Privacy Policy - Holloway Removals

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Holloway Removals customers in the area and explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in connection with our services.

1. Introduction

Holloway Removals is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, the legal bases we rely on under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, how long we keep information, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to you.

By engaging our services or communicating with us in relation to a removal, delivery, storage, packing, or related service, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this policy.

2. Data we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Identity details: your name, title, and any other identifiers you provide.
• Contact details: address, email address, telephone number, and delivery or collection addresses.
• Service information: details about the removal or associated service requested, property access details, inventories, instructions, dates, and service preferences.
• Billing and payment information: invoices, payment status, and transaction details. We do not intend to collect more payment information than is necessary for processing and record-keeping.
• Communication records: emails, messages, notes of calls, complaints, feedback, and any correspondence relating to your booking or our services.
• Operational data: details relevant to planning and delivering a move, including parking restrictions, access limitations, special handling requirements, and item descriptions.
• Technical data: limited data such as IP address, device information, and browser details if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.

We may also receive personal data from third parties where necessary for the performance of our services, such as letting agents, solicitors, landlords, estate agents, insurers, or other parties involved in coordinating a move. Where we receive information from such sources, we will only use it for the purposes described in this policy.

3. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotations, plan removals, and deliver contracted services;
• to confirm identities and verify instructions;
• to communicate with you about bookings, schedules, and service changes;
• to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records;
• to manage complaints, claims, disputes, and service issues;
• to meet legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
• to protect our business, staff, customers, and property;
• to improve our services, operations, and customer experience;
• to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims where necessary.

We only process personal data where it is relevant, necessary, and proportionate to the service or obligation concerned. We do not use your data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, Holloway 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 quotes, arranging removals, carrying out services, handling instructions, and managing payment arrangements.

Legal obligation

We process personal data when required to comply with legal obligations, 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 interests or those of a third party, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples include managing and improving our services, preventing fraud, protecting our operations, responding to complaints, and maintaining business records. Where required, we balance these interests against your privacy rights.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need permission to use certain optional information or where consent is otherwise required by law. If we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

5. Retention of personal data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the nature of the service.

• Customer and service records: retained for a period necessary to manage the contract, resolve disputes, and maintain operational records.
• Financial records: retained in line with statutory accounting and tax obligations.
• Claims and complaints information: retained for as long as needed to deal with the matter and defend or pursue legal claims.
• General correspondence: retained for a reasonable period after the service ends unless a longer period is required by law.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it. We do not keep personal data indefinitely.

6. Processors and third parties

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that process information on our behalf or assist in delivering our services. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Examples may include:

• IT and cloud storage providers;
• accounting and bookkeeping providers;
• payment service providers;
• customer management or communication platforms;
• surveying, storage, packing, or logistics partners;
• legal, insurance, or claims handling professionals;
• regulators, law enforcement, courts, or other authorities where required by law.

Where we use processors, we require appropriate data processing terms and security safeguards. These parties are only permitted to process personal data on our instructions and for the specified purpose.

We do not sell your personal data. Any sharing is limited to what is necessary for service delivery, legal compliance, or legitimate business operations.

7. International transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. This may include transfers to countries recognised as providing an adequate level of protection or the use of approved contractual safeguards. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that your data remains protected wherever it is processed.

8. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, loss, misuse, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, staff training, secure storage, password protection, and restricted data access. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we review our safeguards regularly and seek to maintain a level of security appropriate to the risks involved.

9. Your rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to exemptions and limitations in certain situations.

• Right of access: you can request confirmation of whether we process your data and obtain a copy of it.
• Right to rectification: you can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: you can request deletion of your data where there is no lawful reason for us to keep it.
• Right to restriction: you can ask us to restrict processing in certain circumstances.
• Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
• Right to data portability: you may request that certain data be provided to you or another controller in a structured format, where applicable.
• Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority if you believe your personal data has been handled unlawfully. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concern directly.

10. Children's data

Our services are intended for adults arranging removals and related services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in the context of a household service and provided by an adult customer. If we become aware that we have unintentionally collected children's data without a valid reason, we will take appropriate steps to delete or protect it.

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 updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend that you review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

12. Summary of our commitment

Holloway Removals is committed to processing personal data lawfully, securely, and only for legitimate purposes connected with providing our services. We collect only the information needed to manage your removal and related requirements, retain it for appropriate periods, share it only with authorised processors or third parties where necessary, and respect your rights under data protection law. Your privacy matters to us, and we aim to treat your personal data with care and accountability at every stage.