Privacy Policy - Kensington Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Kensington Man And Van collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing moving, removal, and related services. It applies to all Kensington Man And Van customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who contact us on behalf of a customer. 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.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for arranging and delivering our services, managing customer relationships, maintaining records, and meeting legal obligations. Depending on the service requested, we may collect the following categories of information:

Identity details: name, title, and where relevant, business name.
Contact details: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details: moving date, collection and delivery addresses, property access information, and inventory or item descriptions.
Billing and payment details: invoice information, payment confirmation, and transaction records.
Communications: enquiries, correspondence, complaints, feedback, and notes related to service delivery.
Operational information: booking history, service preferences, special handling requests, and internal job notes.
Technical information: limited website or communication data such as IP address, browser type, or message timestamps, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you provide it voluntarily, for example where it is relevant to access requirements or health and safety considerations. If such data is provided, it is handled with additional care and only for the specific purpose for which it was shared.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to operate efficiently and provide reliable moving services. The main purposes for processing include:

responding to enquiries and providing quotations;
confirming bookings and arranging service logistics;
delivering moving, loading, unloading, packing, and related services;
managing payments, invoices, and account records;
communicating service updates, changes, or issues;
handling complaints, disputes, and customer support requests;
meeting tax, accounting, insurance, and other legal obligations;
protecting our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud or misuse;
improving our services, training, and operational planning.

We will only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for a compatible purpose or a legal requirement applies.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, arranging moving services, and administering payments.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where it is necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as maintaining tax records, accounting documentation, insurance records, or other regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include managing our business operations, preventing fraud, maintaining service quality, and keeping internal records. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and whether your privacy rights should take priority.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide optional information not required for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, only where necessary for the operation of our services or compliance with the law. These may include:

Payment service providers: to process transactions and handle payment verification.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to support financial administration and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers: to store data securely, maintain systems, and support communications.
Insurance providers and claims handlers: where required to deal with damage, loss, or liability matters.
Professional advisers: including legal or financial advisers where necessary.
Public authorities: where disclosure is required by law, regulation, court order, or official request.

When we use processors, they are required to act only on our instructions, protect the data appropriately, and implement suitable technical and organisational security measures. We do not sell personal data to third parties.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, to meet legal requirements, and to defend or establish legal claims. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the purpose of processing.

Quotation and enquiry records: retained for a reasonable period to manage customer follow-up and business administration.
Customer booking and service records: retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a period afterwards in case of queries or disputes.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law and standard accounting practice.
Complaint or claims records: retained long enough to resolve the matter and to defend legal rights if needed.
Marketing consent records: retained until consent is withdrawn or the record is no longer needed.

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

6. Data Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and the limiting of data access to those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

Although we work to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data incident occurs, we will respond in line with our legal obligations and take steps to limit any impact.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exemptions depending on the circumstances.

Right of access: you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: in certain cases, you may request that we delete your personal data.
Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit the way we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: in some circumstances, you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you exercise your rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the timeframe required by law and will keep you informed if we need more information.

8. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. This may include using countries recognised as providing adequate protection or applying approved contractual safeguards. We will only transfer data where it is necessary and lawful to do so.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of a service arranged by an adult customer and handled with appropriate care.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or operational requirements. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

11. Contact and Complaints

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal data is handled, you may raise them through our normal customer communication channels. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we have used your personal data. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address any concerns directly first.

This Privacy Policy is intended to explain our data handling practices in clear terms and to support lawful, transparent processing for all Kensington Man And Van customers in the area.