Privacy Policy - Man And Van Hornchurch

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Hornchurch collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, transport, and related services. This policy applies to all Man And Van Hornchurch customers in the area, including anyone who makes an enquiry, requests a quote, books a service, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our work.

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to collect only the information we need, keep it secure, and retain it only for as long as necessary.

1. Information 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 address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as collection and delivery addresses, property access details, moving dates, items to be moved, parking instructions, and service preferences.
Payment information such as transaction records and billing details.
Communication records such as messages, enquiries, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data if you contact us through digital channels, including basic device and usage information where available.
Special instructions relating to fragile items, access requirements, health and safety concerns, or other practical information needed to complete the service.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary personal data. If any information you provide includes sensitive personal data, we will only process it where it is required for the service or where another lawful condition applies.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to carry out our business activities and provide moving services efficiently. This may include:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotations.
Managing bookings and scheduling services.
Delivering removals, transport, loading, and unloading services.
Processing payments and keeping business records.
Communicating with you about your booking or service needs.
Handling complaints, claims, or service issues.
Meeting legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
Improving our services, planning operations, and maintaining safety.

We use your information only for legitimate business purposes and in ways that are compatible with the purpose for which it was collected.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

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

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing our business, preventing fraud, improving service quality, protecting staff, and maintaining secure records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide particular information or agree to certain optional communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Your Information

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for service delivery, business administration, or legal compliance. We do not sell your personal data.

Recipients of your information may include:

Payment service providers who process transactions securely.
Accountants, auditors, and professional advisers who assist with financial, legal, or compliance matters.
IT and system providers who support secure storage, communications, and record management.
Subcontractors or operational partners involved in completing the service you requested.
Regulators, law enforcement, or public authorities where disclosure is required by law.

Where we use third-party processors, they are only allowed to act on our instructions and must maintain appropriate safeguards to protect your data.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting obligations. The retention period may vary depending on the type of record and the reason it is held.

In general:

Enquiry and quotation records may be kept for a limited period to manage follow-up and business administration.
Booking, payment, and invoice records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Complaint, claim, or dispute records may be retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and meet legal requirements.

When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe and appropriate manner.

6. Data Processors and Security

We may use external processors to help us store data, manage communications, process payments, or provide operational support. These processors are selected carefully and are required to handle data securely, confidentially, and only for the purposes we specify.

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff training, and limited access to personal data on a need-to-know basis.

Although we work hard to protect your data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We will act promptly if we become aware of any issue affecting personal data.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have certain rights in relation to your personal information. These may include:

Right of access - you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification - you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure - you can ask us to delete personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing - you can ask us to limit how your data is used in certain situations.
Right to object - you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability - you can request that certain data be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
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. If you make a request, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

8. Children's Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental and necessary for providing a service, such as delivery access details supplied by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it in line with applicable law. These safeguards may include approved contractual protections or other lawful transfer mechanisms.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or how we process personal data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically so you remain informed about how your data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Privacy Commitments

Man And Van Hornchurch only processes personal data where there is a lawful reason to do so, keeps it only as long as needed, and uses trusted processors where necessary. We handle customer information with care, respect your rights, and aim to maintain full compliance with data protection law. If you are a customer in the Hornchurch area, this policy explains how your personal information is managed when you use our services.

Last updated: This policy reflects current GDPR principles and is intended for use by all Man And Van Hornchurch customers in the area.