Privacy Policy - Lewisham Man And Van

This Privacy Policy explains how Lewisham Man And Van collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Lewisham Man And Van customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and anyone who has enquired about our services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Lewisham Man And Van provides removal, transport, and related moving services. In the course of delivering those services, we may collect and process personal data about customers, site contacts, property access contacts, and other individuals involved in arranging or receiving a service. This policy explains what we do with that information and the rights available to individuals whose data we process.

2. Data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for providing our services, managing enquiries, and meeting our legal or operational responsibilities. The data we may collect includes:

Identity details such as name, and where needed, title or company name.
Contact details such as telephone number, email address, and service address.
Service information such as moving date, inventory details, access notes, property type, and delivery or collection instructions.
Billing and payment information such as invoice details and payment status. We do not intentionally store full payment card details unless required by a secure payment provider.
Communication records such as emails, messages, call notes, and complaint or feedback records.
Operational data such as job history, service preferences, quotes provided, and evidence required to complete the service.
Technical information if you interact with our digital systems, including basic device or usage information generated for security and service performance purposes.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to provide it. If you voluntarily share information that may reveal sensitive personal details, we will only process it where there is a lawful basis and additional safeguards are in place.

3. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
to schedule, manage, and deliver moving services;
to communicate about bookings, changes, delays, or service requirements;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounting records;
to handle complaints, disputes, and customer support requests;
to maintain records of completed work and service history;
to improve our operations, training, and customer experience;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.

We will only use your information in ways that are compatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to use it for another purpose.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the situation, Lewisham Man And Van relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, delivering removals, handling access details, and invoicing for services.

Legal obligation

We process some data to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include service administration, fraud prevention, improving service quality, and maintaining internal records. When relying on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on individuals and aim to minimise any privacy risks.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive certain optional communications or where sensitive information is provided voluntarily and requires a consent-based approach. You may withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the lawful basis used.

5. Sharing data and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us provide and manage our services. These parties act as processors when they handle data on our instructions, or as independent controllers where they decide how to use the data for their own purposes. We only share information where it is necessary and appropriate.

Examples of processors and service partners may include:

accounting and bookkeeping providers;
IT and cloud storage service providers;
customer communication and email systems;
payment service providers;
insurers, claims handlers, or legal advisers where required;
subcontracted movers or logistics partners assisting with a job;
regulatory, tax, or law enforcement bodies where disclosure is required by law.

All processors are required to use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect data and to process it only in accordance with our instructions. We do not sell personal data.

6. International transfers

Where a processor or service provider stores or accesses data outside the United Kingdom, we will take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We will only transfer personal data where it is permitted under data protection law.

7. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, and for as long as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

Quotation and enquiry records are usually kept for a limited period after the enquiry ends, unless they lead to a booking or are needed for follow-up.
Customer and job records are retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and invoice records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Complaint, dispute, and claims records may be retained longer where needed to defend legal claims or resolve issues.

When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you. Retention is reviewed periodically to ensure we do not keep information longer than necessary.

8. Data security

We take the security of personal data seriously. Measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, device protection, and careful selection of trusted processors. Although no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to reduce the risk of loss, misuse, unauthorised access, or disclosure.

Only staff and service partners who need access to your data for legitimate business purposes will be allowed to view it. We also review our practices to ensure that personal data is handled responsibly throughout the service lifecycle.

9. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have important rights over your personal data. These rights may be limited in some situations, but we will always assess requests carefully and respond in accordance with the law.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data where there is a valid legal basis to do so.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing where applicable.
Right to data portability – you can request certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
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 need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to handle all legitimate requests within the timeframes required by law.

10. Marketing preferences

Where we send marketing messages, you will always have the opportunity to opt out. We will not send unnecessary marketing and will respect any objection to direct communications. If you ask us to stop marketing, we will update our records so that your preferences are respected.

11. Cookies and analytics

If our digital services use cookies or similar technologies, they may be used for basic functionality, security, or to understand how services are used. Where consent is required, we will request it before placing non-essential cookies. You can control cookie settings through your browser where applicable.

12. Children

Our services are not intended for children acting on their own behalf. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of a service arrangement and handled appropriately by an adult customer or authorised contact.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. The latest version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review it periodically.

14. Summary of our commitment

Lewisham Man And Van is committed to protecting personal data and using it fairly and responsibly. We collect only the information needed to provide and manage our services, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We also respect your rights and aim to make it easy for customers in the area to understand how their information is handled.

By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and understand how your personal data may be processed in connection with Lewisham Man And Van.