Privacy Policy - Hammersmith Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Hammersmith Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Hammersmith Removals customers in area and to any individual who interacts with us in connection with a removal, storage, packing, or related service. 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.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all Hammersmith Removals customers in area, including residential and business clients, prospective customers, household members whose information is provided to us, and any third parties whose data is supplied as part of arranging a service. If you provide us with someone else???s personal data, you should make sure that you have the authority to do so and that they are aware of this Privacy Policy.

2. What personal data we collect

We may collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you use our services. This may include:

Identity data such as your name and any titles used in correspondence or booking records.
Contact data such as address details, email address, and telephone number.
Service data including move dates, property access details, inventory information, packing requirements, and service preferences.
Payment and transaction data such as billing records, payment status, and invoice details.
Communications data including messages, complaints, feedback, and notes from calls or written communications.
Technical data such as basic website or device information if you interact with our digital systems.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and where permitted by law, for example if a customer voluntarily provides information relating to health or access needs to support a move.

We do not intentionally collect more information than is needed for operational, legal, and administrative purposes. We aim to keep data collection relevant, limited, and proportionate.

3. How we collect personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, communicate with us, provide instructions, submit a complaint, or otherwise engage our services. We may also receive personal data from third parties who are authorised to act on your behalf, such as family members, estate agents, solicitors, landlords, tenants, or business representatives. In some cases, we may obtain information from publicly available sources or from service providers who support our operations.

4. Why we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotations and assess service requirements.
To manage bookings, schedules, and operational planning.
To carry out removals, packing, storage, and related services.
To process payments, maintain accounts, and issue invoices or receipts.
To communicate with customers about arrangements, service updates, and any changes.
To handle complaints, queries, and claims.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations.
To improve service quality, internal processes, training, and customer experience.
To prevent fraud, misuse, and security incidents.

We only use your information where we have a lawful basis to do so, and we will not use it in ways that are incompatible with the original purpose for which it was collected.

5. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely 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 a quote, confirming a booking, managing the move, and fulfilling service obligations.

Legal obligation

We may process data to meet legal requirements, such as tax recordkeeping, accounting obligations, insurance documentation, and compliance with applicable laws.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights. This may include service administration, business planning, record management, quality assurance, and fraud prevention. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact of processing and ensure it is proportionate.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional processing or where special category data is involved and no other lawful basis applies. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time, though this will not affect processing already carried out lawfully.

Vital interests and public task

These bases are unlikely to apply in normal circumstances, but may be used where necessary and permitted by law.

6. Sharing personal data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our services. These parties act as processors when they process data on our behalf and under our instructions. Examples may include:

IT and cloud service providers.
Payment processors and accounting systems.
Customer management and scheduling tools.
Storage and logistics partners.
Professional advisers such as insurers, lawyers, auditors, or tax advisers.
Public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where required by law.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, use it only for authorised purposes, and maintain appropriate technical and organisational safeguards. We do not sell personal data. If data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate protections are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual safeguards.

7. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the context in which it was obtained. For example:

Booking and service records are kept for the period needed to manage the service and resolve any disputes.
Financial and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Complaint and claims records may be retained for a longer period where needed to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

When personal data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in a way that prevents unnecessary access. We apply data minimisation principles to reduce the amount of information held over time.

8. Data security

We take appropriate steps to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. Measures may include access controls, staff training, secure storage, confidentiality obligations, and regular review of internal procedures. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

9. Your rights

As a data subject, you have rights under data protection law. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and exemptions available under the law. They 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 information.
Right to erasure ??? to request deletion of your data in certain cases.
Right to restriction ??? to ask us to limit processing in certain situations.
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 format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent ??? where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the UK Information Commissioner???s Office if you believe your data has been handled incorrectly. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can review and address your concern promptly and fairly.

10. Automated decision-making

We do not normally use automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide any required information about the logic involved, the significance of the processing, and your rights.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect operational changes, legal requirements, or improvements in our data protection practices. The latest version will apply from the date it is issued. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect and use personal data.

12. Summary of our approach

Hammersmith Removals treats privacy as an important part of responsible service delivery. We collect only the information needed to provide a reliable removals service, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or when required by law. We aim to ensure that all Hammersmith Removals customers in area can rely on transparent, secure, and lawful handling of their personal data.