Privacy Policy - Man With Van Forestgate

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Forestgate collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data. It applies to all Man With Van Forestgate customers in the area, including anyone who requests, books, pays for, receives, or otherwise interacts with our moving services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With Van Forestgate provides removal and transport services for domestic and business customers. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal data about customers, recipients, property owners, and other relevant individuals. We act as the data controller for the personal data we collect and determine how and why it is processed.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal information that is necessary for providing our services, managing bookings, and meeting legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, telephone number, and email address.
Booking information including moving dates, item lists, property access details, and service preferences.
Payment-related information such as transaction records and billing details.
Service records including quotes, correspondence, instructions, complaints, and notes about completed work.
Technical data such as basic device or usage information if you interact with us electronically.
Special circumstances data only where necessary, for example access requirements or vulnerability-related information needed to complete a move safely and appropriately.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed. Where possible, we minimise the use of personal data and limit access to staff and processors who need it.

3. How We Use Your Data

We process personal data for specific, legitimate purposes connected to our services. These include:

Preparing quotations and confirming bookings.
Carrying out removals and related services.
Communicating with you about schedules, access, or service changes.
Processing payments, refunds, and account administration.
Handling complaints, insurance matters, and service disputes.
Maintaining records for accounting, tax, and legal compliance.
Improving service quality, staff training, and business operations.
Protecting against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will only use your information for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was originally collected, unless we have a lawful basis for further processing.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the circumstances, Man With Van Forestgate relies on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes creating quotes, arranging moving services, confirming details, and completing the work you have requested.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with accounting, taxation, record-keeping, or other legal duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include managing operations, improving services, preventing fraud, and maintaining internal records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to provide optional information that is not necessary for the service. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as where there is an emergency or urgent safety issue during a move.

5. Sharing Your Personal Data

We only share personal data when necessary and with appropriate safeguards. Personal information may be shared with:

Payment providers for processing transactions.
IT and system providers who support our booking, communication, or storage systems.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, or legal advisers.
Subcontractors or service partners who assist with a move or related activity under our instructions.
Public authorities where required by law or to respond to lawful requests.

All processors and third parties are expected to handle data securely, use it only for the agreed purpose, and comply with applicable data protection requirements.

6. Processors

Where we use external service providers to process personal data on our behalf, they act as processors. Examples may include cloud storage providers, email systems, accounting software, booking platforms, or customer management tools. We ensure that processors only act on our documented instructions and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect data.

We do not allow processors to use your personal data for their own unrelated purposes. If a processor is located outside the UK or EEA, we will take steps to ensure an appropriate level of data protection is in place.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected. In general:

Booking and service records are kept for a reasonable period after completion to handle queries, disputes, or follow-up matters.
Financial and invoicing information is retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Communication records are kept only as long as needed for customer service and operational purposes.
Data no longer required is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of safely.

Where retention is based on legal obligations, we will keep the data for the minimum period necessary to comply with those obligations. After that, data will be removed or archived in a controlled manner.

8. Data Security

We take data security seriously and use appropriate measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and limited data sharing. No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but we work continuously to reduce risk and safeguard data.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exemptions, depending on the circumstances. Your rights include:

The right to be informed about how your data is used.
The right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification if any data is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure in certain situations, also known as the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing where certain conditions apply.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to data portability for data you provided to us, where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with legal requirements and may need to verify your identity before taking action.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are directed to adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidentally included in service-related communications and only when necessary to complete a booking or delivery arrangement. If we become aware that child-related data has been collected unnecessarily, we will take appropriate steps to delete or protect it.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Forestgate is committed to processing personal data lawfully, transparently, and securely. We collect only the information needed to provide moving services, rely on appropriate lawful bases, retain data only as long as necessary, and use trusted processors under suitable safeguards. All Man With Van Forestgate customers in the area are covered by this policy, and we aim to respect every individual’s privacy rights with care and accountability.