Privacy Policy - Man With Van Swiss Cottage

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Swiss Cottage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving and van services. It applies to all Man With Van Swiss Cottage customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who request or receive services from us. We are committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, making an enquiry, or communicating with us, you acknowledge the practices described in this policy. We do not collect more data than is necessary for the purposes set out below, and we take appropriate steps to keep personal information secure and accurate.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on the services requested and the way you interact with us. This may include:

Identity details such as your name or the name of your organisation.
Contact details such as address details, email address, and telephone number.
Service information such as move dates, collection and delivery locations, property access details, and service instructions.
Payment and transaction information such as payment status, billing records, and service history.
Communication records including emails, notes from calls, and messages relating to bookings or complaints.
Technical information if you use any digital forms or messaging tools, such as device identifiers, IP-related data, or usage logs, where applicable.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and where you choose to provide it, for example accessibility needs relevant to a move. We process this data only with an appropriate legal basis and additional safeguards.

We generally collect data directly from you when you request a quote, confirm a booking, give delivery instructions, ask for support, or provide feedback. We may also receive limited information from third parties acting on your behalf, such as property managers, business administrators, or payment providers, where required to complete the service.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data only for specific and lawful purposes. These include:

Providing moving, transport, lifting, packing, loading, unloading, and related services.
Preparing quotes, confirming bookings, and managing service arrangements.
Communicating with you about schedules, access arrangements, changes, or service issues.
Processing payments, issuing invoices, and maintaining financial records.
Handling complaints, claims, and service follow-up.
Maintaining records for legal, accounting, and operational purposes.
Improving our services, training staff, and managing internal quality control.
Meeting legal and regulatory obligations, including fraud prevention and business compliance.

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

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes booking services, managing transport arrangements, and fulfilling the move you have requested.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where required to comply with a legal obligation, such as tax records, accounting requirements, insurance-related duties, or responses to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is in our legitimate interests and these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service improvement, business administration, fraud prevention, record-keeping, and responding to customer enquiries. When relying on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and apply safeguards as needed.

Consent

Where required, we rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or where you choose to provide information that is not necessary for the service. You may withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

Vital Interests and Public Task

These bases are unlikely to apply in most situations, but they may be used in exceptional cases where necessary to protect someone’s vital interests or where processing is required by law for a public task.

4. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including the need to provide services, resolve disputes, maintain accurate records, and comply with legal obligations.

The retention period depends on the nature of the data and why it was collected. For example, booking and invoice records may need to be kept for accounting and tax purposes, while communications about an enquiry may be retained for a shorter period. When data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

In some cases, we may need to retain records for longer if there is an ongoing legal claim, regulatory requirement, or legitimate business reason. Where feasible, we minimise retained information and periodically review our records.

5. Sharing Your Information and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data only when necessary and only with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services or meet legal requirements. These third parties may act as processors on our behalf or as independent controllers in limited situations.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle card or electronic payment processing.
IT and cloud storage providers that support secure data hosting, email systems, or data backup.
Accounting or bookkeeping service providers that assist with invoicing and financial records.
Customer management or scheduling tools used to organise bookings and communications.

Where processors are used, they are required to act only on our instructions, protect the information, and implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We also may disclose personal data to insurers, legal advisers, auditors, or public authorities if required or permitted by law.

If data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure suitable safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections, so that your information remains protected to a standard consistent with applicable data protection laws.

6. Security of Personal Data

We take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful selection of service providers.

While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risks and respond appropriately to any suspected data incident. If a personal data breach occurs and it creates a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will handle it in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject under the UK GDPR, you have important rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal limits and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erase your data in certain circumstances.
Restrict how we process your data in certain situations.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Data portability for information you have provided to us where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent.
Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. We aim to respond within the legal time limit and provide clear explanations if any request cannot be fully granted.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults and business clients. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a move and provided by an adult responsible for the service. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without a valid reason, we will take appropriate steps to delete or protect it.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

10. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Swiss Cottage is committed to respecting privacy, limiting data use to necessary purposes, and maintaining a lawful and secure approach to personal information. We process customer data fairly, retain it only as long as needed, and work with trusted processors under appropriate safeguards. Most importantly, we recognise and support your rights over your personal data.

By using our services within the Swiss Cottage area, you agree that the personal data you provide will be handled in line with this Privacy Policy.