Privacy Policy - Westminster Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Westminster Man And Van collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our moving, transportation, packing, and related services. It applies to all Westminster Man And Van customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, former customers, and individuals who contact us on behalf of a customer.

We are committed to handling personal data 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 designed to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your information.

1. Data We Collect

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

Identity data: full name, title, and any business or company name you provide.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and moving addresses.
Service data: details of your move, inventory lists, access requirements, preferred dates, property type, and service instructions.
Payment and billing data: billing address, payment status, invoice history, and transaction records. We do not store more payment card data than is necessary for processing through secure payment methods.
Communication data: messages, quotes, complaints, feedback, and records of correspondence with us.
Technical and usage data: limited device and browsing information if you interact with our online systems, such as IP address, browser type, and security logs.
Special category data: in normal circumstances, we do not intentionally collect special category data. However, such data may be provided incidentally if you include it in communications or service notes. Where this occurs, we will only process it where a lawful basis and additional condition under data protection law applies.

We generally collect data directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, complete a form, communicate with us, or use our services. In some cases, we may also receive information from a third party acting on your behalf, such as a family member, estate agent, solicitor, landlord, or business representative.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data only where it is necessary for legitimate business and legal purposes. The main purposes include:

providing quotations and confirming service availability;
planning, delivering, and managing removals and related services;
communicating with you before, during, and after the service;
issuing invoices, receiving payments, and maintaining accounts;
responding to queries, feedback, complaints, and service issues;
maintaining business records and proof of instructions;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
meeting tax, accounting, insurance, and other legal obligations;
improving our services, operational processes, and customer experience;
sending service-related updates that are necessary for your booking.

We do not use your personal data for unrelated purposes unless permitted by law or with your consent where required. If we wish to use your information for direct marketing, we will do so only where the law allows and you will always have the right to object or withdraw consent.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Westminster Man And Van may process data on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to take steps before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, managing bookings, carrying out removals, and handling payment arrangements.

Legal obligation

We process certain data to comply with legal obligations, including accounting requirements, tax rules, insurance responsibilities, and record-keeping duties.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This may include service administration, internal record keeping, security, fraud prevention, business improvement, and resolving disputes.

Consent

Where required, we will rely on your consent. For example, if we need your consent for certain marketing communications or to process specific optional information, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Vital interests and public interest

In exceptional circumstances, we may process personal data where it is necessary to protect someone’s vital interests or where processing is required for a task carried out in the public interest or under official authority. These bases are unlikely to apply in most routine removals.

4. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. The retention period may vary depending on the type of data and the context in which it was provided.

As a general approach:

quote and booking records are retained for a reasonable period to manage service history and disputes;
invoice, payment, and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and financial law;
complaints, claims, and incident records are kept for as long as needed to resolve the matter and defend legal rights;
communication records are retained where necessary for operational continuity and evidence of instructions;
security logs are kept for a limited period unless they are needed for investigations or legal purposes.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices and legal obligations.

5. Processors and Data Sharing

We may share personal data with trusted third-party processors who perform services on our behalf. These processors are only permitted to use your data under our instructions and must protect it appropriately. Depending on the nature of the service, processors may include:

payment service providers;
accounting and bookkeeping providers;
IT hosting, cloud storage, and software providers;
email, communication, and customer management systems;
professional advisers such as insurers, lawyers, or auditors;
subcontracted moving personnel or delivery partners where necessary for service fulfilment.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, regulator request, or to protect our legal rights, customers, staff, or property. If business assets are sold, transferred, or reorganised, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction in accordance with applicable law.

We do not sell personal data. Any sharing is limited to what is necessary and proportionate for delivering our services, meeting legal duties, or operating our business safely and efficiently.

6. International Transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure the information remains protected. This may include the use of approved contractual safeguards or adequacy arrangements where permitted by law.

7. Security of Personal Data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff awareness, password protection, and restricted handling procedures. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the data and the risks involved.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and legal exceptions. They include:

Right of access: you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: you can request that we limit the way we process your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability: you can request that certain data be provided to you or another controller in a structured format, where applicable.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any issue promptly and fairly.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult acting on their behalf in connection with a household move or similar service arrangement. Where such information is processed, it will be handled carefully and only as necessary for the service.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. The most current version will apply to your use of our services. We encourage customers in the area to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Key Principles

In summary, Westminster Man And Van only processes personal data when it has a lawful reason to do so, keeps it only for as long as needed, restricts access to trusted processors and authorised personnel, and respects the rights of every customer. We aim to keep all personal information safe, relevant, and used fairly in the context of our removal and transport services.

Effective for all Westminster Man And Van customers in area.