Privacy Policy - Man With Van Kennington

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Kennington collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with its moving, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Man With Van Kennington customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With Van Kennington provides removals, transport, collection, delivery, and associated logistics services. In the context of this policy, we act as a data controller when we decide why and how personal data is processed. This means we are responsible for ensuring your information is used appropriately and your rights are respected.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, and meet legal or business obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and phone number.
Service details including pickup and delivery addresses, property access notes, inventory information, preferred dates, and any special handling instructions.
Payment and transaction information such as billing records and payment status.
Communications you send to us, including booking enquiries, complaints, feedback, and service-related correspondence.
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, such as device information, browser type, and basic usage logs.
Security and operational data such as records needed for incident management, service verification, and fraud prevention.

We do not intentionally collect more data than is required. Where possible, we ask for information in a clear and limited way. If you choose not to provide certain data, we may be unable to deliver the requested service properly.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To manage bookings and deliver moving or transport services.
To communicate about arrival times, changes, service updates, and service issues.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests.
To improve our services, planning, and operational efficiency.
To comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, and record-keeping duties.
To protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We only use your information in ways that are compatible with the original purpose for which it was collected, unless we are required or allowed by law to use it differently.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, Man With Van Kennington may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract – processing is necessary to provide a quote, arrange a move, perform the service, or take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
Legitimate interests – processing is necessary for our reasonable business interests, such as managing operations, improving customer service, preventing fraud, and maintaining secure records, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests.
Legal obligation – processing is required to comply with laws such as tax, accounting, insurance, or regulatory duties.
Consent – in limited cases, we may ask for your consent, for example for certain marketing or optional communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

If we process special category data, such as information about health where it is necessary for safe lifting, access needs, or service adaptation, we will do so only when permitted by law and with appropriate safeguards. Such data is handled with heightened care and only when necessary.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our services. These parties act as processors when they process data on our instructions and are required to protect it. Examples may include:

IT and software providers who support booking, communication, record management, or security systems.
Payment service providers who help process transactions.
Accountants and professional advisers who assist with finance, tax, and compliance matters.
Insurance providers and claims handlers where necessary for risk management or claims resolution.
Subcontractors or operational partners who support the delivery of booked services under our instructions.
Public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

We do not sell personal data. Where processors are engaged, we require them to use appropriate security measures and to process information only for the purposes we specify.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason we hold it.

In general:

Booking and service records are retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up queries, disputes, and service history.
Financial and invoicing records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaints, claims, and incident records are retained long enough to resolve the matter and defend legal claims if necessary.
Inactive or unnecessary data is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived when it is no longer needed.

When determining retention periods, we consider the nature of the data, the legal requirements involved, the potential risk to individuals, and the need to protect our legitimate business interests. We regularly review retained information and remove data that is no longer required.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and restricted sharing of information on a need-to-know basis.

While no system can guarantee absolute security, we work to keep safeguards proportionate to the sensitivity of the information we process. If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to your rights or freedoms, we will follow the legal requirements for assessment, notification, and remediation.

8. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limitations, these may include:

Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in some situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law. Please note that some requests may not be fully granted where legal obligations or valid grounds for retention apply.

9. Marketing Preferences

If we send optional marketing messages, we will do so only where permitted by law. You may object to marketing at any time. We will respect your preferences and stop sending such communications when required.

10. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. This may include using countries with adequate protection or applying approved contractual protections. Any transfer will be carried out in accordance with applicable data protection law.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for a booking or service arrangement and is provided by an adult customer or authorised representative. If we become aware that we have collected data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to delete or correct it.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how we use personal data.

13. Complaints

If you believe your personal data has been handled incorrectly, you may raise a complaint with us so that we can investigate and address the issue. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your data has been handled. We encourage customers to contact us first so concerns can often be resolved quickly and fairly.

This policy is intended to provide a clear and lawful explanation of how Man With Van Kennington processes personal data. We are committed to respecting privacy, keeping information secure, and using data only when necessary and justified.