Privacy Policy - Battersea Removals

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Battersea Removals customers in area and explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data when providing removal services, storage-related services, and associated customer support.

1. Introduction

At Battersea Removals, 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. We only collect and use personal data where we have a valid legal basis and only for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes.

This Privacy Policy is intended to help you understand what information we process, why we process it, who may receive it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have over your personal data.

2. What personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data when you request a quote, make a booking, communicate with us, or use our services:

Identity details: name, title, and any information you provide to identify yourself.
Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and moving location details.
Service information: details about the move, property access, inventory items, dates, special handling requirements, and service preferences.
Financial information: billing details, payment records, and transaction information.
Communication records: emails, messages, notes from calls, and any feedback or complaints you send to us.
Technical data: limited data such as device or browser information when you interact with digital services, where applicable.
Special category data: we do not intentionally collect sensitive personal data unless you choose to provide it to us and it is necessary for your service. If such data is provided, we will only process it where the law permits and appropriate safeguards are in place.

We do not request more information than is reasonably necessary to deliver our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations.

3. How we use your personal data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and assess service requirements;
to arrange, manage, and complete removals and related services;
to communicate with you about bookings, timings, access, and service updates;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records;
to handle complaints, queries, and customer support requests;
to improve our services, training, planning, and operational efficiency;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or other unlawful activity.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful basis for processing

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

4.1 Contract

Contractual necessity applies when processing is needed to provide a quote, manage a booking, complete a removal, arrange payment, or carry out any service you have asked us to provide.

4.2 Legal obligation

We may process personal data to comply with laws and regulations, including accounting rules, tax requirements, insurance obligations, and record-keeping duties.

4.3 Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This may include service improvement, internal administration, fraud prevention, and responding to customer enquiries.

4.4 Consent

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before processing personal data for specific activities. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

5. Retention of personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting requirements.

Customer and booking records are generally kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and invoice information is retained in line with applicable tax and accounting rules.
Complaint and communication records may be retained for a period necessary to resolve disputes and support business administration.
Where data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices.

The exact retention period may vary depending on the type of data, the purpose of processing, and any legal requirement to retain it longer. We regularly review data to ensure it is not kept for longer than necessary.

6. Who we share personal data with

We may share personal data with trusted third parties, known as processors or service providers, where they help us deliver our services or support our business operations. These may include:

Payment processors for handling secure transactions;
IT and hosting providers for storage, system maintenance, and communication tools;
Accountants and financial service providers for bookkeeping and compliance;
Insurance providers where a claim, risk assessment, or policy matter requires it;
Subcontracted service providers where necessary to complete a job you have requested;
Legal or regulatory bodies where disclosure is required by law or to protect our rights.

We only share the minimum personal data necessary and require processors to act under written agreements, follow our instructions, and implement appropriate security measures. They are not permitted to use your personal data for their own independent purposes.

7. International transfers

Where any service provider stores or processes data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved transfer mechanisms. We take steps to make sure your data remains protected to a standard required by law.

8. Data security

We use reasonable 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, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited access on a need-to-know basis. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond appropriately to incidents.

9. Your data protection rights

You have several rights regarding your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, these may 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 situations.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we process your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

Important: Some rights may be limited where we must retain data for legal reasons or where another lawful exemption applies. We will explain any refusal or limitation where relevant.

10. How to exercise your rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, you may submit a request using the usual customer communication channels provided to you during the service relationship. We may need to verify your identity before responding in order to protect your data from unauthorised access. We aim to respond within one month, or within any longer period permitted by law where requests are complex or numerous.

11. Children???s data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals and related services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to the service and provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have collected a child???s data without appropriate legal basis, we will take reasonable steps to address it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any revised version will apply from the effective date stated in the updated policy. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

13. Summary of our approach

Battersea Removals processes personal data only when necessary, only for legitimate purposes, and only with an appropriate lawful basis. We minimise data collection, use trusted processors under contract, retain information only for as long as needed, and respect the rights of all Battersea Removals customers in area. Our goal is to handle your personal information with care, transparency, and accountability throughout every stage of our service.

This policy is designed to be read as a standalone privacy notice and forms part of our wider commitment to GDPR compliance.