South Kensington Removals Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how South Kensington Removals collects, uses, stores and protects personal data in connection with our removals and related services. It applies to all South Kensington Removals customers and prospective customers in the South Kensington area, including individuals acting on behalf of businesses or organisations.
We are committed to processing personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy is intended to provide clear and transparent information about our data practices and your rights.
Personal data we collect
We collect and process different types of personal data, depending on how you interact with us and the services you request. The categories of personal data we may collect include:
Identity and contact details, such as your name, title, postal address, service address, billing address, and other contact details such as your preferred method of contact.
Service-related information, such as details of the property you are moving from and to, access information, parking details, inventory lists, special handling instructions, and dates and times of your move or related services.
Contract and transaction information, such as records of quotes provided, bookings confirmed, services performed, invoices issued, payments made, and any related correspondence.
Communications data, such as information you provide when you contact us by phone, online form, or through any other communication channel, including enquiries, feedback, and complaints.
Technical and usage information, where applicable, such as limited information relating to your use of our website or digital tools, including basic analytics data. We do not intentionally collect more technical data than is necessary for the secure and reliable operation of our website and services.
We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data such as health data, religion, or other sensitive information, and we ask that you do not provide such information unless it is strictly necessary for the safe performance of our services. If such information is provided, it will be handled with additional care and only where we have an appropriate lawful basis.
How we collect personal data
We collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, communicate with us, or otherwise use our services. This can be done in person, by phone, through online forms, or via other communication methods.
We may also receive personal data from third parties where it is necessary for providing services you have requested. For example, this may include details from estate agents, landlords, or business contacts who are coordinating moves on your behalf. In such cases, we will treat this information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Lawful basis for processing
We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the specific processing activity, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:
Contractual necessity. We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into, or perform, a contract with you. This includes providing quotes, confirming bookings, planning and carrying out removals, and handling payments and related administration.
Legitimate interests. We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. This includes activities such as managing and improving our services, maintaining accurate records, preventing fraud, and ensuring the security of our operations.
Legal obligations. We process personal data where it is necessary for compliance with our legal obligations. For example, we may need to keep certain records for tax, accounting, or insurance purposes, or comply with court orders and lawful requests from authorities.
Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent to process personal data, for example for certain types of optional marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal.
How we use personal data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
To provide quotes, respond to enquiries, and advise you on our services.
To plan, manage, and perform removals and related services you have requested.
To communicate with you about your booking, updates, changes, and after-service follow-up.
To issue invoices, process payments, and manage any refunds or disputes.
To maintain internal records, including service history, for operational and administrative purposes.
To improve our services, customer experience, and internal processes.
To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, including record-keeping and insurance requirements.
To protect our rights, property, and safety, and that of our customers and staff, including managing and resolving complaints or claims.
Data sharing and processors
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, and always in accordance with data protection law. These third parties act as data processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.
Data processors are third parties who process personal data on our behalf and only in accordance with our instructions. Categories of processors we may use include:
IT and system support providers who assist with the secure operation of our digital tools and systems.
Payment and invoicing service providers involved in processing payments and managing accounts.
Secure document storage or archiving providers where we need to retain records.
Where we engage data processors, we ensure appropriate contractual safeguards are in place to protect your personal data, including obligations relating to confidentiality, security, and data protection compliance.
We may also share personal data where necessary with insurance providers, professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, and public authorities or regulators where we are required or permitted to do so by law.
International transfers
Our aim is to store and process personal data within the United Kingdom or, where relevant, within other jurisdictions that provide an adequate level of data protection. If we ever need to transfer personal data to a country that does not offer the same level of protection as the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms, in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
Data retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to provide services, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
The specific retention period will vary depending on the type of data and the context of the processing. For example, records of your move and associated invoices may be kept for a number of years to comply with tax and accounting rules and to manage any potential claims, while routine enquiry data that does not lead to a booking may be retained for a shorter period.
When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it, in line with our data retention and destruction procedures.
Data security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. These measures are designed to provide a level of security appropriate to the risks presented by the processing.
Our measures include limiting access to personal data to those staff and processors who need it for legitimate business purposes, using secure systems and storage methods, and regularly reviewing our security practices.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions. These rights include:
The right of access. You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of that data, together with certain additional information.
The right to rectification. You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
The right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you have the right to 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 have no other lawful basis to retain it.
The right to restriction of processing. You may have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we verify the accuracy of data you believe is incorrect.
The right to object. You may have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, on grounds relating to your particular situation. We will consider your request and stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or where processing is required for legal claims.
The right to data portability. Where our processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
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. Any updates will be effective from the date of publication. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we process personal data.
This Privacy Policy applies to all South Kensington Removals customers and prospective customers in the South Kensington area who use or consider using our removals and related services.
