Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Northwood

Man With A Van Northwood is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect information when you use our moving and transport services. It applies to all Man With A Van Northwood customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or otherwise engages with our moving services.

We handle personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is designed to help you understand what information we process, why we process it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide and manage our services properly. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity details such as your name, and where relevant, the name of your business or organisation.
Contact details such as your postal address, moving address, billing address, and any phone numbers or email addresses you provide.
Service details including information about the property, items to be moved, access requirements, dates, times, and special handling instructions.
Payment and transaction information such as records of payments made, invoices, and basic accounting information.
Communication records such as enquiries, booking notes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data where applicable, such as limited device or usage information if you contact us through digital channels.
Any other information you choose to provide that is relevant to the delivery of our services.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to share it with us, for example if it is relevant to access arrangements or vulnerable customer support. If such information is provided, we will only process it where a lawful basis exists and with appropriate safeguards.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to operate our business and deliver moving services effectively. Typical uses include:

Responding to enquiries and providing quotes.
Managing bookings, scheduling, and service delivery.
Planning vehicle use, loading requirements, and staffing arrangements.
Issuing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining financial records.
Communicating with you about your booking or service changes.
Handling complaints, disputes, or follow-up matters.
Meeting legal, tax, and regulatory obligations.
Improving our services, internal processes, and customer experience.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe that another compatible purpose applies or the law requires otherwise.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under UK GDPR. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes at your request, managing a booking, transporting belongings, issuing invoices, and completing agreed services.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where needed to comply with legal duties, including accounting, tax, record-keeping, insurance, and other statutory obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include maintaining accurate service records, preventing fraud, improving operations, safeguarding property, and managing business communications. When relying on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and apply appropriate safeguards.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on consent, for example where you have asked us to use certain optional information or receive specific communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as when urgent action is required to prevent serious harm.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share information with trusted third parties where this is necessary to run our business and provide services. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment providers that process card or online payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help manage invoices and financial records.
IT and software providers that support record storage, communication, scheduling, or administration.
Professional advisers such as accountants, legal advisers, or insurers.
Subcontracted movers or delivery partners where needed to fulfil your booking.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, only on our instructions, and in compliance with data protection law. Where third parties act as independent controllers, they are responsible for their own privacy practices.

We may also disclose data if required by law, to respond to lawful requests from public authorities, to protect our rights, or to prevent fraud or security risks.

5. International Transfers

We generally aim to keep your data within the UK or the European Economic Area. If any personal data is transferred outside these areas, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to satisfy legal, accounting, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the context in which it is processed.

Quotation and enquiry records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up questions, service history, and business administration.
Booking and service records are retained for the duration needed to complete the service and deal with any related issues.
Payment and invoice records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Complaint or dispute records may be retained for longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, limited staff access, and careful selection of processors. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to ensure that any risks are minimised.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be limited in some circumstances, but we will always assess and respond appropriately.

Right of access – you can ask for confirmation of whether we process your data and request a copy of it.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain situations.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, and in some cases to direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can ask for certain information to be provided in a portable format where the legal conditions are met.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your personal data has been handled. We encourage you to raise any concerns directly so we can address them promptly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging moving and transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is incidental and necessary in connection with a booking, such as household records. If we become aware that we have collected child-related data inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or the way we handle personal data. 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 their information is used.

11. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all Man With A Van Northwood customers in the area and to anyone whose personal data we process in connection with our moving, transport, and related administrative services. By using our services, you acknowledge that your information will be handled in line with this policy and applicable data protection laws.

In summary, we collect only the information needed to provide reliable moving services, use it for lawful and legitimate purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and protect it with appropriate safeguards. We are committed to processing personal data fairly, transparently, and securely.