Privacy Policy - Paddington Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Paddington Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Paddington Removals customers in the area, including individuals, households, and business customers who use our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy should be read carefully so you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, and what rights you have over your data.

1. Who We Are

Paddington Removals provides removals, packing, loading, storage coordination, and related moving services. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we collect and process in connection with our services. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.

We take data privacy seriously and aim to ensure that all personal data is handled with care and kept secure.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:

Identity data: name, title, and business or household contact details.
Contact data: billing address, service address, email address, telephone number, and preferred communication method.
Service data: moving dates, inventory details, access instructions, property information, packing requirements, and special handling instructions.
Payment data: payment status, invoice details, and limited payment-related information needed to process transactions.
Communication data: records of enquiries, quotations, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data: basic website or device information if you interact with our digital systems, such as IP address, browser type, and usage logs, where applicable.
Special category data: we do not usually seek special category data. However, if you voluntarily provide information that may reveal health conditions or other sensitive details to support safe moving arrangements, we will process it only where necessary and with appropriate safeguards.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quotation, book a service, provide instructions, or communicate with us. In some cases, data may be provided by third parties acting on your behalf, such as a family member, estate agent, solicitor, landlord, employer, or storage provider.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and manage bookings;
to plan and deliver removals and related services;
to communicate with you about your service requirements;
to issue invoices, process payments, and manage accounts;
to handle complaints, claims, and customer support;
to maintain accurate business records;
to comply with legal, regulatory, and tax obligations;
to protect our business, staff, customers, and property;
to prevent fraud and manage risk;
to improve our services and operational efficiency.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and that purpose is permitted by law.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Paddington Removals relies on the following lawful 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, carrying out removals, issuing invoices, and managing your service.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data where required to comply with legal and regulatory duties, including accounting, tax, record-keeping, insurance, and fraud prevention obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms. This includes responding to customer queries, improving services, maintaining security, managing business operations, and resolving disputes.

Consent

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before processing certain information. If we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process data to protect someone???s vital interests, for example where urgent action is needed to prevent serious harm during a move.

Where special category data is processed, we will do so only when an additional lawful condition is met and appropriate safeguards are in place.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of information and why we hold it.

In general:

quotation and booking records are retained for a period needed to manage the customer relationship and deal with any follow-up issues;
financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
complaint, claim, and dispute records are retained for as long as necessary to defend or pursue legal claims;
communications and service notes are retained for a reasonable period to ensure continuity and quality of service.

When personal data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner. Where data is archived, access is restricted and retained only for legitimate business or legal reasons.

6. Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers, known as processors, who act on our behalf and under our instructions. These may include:

payment and accounting providers;
IT and cloud storage providers;
email, communication, and customer management systems;
professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, or legal advisers;
storage partners or subcontractors involved in completing your move;
regulatory, tax, law enforcement, or governmental bodies where disclosure is required by law.

We require processors to protect your personal data, use it only for specified purposes, and maintain appropriate security measures. We do not permit them to use your data for their own independent purposes.

In limited circumstances, personal data may also be shared where necessary to protect our rights, property, staff, or customers, or to respond to lawful requests.

7. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanism recognised under UK data protection law. We take steps to ensure that your data remains protected even when transferred internationally.

8. Data Security

We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure systems, staff training, and restricted sharing of information on a need-to-know basis.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we continually review our security practices and aim to reduce risks to your personal information. If a personal data breach occurs that may pose a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take appropriate action in line with legal requirements.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:

Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Right to rectification: to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases;
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format;
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. If you wish to exercise any of your rights, we will respond within the time limits required by law and may ask for information to verify your identity.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern directly.

10. Children???s Data

Our services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in connection with a household move and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult. Where such data is processed, it will be handled carefully and only to the extent required to deliver the service.

11. Changes to This 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. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Paddington Removals is committed to respecting your privacy and using personal data responsibly. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We aim to keep your information secure and to support your rights at every stage.

By using our services, you acknowledge that this Privacy Policy applies to all Paddington Removals customers in the area.