UK Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how UK Removals collects, uses, stores and protects the personal data of all UK Removals customers in our UK service area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, and how you can exercise those rights.

By using our services, making an enquiry or otherwise providing your personal data to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Who We Are and Scope of This Policy

UK Removals is a removals and related services provider operating within our defined UK service area. For the purposes of data protection law, UK Removals is the data controller in respect of the personal data we collect from and about our customers and prospective customers in this area.

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal data processed by UK Removals relating to individuals who enquire about, book or receive our services within our service area in the United Kingdom, including residential and business customers and their authorised representatives.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you use. The types of data we may collect include:

Identification and contact details, such as your name, postal address, collection and delivery addresses, contact address, and communication preferences.

Communication data, including enquiry details, messages, feedback, complaints and any correspondence between you and UK Removals by post, online forms or other written communication channels.

Service and contract data, such as details of the removals or related services you request or receive, inventory descriptions, access information, property type, service history, and details of any special instructions relevant to the move.

Booking and transactional data, including booking dates, times, locations, quotes, invoicing information and records of payments made to us or refunds issued by us. We do not store full payment card details; these are processed by our chosen payment service providers.

Technical and usage data, which may include information about how you interact with our website or online forms, such as pages visited, device identifiers and basic diagnostic data, where this is collected through necessary cookies or similar technologies.

Any other information you choose to provide where it is relevant to your enquiry or booking, such as access notes, contact persons at collection or delivery addresses, or information required to ensure the safe and efficient performance of our services.

How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data from you directly when you contact us for a quote, make an enquiry, book a service, communicate with us, or complete any forms in connection with our services.

We may also receive personal data about you from third parties where this is necessary to provide our services, for example from a landlord, estate agent, relocation company or business client who arranges a move on your behalf, or from service providers acting on our behalf who support our operations.

Purposes and Lawful Bases for Processing

We only process your personal data when we have a valid lawful basis under data protection law. The main purposes and lawful bases are:

To provide quotations and respond to enquiries. We use your identification, contact and service-related data to respond to your requests for information and quotations. Our lawful basis is taking steps at your request prior to entering into a contract and our legitimate interests in operating and growing our business.

To perform and manage our contract with you. When you book our services, we process your personal data to plan, schedule and complete your move, manage payments, and provide customer support. Our lawful basis is the performance of a contract with you.

To manage our business operations. We may use your data for internal administration, record keeping, quality control, training, and to monitor service performance. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interests in efficiently managing and improving our services and business.

To comply with legal and regulatory obligations. We may process and retain certain data to meet tax, accounting, insurance or other legal obligations, or to respond to lawful requests from public authorities. Our lawful basis is compliance with legal obligations.

To handle complaints, disputes and legal claims. We may use relevant information to investigate and resolve complaints or legal claims relating to our services. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interests in defending and exercising our legal rights and those of our staff and customers.

With your consent in specific circumstances. Where required by law, or where no other lawful basis applies, we will ask for your consent before processing your data for a particular purpose. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share your data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

Service providers acting as data processors. We may share your data with third party companies that provide services to us, such as information technology and system support, secure data hosting, payment processing, document storage, and customer service tools. These providers may only process your data on our documented instructions and must implement appropriate security measures.

Operational partners and subcontractors. Where necessary to deliver our services, we may share relevant information with subcontracted removal teams or logistics partners who carry out moves on our behalf, and with insurance providers in connection with cover for your move.

Professional advisers and auditors. We may share data with our professional advisers, such as accountants, lawyers or auditors, where this is required in the course of the professional services they provide to us.

Public authorities and legal obligations. We may disclose your personal data to law enforcement agencies, regulators, courts or other public authorities where required to comply with a legal obligation or to protect our rights or the rights of others.

Whenever we share your personal data with data processors, we put in place written agreements requiring them to handle your data securely and in accordance with data protection law.

International Data Transfers

Our core operations are based in the United Kingdom. If any of our service providers or systems transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as using countries that have been recognised as providing an adequate level of protection, or by entering into contracts containing standard data protection clauses approved for this purpose.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we keep records relating to your enquiries and moves for a period that allows us to respond to questions about past services, manage any potential claims, and comply with applicable legal retention periods. After this period, we will securely delete or anonymise your data so that it can no longer be associated with you.

The specific retention period may vary depending on the nature of the data and our legal obligations. Where we process data based on your consent, we will retain it until you withdraw your consent or until it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected.

Protecting Your Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, staff training, secure systems and procedures designed to keep your data confidential and safe.

While we take reasonable steps to secure your information, no system can be guaranteed as completely secure. You are encouraged to take reasonable steps to protect your own data when communicating with us.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all UK Removals customers in our service area, subject to certain conditions and legal exemptions.

Right of access. You have the right to obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to request a copy of the data we hold about you.

Right to rectification. You can ask us to correct or update personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we are not required to retain it for legal reasons.

Right to restriction of processing. You can ask us to restrict the processing of your data in certain situations, such as where you contest the accuracy of the data or object to our processing.

Right to data portability. Where we process your data based on your consent or a contract and the processing is carried out by automated means, you may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, or that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, including for certain types of profiling. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdrew your consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. In the United Kingdom, this is the Information Commissioners Office.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or for other operational reasons. The updated version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.