Bush is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and only when necessary. We aim to keep information accurate, relevant, and protected, while respecting your rights and privacy. By using our services, you can be confident that your information is handled with care and in line with data protection law.

In summary: we collect only the information needed to provide our removal services, process it on valid legal grounds, keep it only for as long as required, use trusted processors under strict controls, and respect the rights of every customer in the Shepherds Bush area.