Privacy Policy - House Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how House Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, packing, transport, storage, and related removal services. It applies to all House Removals customers in area, including residential clients, business clients, and anyone who enquires about or receives our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to customers, prospective customers, suppliers, subcontractors, and other individuals whose personal data we process in connection with our removal services. It covers data collected during quotations, bookings, surveys, move planning, service delivery, payments, complaints, and follow-up communications.

By using our services or contacting us for a quote, you acknowledge that this policy applies to the processing of your personal data.

2. Information we collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for providing a safe and efficient house removal service. Depending on the nature of your enquiry or booking, we may collect the following categories of data:

Identity information: name, title, and any relevant household contact details.
Contact information: address, email address, telephone number, and moving addresses.
Service information: property size, inventory details, access requirements, preferred moving dates, and special handling instructions.
Payment information: billing details, transaction records, and payment status. Card details are processed securely by payment providers where applicable.
Communication records: emails, telephone notes, messages, complaint details, and service updates.
Technical data: limited online usage data such as IP address, browser type, and device information if you use our digital services.
Special category or sensitive information: only where strictly necessary and usually only if you voluntarily provide it, such as health or access needs that affect the move.

We do not intentionally collect unnecessary personal data. Please do not provide information that is not relevant to your move unless it is required for service delivery or legal compliance.

3. How we collect your data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

request a quotation or survey;
book a removal service;
complete forms or communicate with us;
provide instructions about your move;
make a payment or request an invoice;
raise a complaint or ask for support;
interact with us by phone, email, or other communication channels.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary, such as estate agents, landlords, solicitors, property managers, storage partners, or payment providers, but only to the extent needed to arrange or deliver the service.

4. Why we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and assess service requirements;
to plan, manage, and deliver house removal services;
to communicate with you about your booking and move;
to take payment and manage accounts;
to maintain records and evidence of services provided;
to deal with complaints, claims, and disputes;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security risks;
to improve our services and customer experience.

Where appropriate, we may combine information from different sources to ensure the move is delivered safely and efficiently. We only use data for the purposes for which it was collected unless we have a lawful reason to use it for another compatible purpose.

5. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the activity, we rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes you request, managing your booking, moving your belongings, and handling payment.

Legal obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights. This may include service improvement, protecting our business, preventing fraud, and keeping limited records of interactions.

Consent

Where we rely on consent, we will explain this clearly and you may withdraw consent at any time. Consent is typically used only for optional processing, such as non-essential marketing communications, if offered.

Vital interests

In rare situations, we may process limited information where necessary to protect someone???s vital interests, for example if urgent action is needed during a move.

6. Sharing your data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the delivery of our services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances. We require appropriate data protection safeguards and only share the minimum necessary data.

Typical processors and service partners may include:

IT and cloud service providers: for secure storage, email, scheduling, and document management;
Payment processors: for handling card or online payments;
Accountants and tax advisers: for financial administration and compliance;
Insurance providers and claims handlers: where a claim or incident must be assessed;
Subcontracted removal crews: where additional support is needed for the move;
Storage partners: where short-term or long-term storage is part of the service;
Professional advisers: such as legal advisers or auditors, where required.

We may also disclose data to public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where required by law or where necessary to protect our rights, the safety of others, or the integrity of our services.

We do not sell your personal data.

7. 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, or reporting requirements. The retention period depends on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Quotation and enquiry records: retained for a limited period after the enquiry is closed, unless a longer period is needed for follow-up or dispute resolution.
Contract and service records: retained for the duration of the service and for a reasonable period afterwards for administration, claims, and warranty or liability purposes.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by applicable law.
Complaint and incident records: retained for as long as needed to investigate, resolve, and defend legal claims.
Marketing preferences: retained until you withdraw consent or object, where applicable.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. We review retention periods regularly to ensure they remain appropriate.

8. Data security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, encryption where appropriate, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our processes.

Although we take data security seriously, no system is completely immune from risk. If a personal data breach occurs and we are required to do so by law, we will take appropriate steps, which may include notifying affected individuals and the relevant supervisory authority.

9. Your rights

You have several rights in relation to your personal data under data protection law. Subject to legal limits and exemptions, these rights include:

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: you may ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit processing in certain situations;
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to data portability: you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format;
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time;
Right to complain: you may raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been breached.

We will respond to valid rights requests within the time limits required by law. In some cases, we may need to verify your identity before responding, especially where the request involves sensitive or personal information.

10. International transfers

If any of our processors store or access data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections. We only use service providers that can support compliant data handling.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or our services. The latest version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to understand how their data is handled.

12. Summary of our commitment

House Removals is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and only where there is a valid legal reason to do so. We collect the information needed to provide reliable removal services, share it only with trusted processors when necessary, retain it for appropriate periods, and respect your data protection rights. This policy applies to all House Removals customers in area and is intended to ensure that your personal data is treated with care and in line with GDPR principles of lawfulness, fairness, transparency, data minimisation, accuracy, storage limitation, integrity, and confidentiality.