Privacy Policy - Stjohnswood Removals

Stjohnswood Removals is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers and prospective customers in area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in connection with our removal, packing, storage, and related services. It applies to all Stjohnswood Removals customers in area, including individuals, households, and businesses that use our services or communicate with us about them.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Stjohnswood Removals acts as the data controller for the personal data described in this policy. This means we determine why and how your personal data is processed when arranging and delivering our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information including move dates, inventory details, access notes, property type, and service preferences.
Billing and payment data such as invoicing details and payment status.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.
Special category data only where necessary and lawfully permitted, for example if you voluntarily provide information needed to support access arrangements or specific service requirements.

We aim to collect only the data that is necessary for legitimate business purposes and for delivering a safe, efficient service.

3. How We Collect Personal Data

We collect personal data in a number of ways. This includes information you provide directly when requesting a quotation, booking a service, completing paperwork, making a payment, or contacting us with a query. We may also receive information from third parties where needed to perform the service, such as agents, landlords, solicitors, inventory providers, payment service providers, or other parties involved in the move, but only where they are lawfully able to share it with us.

4. Why We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and assess service requirements.
To arrange, manage, and complete removals and related services.
To communicate with you about bookings, schedules, and service changes.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records.
To handle complaints, claims, and customer support requests.
To maintain business records and comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To improve our operations, service quality, and customer experience.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security threats.

We do not sell personal data. We only process your data for clear and lawful purposes that are relevant to our services.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, delivering removal services, and managing payment arrangements.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain records to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, employment, or other legal obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service administration, record-keeping, customer support, fraud prevention, and internal business improvement.

Consent

Where required by law, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or specific processing activities. You have the right to withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the lawful basis used.

Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process personal data to protect someone???s life or safety.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who assist us in operating our business and providing services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the nature of the service. Processors only act on our instructions and must protect your data appropriately.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and cloud hosting providers that store business data securely.
Accounting and invoicing providers used for financial administration.
Payment processors that handle transactions.
Communication service providers used to manage emails, calls, or messaging systems.
Insurance or claims handlers where needed to manage incidents or losses.
Professional advisers such as lawyers, accountants, or auditors.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to prevent fraud, protect rights, or enforce agreements. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place as required by law.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

As a general approach:

Quotation and booking records are kept for a reasonable period to manage service administration and follow-up.
Financial and tax-related records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint, claim, and incident records are kept for as long as needed to resolve the matter and defend legal rights.
Inactive customer data is reviewed periodically and securely deleted or anonymised when no longer necessary.

When data is no longer required, we will take appropriate steps to securely erase, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention procedures.

8. Security of Your Data

We take the security of personal data seriously and use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect it from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of data handling practices. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks.

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 legal conditions and exemptions. They include:

Right of access ??? you can request 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 ??? in certain circumstances, you can request deletion of your data.
Right to restrict processing ??? you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object ??? you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability ??? you can request your data in a structured, commonly used format in some circumstances.
Right to withdraw consent ??? where processing relies on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner???s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve them promptly.

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 provided in the course of providing a household service and only where necessary and lawful. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. 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 handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Stjohnswood Removals is committed to handling personal data fairly, securely, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Stjohnswood Removals customers in area.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.