Privacy Policy - Man And A Van Hounslow

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And A Van Hounslow collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, transport, removals, and related services. It applies to all Man And A Van Hounslow customers in the area, including residential and commercial clients, and to anyone who contacts us, requests a quote, books a service, or otherwise interacts with us in connection with our services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only collect personal data that is necessary for clear business purposes, and we do not sell personal data to third parties.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data depending on the services requested and how you interact with us:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details including moving addresses, delivery instructions, property access information, inventory details, and preferred service dates.
Booking and transaction information such as quotations, invoices, payment confirmations, and service history.
Communication records including emails, messages, call notes, and complaint or feedback records.
Operational information such as special handling requirements, parking or access notes, and information needed to complete a move safely and efficiently.
Technical information where relevant, such as basic website interaction data, device details, and IP address if you use our online services.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary to provide our services, for example from estate agents, landlords, solicitors, business clients, or payment providers, but only where those parties are permitted to share it with us.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and assess service requirements.
To schedule, manage, and complete removal and transport services.
To communicate with customers before, during, and after a booking.
To process payments, issue invoices, and manage financial records.
To maintain service quality, resolve disputes, and handle complaints.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.
To improve our services, operations, training, and customer experience.

We only process data to the extent necessary for these purposes. Where possible, we use data in aggregated or limited form so that individuals are not identified unless required for service delivery or legal compliance.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We rely on one or more lawful bases under the UK GDPR to process personal data. These include:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing a quotation, confirming a booking, arranging logistics, carrying out the move, and handling payment and service administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain records to meet legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests may include responding to enquiries, managing customer relationships, improving services, preventing fraud, and maintaining business records.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or non-essential processing. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, but only when necessary and only with appropriate safeguards in place. These may include:

Payment processors that handle card or online payment transactions.
IT and cloud service providers that store data, support email systems, or manage operational software.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that help with invoicing, financial records, and tax compliance.
Insurance providers or claims handlers where required for risk management or incident resolution.
Professional advisers such as legal or financial advisers where needed for compliance or dispute handling.
Subcontractors or service partners assisting with delivery, loading, unloading, storage coordination, or related operational tasks.
Authorities or regulators where disclosure is required by law or to protect rights, safety, or property.

All processors are required to protect personal data, use it only on our instructions, and implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. Where a third party acts as an independent controller, it will be responsible for its own privacy practices.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Quotation and booking records are generally kept for a reasonable period after the service to manage queries, disputes, or follow-up matters.
Financial and invoice records are retained for the period required by law and standard accounting practice.
Communication records may be kept for service management, complaint handling, and evidence of instructions or agreements.
Operational data is deleted or anonymised when it is no longer needed for the specific job or related administrative purposes.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe and appropriate manner.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures may include restricted access, password protection, secure storage, staff training, and careful selection of processors. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond promptly to any incident.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 processing in certain cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal or operational limitations. We will respond to valid requests in accordance with applicable law.

8. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the data to the standard required by law. This may include the use of approved contractual terms or transfers to countries recognised as providing adequate protection.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally provided as part of a service booking, such as family household details, and only where it is necessary for completing the service safely and properly.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, operational practices, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review it periodically.

11. Summary of Key Points

Man And A Van Hounslow collects only the personal data needed to provide moving and transport services, manage bookings, process payments, and meet legal obligations. We rely on contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, and sometimes consent as our lawful bases. We share data only with trusted processors and other necessary third parties, retain it only as long as needed, and respect your data protection rights.

This policy is intended to provide clear and transparent information to customers in the Hounslow area and should be read alongside any specific terms agreed for individual services.