Privacy Policy - Man And Van Coventgarden

This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Coventgarden collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with its moving, delivery, packing, and related services. It applies to all Man And Van Coventgarden customers in the area, including private individuals, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our 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.

We respect your privacy and only process personal data where we have a valid reason to do so. This policy describes what data we collect, why we collect it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your information.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data when you request, book, receive, or enquire about our services:

Identity details such as your name, title, and any business name.
Contact details including address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details such as collection and delivery addresses, access notes, move dates, item descriptions, and property instructions.
Billing and payment information such as invoices, payment status, and transaction references.
Communication records including emails, phone notes, booking messages, complaints, and service updates.
Operational data such as job schedules, route details, service preferences, and evidence of completed work.
Optional information that you choose to provide, for example parking restrictions, fragile item notices, or special handling requests.

In some cases, we may also process limited information about third parties where necessary to complete a service. This may include contact details of a landlord, property manager, porter, or authorised representative. We expect you to ensure that any such person has been informed that their details may be shared with us.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes, confirm bookings, and deliver moving or delivery services.
To plan logistics, allocate staff, and complete collections and deliveries safely.
To communicate with you about your booking, schedule changes, access issues, or service matters.
To issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records.
To handle complaints, claims, refunds, or customer service requests.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
To maintain internal records, improve our services, and monitor service quality.
To protect the safety and security of customers, staff, vehicles, and property.

We only collect data that is relevant and necessary for these purposes. We do not use your personal data for unrelated automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for every use of personal data. Depending on the situation, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process your data because it is necessary to perform a contract with you or to take steps before entering into a contract. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, arranging the move, delivering services, issuing invoices, and managing customer communication related to the service.

Legal Obligation

We may process data when required to comply with legal obligations, including tax laws, accounting rules, insurance requirements, and record-keeping duties. This may also apply where we must retain certain information for dispute resolution or regulatory compliance.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests include managing our business efficiently, preventing fraud, improving our services, securing our operations, and retaining evidence of work completed. We always consider whether our interests are proportionate and whether your privacy impact is acceptable.

Consent

Where required, we will ask for your consent, for example in limited situations involving optional marketing communications or the collection of non-essential information. If we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information needed for the specific purpose and require appropriate safeguards.

Our processors may include:

Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial administration and tax compliance.
IT and cloud storage providers who host emails, files, customer records, and operational systems.
Communication service providers who help manage booking confirmations, notifications, or customer correspondence.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and claims handlers where needed to manage disputes or protect our rights.
Subcontractors or logistics partners who assist with service delivery under our instructions.

Where processors act on our behalf, they are required to handle personal data securely, use it only for authorised purposes, and comply with data protection law. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, law enforcement request, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of our customers, staff, or business.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and in line with legal, contractual, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the purpose of processing.

Customer booking and service records are generally retained for a reasonable period after completion to handle queries, complaints, and evidence of service.
Financial and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint, dispute, and claims records may be kept longer where necessary to defend legal claims or insurance matters.
General correspondence is retained only as long as needed for business purposes.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you. We regularly review retention periods to ensure we do not keep information for longer than necessary.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, and limiting access to staff and processors who need the information to perform their role. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable steps to safeguard information and to reduce risks.

7. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

Right of access to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure in certain situations, for example where data is no longer needed.
Right to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability for data processed on the basis of contract or consent, where technically feasible.
Right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been misused or handled unlawfully. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concern first so we can help resolve it promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a limited and incidental context, such as where family members are included in a service address or delivery arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected child-related data without an appropriate reason, we will delete it where required.

9. International Transfers

Where any processor stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections, so that your information remains protected to a standard consistent with UK data protection law.

10. 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 published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is used.

Summary of commitment: Man And Van Coventgarden processes personal data only where lawful, necessary, and proportionate, and only for customers in the area using our services. We aim to keep information accurate, secure, and retained only for as long as needed.