Hackney Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Hackney Removals collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Hackney Removals customers and prospective customers within our service area, including anyone who contacts us, requests a quote, books a service, or otherwise interacts with us in relation to our removals and associated services.

Who we are and how we act as a data controller

Hackney Removals is the data controller for the personal data we collect in connection with providing removal and related services. As data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal information and are responsible for ensuring that such processing is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

Where we engage third parties to process data on our behalf, those organisations act as data processors and are bound by contractual obligations to protect your information.

Personal data we collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and which services you use. This may include the following categories of information.

Identification and contact details such as your name, postal address, service address, delivery address, billing address, and other contact details including any communication details you choose to provide when contacting us.

Service and booking information such as details of the removal or related services you request, property access details, inventory or item lists you provide to help us prepare a quote, preferred dates and times, and any special instructions or notes relevant to the move.

Contract and transaction information such as records of quotes, bookings, invoices, payment status, and any related correspondence about the services we provide.

Communication records such as emails, written correspondence, and notes of telephone or in-person conversations where relevant to our services, including any complaints, feedback or queries raised with us.

Technical and usage information where relevant, including basic details about how you interact with our website or online tools, such as standard log information or information you submit via online forms.

We do not intentionally collect special categories of personal data, such as health information, unless it is strictly necessary for the provision of a specific service you have requested and you have chosen to share that information with us. In such cases, we will only process that information with your explicit consent or where we have a separate lawful basis.

How we collect your personal data

We collect personal data from you directly when you contact us by telephone, through our website, in writing, or in person to request information, a quote, or to book a service. We also collect data when you provide details as part of a service, such as move details or inventory information.

We may receive personal data indirectly where one person makes a booking on behalf of another individual connected to the service, or where a partner organisation legitimately shares data with us to facilitate a service you have requested. In such cases, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the individuals concerned are made aware of this Privacy Policy.

Lawful bases for processing your data

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the context, the lawful basis may be one or more of the following.

Performance of a contract. We process personal data where it is necessary to provide a quote, to enter into a contract with you, and to deliver our removal and related services. This includes handling bookings, communications about your move, and resolving service-related queries.

Legitimate interests. We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include improving our services, managing and developing our business operations, maintaining records for planning and logistics, and handling routine customer relationship management activities.

Legal obligations. We process personal data where required to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, such as maintaining accounting and tax records, responding to lawful requests from public authorities, and meeting our obligations under consumer protection laws.

Consent. In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example, where you request to receive optional marketing communications. When we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time, and we will explain how to do so at the point of collection.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal data to provide and manage our services, including preparing and issuing quotes, planning and undertaking removals, managing bookings, communicating with you about your service, handling your payments, and addressing any questions, feedback or complaints.

We use your data to maintain accurate internal records of services provided, to analyse and plan resource allocation, to improve our services and customer experience, and to manage our relationship with you over time.

Where you have chosen to receive marketing information, we may use your contact details to send you information about our services, offers or updates that we think may be of interest to you. You may opt out of such communications at any time.

Data sharing and data processors

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with carefully selected third parties who help us deliver our services or who support our business operations. These organisations act as data processors on our behalf and only process personal data under our instructions.

Examples of such processors include providers of business software and systems, secure data storage providers, payment processing providers, and professional advisers who support our legal, accounting or administrative functions. We require these processors to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data and to use it only for the purposes we specify.

We may also share personal data with third parties where required by law, in connection with legal proceedings, or where necessary to protect the rights, property or safety of our business, our customers, or others.

International data transfers

Where we use service providers based outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, your personal data may be transferred to countries with different data protection laws. In such cases, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms, to protect your information and to ensure that your rights remain enforceable.

Data retention and storage

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting and reporting requirements.

In general, we keep customer and service-related records for a period that reflects applicable limitation periods for legal claims and our regulatory obligations. After this period, we will securely delete or anonymise your personal data so that it can no longer be associated with you.

The exact retention period may vary depending on the type of data and the context in which it was collected. Where we rely on your consent, for example for marketing communications, we will retain the relevant data until you withdraw your consent or until it is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected.

How we protect your data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and appropriate contractual safeguards with our service providers.

While we take reasonable steps to secure your data, no transmission or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We regularly review our security measures and policies to help ensure that your information remains protected.

Your data protection rights

You have a number of rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you, subject to certain conditions and exemptions set out in data protection law.

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation that we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of that data, along with information about how we use it.

Right to rectification. You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you may have the right to request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we do not have another lawful basis to retain it.

Right to restriction of processing. You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, such as while we are considering a request to rectify your data or an objection you have raised.

Right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, and you believe that your rights and freedoms outweigh our interests. You also have an absolute right to object to the use of your data for direct marketing.

Right to data portability. Where our processing is based on your consent or on a contract and is carried out by automated means, you may have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to request that we transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdrew your consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to address your concerns.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. Any changes will be posted in the latest version of this Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this document periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.