Privacy Policy - Hackney Removals

Hackney Removals is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers in our service area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Hackney Removals customers in the area, including individuals who request a quotation, book a service, or otherwise interact with us.

1. Who we are

Hackney Removals provides removals, packing, storage coordination, and related moving services. In providing these services, we act as a data controller for the personal information we collect and decide how and why it is used. This means we are responsible for ensuring that any processing of personal data is lawful, fair, transparent, and limited to the purposes described in this Policy.

2. Personal data we collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, handle enquiries, and meet our legal obligations. The type of personal data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details including phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service information such as moving date, property details, access notes, inventory information, and special handling requirements.
Billing information including invoice details and payment status.
Communication records including enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical information such as basic website or device data where applicable, for security and performance purposes.

In some cases, we may also receive personal data from third parties, such as a landlord, estate agent, partner, or family member acting on your behalf. Where this happens, we expect the third party to have the necessary authority or legal basis to share the information with us.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and assess service requirements.
To manage bookings, schedules, and customer requests.
To carry out removals, packing, storage arrangements, and related services.
To communicate with you about your booking, invoices, or service updates.
To respond to questions, complaints, and customer support requests.
To maintain accurate business records and fulfil legal, accounting, and tax obligations.
To prevent fraud, misuse, or security incidents.
To improve our services and customer experience in a lawful and proportionate way.

We do not use your personal data for unrelated purposes unless we have a lawful basis to do so and have informed you where required.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Hackney Removals relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, arranging removals, issuing invoices, and delivering our services.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer communications, improving service quality, maintaining security, and defending legal claims. When relying on legitimate interests, we ensure the processing is necessary, proportionate, and carefully assessed.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal duties, such as tax, accounting, record-keeping, or responding to lawful requests from public authorities.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for certain marketing or optional communications. Where consent is used, it will be freely given, specific, informed, and easy to withdraw at any time.

5. Data sharing and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us run our business. These third parties act as either independent controllers or processors depending on the service they provide. When they act as processors, they process personal data only on our instructions and must protect it appropriately.

Processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers.
Payment processing or invoicing providers.
Customer management and scheduling systems.
Storage or logistics partners assisting with a move.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers.

We may also disclose data where required by law, to protect our rights, to prevent fraud, or in connection with a business transaction involving Hackney Removals. We do not sell your personal data.

6. International transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legally approved transfer mechanisms. We only transfer personal data where lawful and necessary.

7. Retention of personal data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the nature of the service provided.

In general:

Quotation and enquiry data may be kept for a limited period if no booking is made.
Booking, invoice, and transaction records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Customer communication and complaint records may be retained for as long as needed to manage the matter and protect our legal position.

When personal data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed in line with our retention practices.

8. Security of your data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful vendor selection. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we continually review our safeguards and aim to maintain a high level of protection.

9. Your rights under GDPR

As a data subject, you have several rights under the UK GDPR. Subject to certain exceptions and conditions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability for data you provided to us, where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner???s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has not been handled properly. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concern promptly and fairly.

10. Automated decision-making

Hackney Removals does not make decisions about customers based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes in the future, we will provide clear information about the logic involved, the significance of the processing, and your rights in relation to it.

11. Children???s data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals or related services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in the context of a household move and only with appropriate authorisation from a parent, guardian, or responsible adult. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without a valid basis, we will take steps to delete it.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or how we process personal data. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal information.

13. Summary of key principles

In short, Hackney Removals only collects the personal data needed to deliver services effectively, uses it for clear and lawful purposes, keeps it for no longer than necessary, and shares it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your privacy and aim to process all personal data in a transparent, secure, and lawful manner.

Privacy is an important part of our service. By choosing Hackney Removals, you can be confident that your personal information will be handled with care, in accordance with applicable data protection laws, and with respect for your rights.