Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Richmond

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Richmond collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Richmond customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and businesses that request our services or interact with us in connection with a booking or enquiry.

1. Introduction

We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful basis for processing, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your information.

We only collect information that is necessary to provide our services, manage customer relationships, meet legal obligations, and improve service quality.

2. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity details such as your name, title, and any business name you provide.
Contact details including address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service information such as move dates, collection and delivery addresses, property access details, inventory notes, and special handling requirements.
Payment information such as payment status, invoice records, and limited transaction details necessary to process or verify payments.
Communications including messages, call notes, complaints, service requests, and any other correspondence.
Technical and usage data where relevant, such as device identifiers, IP address, and basic website interaction data if you use any online enquiry forms or digital services.
Evidence and operational records such as photographs of items, condition notes, delivery confirmations, and records created to resolve disputes or prove service completion.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless you choose to provide it or it becomes necessary for service delivery or safeguarding purposes. If such information is shared with us, we will only process it where a lawful basis exists and with appropriate care.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to arrange, manage, and complete moving or transport services;
to communicate important service updates or changes;
to take payment, issue invoices, and maintain financial records;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
to resolve complaints, claims, and disputes;
to comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our services, training, and operational efficiency.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a valid lawful basis for each type of processing. Man With A Van Richmond relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, carrying out removals or deliveries, and handling service-related communication.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain data where necessary to comply with legal duties, such as accounting rules, tax requirements, insurance obligations, and record-keeping responsibilities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes maintaining service records, preventing fraud, managing disputes, improving operations, and protecting our business assets.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you ask us to send optional marketing communications or where we need permission for a specific type of processing. You can withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing already carried out before withdrawal.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data only where necessary and on a need-to-know basis. Some service providers process data on our behalf as processors. They are required to handle data securely and only in accordance with our instructions.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and hosting providers who store or support our business systems;
payment service providers who handle card or electronic payments;
accounting and bookkeeping providers who support invoicing and financial administration;
customer communication tools used for booking confirmations, updates, or service administration;
cloud storage or document management providers who securely store records;
professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers where necessary.

We may also share information with third parties where required by law, to protect our legal rights, or to prevent crime or fraud. Where possible, we ensure any third party receiving data has appropriate safeguards in place.

6. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal data outside the UK, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the transfer is protected by appropriate safeguards. These may include contractual protections and other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised under data protection law.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the nature of the service provided.

Booking and service records are generally retained for a period needed to manage the service, handle queries, and resolve disputes.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaint records may be retained for a reasonable period to evidence communications and support business continuity.
Marketing preferences are kept until you unsubscribe, object, or the information becomes outdated.

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

8. Security of Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and data minimisation practices.

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we take reasonable steps to reduce risk and respond promptly to any suspected data incident.

9. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the following rights regarding 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 information;
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit processing in certain situations;
Right to data portability – to receive certain information in a structured, commonly used format where applicable;
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to withdraw consent – where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

We will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by law. In some cases, we may need to verify your identity before we can act on your request. Certain rights may not apply in every situation, particularly where we must keep data to meet legal obligations or defend a legal claim.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to a service arrangement and provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that data has been collected inappropriately, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use any digital tools that involve cookies or similar technologies, these may be used for basic functionality, security, analytics, or performance improvement. Where required, we will provide appropriate notice and obtain consent for non-essential cookies. You can control cookie settings through your browser or device preferences.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or operational practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.

13. How We Apply This Policy

This policy applies to all customers of Man With A Van Richmond in the area and to any personal data processed in connection with our moving and transport services. By using our services, requesting a quote, making a booking, or communicating with us, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in the ways described above, subject always to your legal rights and our obligations under data protection law.

We are committed to respecting your privacy and using your information responsibly, securely, and only when there is a lawful reason to do so.