Privacy Policy - Hounslow Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Hounslow Man And Van collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Hounslow Man And Van customers in the Hounslow area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, receives a delivery, or otherwise engages with our moving and van services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Hounslow Man And Van provides man and van, removals, delivery, collection, and related transport services in and around Hounslow. In this policy, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to Hounslow Man And Van. “You” means any customer, prospective customer, website user, or person whose personal data we process in connection with our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information needed to provide services safely and effectively. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name.
Contact details such as your phone number and email address.
Address and location information including pickup and delivery addresses, access notes, and parking or building instructions.
Booking and service details such as move date, time, items to be moved, service preferences, and instructions.
Payment-related information such as transaction records and billing details.
Communications including messages, call notes, and complaint or enquiry records.
Service records such as quotes, invoices, and proof of completion where relevant.
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, such as device information, IP address, and usage logs.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary for a specific service, provided by you voluntarily, and permitted by law. If such information is shared with us, we will treat it with extra care and only use it where we have a valid lawful basis.

3. How We Collect Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

Request a quote or make a booking;
Contact us by phone, email, message, or in person;
Provide instructions for a collection or delivery;
Make a payment or request an invoice;
Submit a complaint, feedback, or support request.

We may also receive data from:

Third parties acting on your behalf, such as relatives, estate agents, landlords, or business representatives;
Payment providers and accounting systems;
Service partners or subcontractors involved in fulfilling your booking;
Publicly available sources where appropriate and lawful.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data when we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, the lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, managing bookings, completing moves, and issuing invoices.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain information to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include managing operations, maintaining service quality, preventing fraud, responding to complaints, and improving our services.

Consent

Where consent is required, such as for certain marketing activities or optional processing, we will rely on your consent. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, for example in an emergency affecting health or safety.

5. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and manage bookings;
To plan, carry out, and complete moving or delivery services;
To communicate about your service, schedule, or special requirements;
To process payments and maintain financial records;
To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support matters;
To meet legal, regulatory, and insurance obligations;
To protect our business, staff, and customers;
To improve our services, systems, and operational efficiency;
To send marketing communications only where permitted by law and, if required, with your consent.

6. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide. Processors only process personal data on our instructions and are required to keep it secure.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

Payment processors to handle card or online transactions;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers for financial administration;
IT and cloud service providers that store or support business systems;
Communication tools used to manage messages or booking updates;
Subcontracted movers or drivers assisting with service delivery;
Professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, or accountants where necessary;
Authorities or regulators where required by law.

We do not sell your personal data. We only share data when necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, legitimate business purposes, or with your consent where required.

7. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protective measures. We take reasonable steps to ensure that any international transfer protects your data to a standard consistent with UK GDPR requirements.

8. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, and operational requirements. The retention period depends on the type of data and the reason it is held.

As a general rule:

Booking and service records are retained for the period needed to manage the service and resolve any related issues;
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
Communication records are kept for a reasonable period to support service history and complaint handling;
Marketing preferences are kept until you withdraw consent or object.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

9. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted data handling procedures. While no system can be guaranteed 100% secure, we work to maintain a high standard of protection.

10. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions or exceptions.

Right of access - You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification - You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure - In some cases, you may request deletion of your data.
Right to restrict processing - You may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object - You may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability - You may request that certain data be provided in a usable format or transferred to another provider.
Right to withdraw consent - Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before responding to protect your information.

11. Automated Decision-Making

We do not normally use fully automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If that changes, we will update this policy and explain the logic, significance, and consequences of such processing.

12. Marketing Preferences

We may send service-related updates that are necessary for bookings or customer service. We will only send marketing communications where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. You can opt out of marketing at any time.

13. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer in connection with a service and is necessary for that service. If we become aware that we have collected information inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it where appropriate.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated to customers. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

15. Summary of Our Commitment

We are committed to protecting personal data and using it responsibly. For Hounslow Man And Van customers in the Hounslow area, this means collecting only what we need, using it for clear and lawful purposes, retaining it only as long as necessary, and respecting your rights under UK data protection law. We aim to handle all information in a way that is fair, secure, and transparent.