Privacy Policy - Man And Van Barnet

Effective for all Man And Van Barnet customers in the area. This Privacy Policy explains how Man And Van Barnet collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our removal, delivery, transport, and related services. We are committed to handling personal information in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line 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 Man And Van Barnet customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, businesses, and anyone who requests or receives our services. It also applies to people who contact us for a quotation, make a booking, communicate with us about a service, or otherwise provide personal information to us in connection with our work.

2. Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the provision and management of our services. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of data:

• Identity data, such as your name and title.
• Contact data, such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
• Booking and service data, such as service dates, collection and delivery addresses, access details, inventory notes, and instructions relating to your move or transport request.
• Payment data, such as payment confirmation and limited billing-related information.
• Communication data, including emails, call notes, messages, complaint details, and other correspondence.
• Technical data, where applicable, such as IP address, device information, browser type, and basic usage information if you interact with our digital systems.
• Special category data, which we do not intentionally collect. If such information is incidentally provided, it will only be processed where permitted by law and where necessary.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you request a quotation, make a booking, agree service terms, communicate with us, or provide information during service delivery. In some cases, we may receive data from third parties acting on your behalf, such as estate agents, landlords, tenants, business representatives, or payment providers.

3. How we use your personal data

We use your personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis and only for clearly defined purposes. These purposes include:

• providing quotations and confirming service availability;
• arranging, delivering, and managing removal and transport services;
• communicating with you about your booking, timing, access, and service requirements;
• processing payments, invoicing, and handling account administration;
• resolving queries, complaints, and disputes;
• maintaining accurate business records and meeting legal, tax, and accounting obligations;
• protecting against fraud, misuse, and security incidents;
• improving our customer service and internal operations.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably believe that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and the law allows us to do so.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal data. Depending on the context, we rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, carrying out the service, handling service instructions, and managing billing related to the service.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data to comply with our legal obligations, such as record-keeping, tax compliance, accounting requirements, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include managing customer relationships, improving operations, preventing fraud, protecting our business, and maintaining service quality. We always consider the impact on your privacy before relying on this basis.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for a specific type of optional communication. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. How we share personal data

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services, administer our business, or comply with legal requirements. These third parties may include:

• Payment providers that help process transactions.
• IT and software providers that support scheduling, communications, document storage, and business administration.
• Professional advisers, including accountants, legal advisers, and insurers, where necessary.
• Subcontractors or operational partners who assist in delivering services under our instructions.
• Public authorities, regulators, or law enforcement where disclosure is required by law.

Where we use third-party service providers, they act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service. We ensure appropriate contracts and safeguards are in place so that your data is handled securely and lawfully.

6. Processors and data protection safeguards

When a third party processes personal data on our behalf, that third party is a processor. Processors may only act on our documented instructions and must protect the data appropriately. We choose processors carefully and require them to follow confidentiality, security, and data protection obligations.

Examples of processors may include cloud storage providers, booking system providers, customer communication platforms, payment service providers, and document management systems. Each processor is required to maintain appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

We also apply internal safeguards, including access controls, staff confidentiality obligations, and record management procedures. Only authorised personnel may access personal data where access is needed for their role.

7. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and why it is held.

• Quotation and booking records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage service history, customer queries, and business administration.
• Payment and invoicing records are retained for the periods required by tax and accounting law.
• Communication records may be retained for a period necessary to resolve disputes, improve service, or maintain a business record.
• Security and system records may be retained for limited periods for fraud prevention, audit, and operational integrity.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you. We do not keep data indefinitely.

8. International transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place and that the transfer complies with data protection law. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful mechanisms designed to protect your information.

9. Your rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations or exceptions, but we will always assess requests carefully and respond appropriately.

Right of access

You may request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data.

Right to rectification

You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

Right to erasure

In certain circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal data. This is sometimes called the right to be forgotten.

Right to restriction

You may ask us to restrict the processing of your data in certain situations, such as while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection.

Right to data portability

Where the legal conditions are met, you may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format or transfer it to another controller.

Right to object

You may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including profiling where applicable. We will stop processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds or the processing is needed for legal claims.

Right to withdraw consent

If we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Right to complain

You also have the right to raise concerns with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data has not been handled in accordance with the law.

10. Security of your information

We take appropriate security measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, and disclosure. These measures may include physical safeguards, access controls, password protection, secure storage, and staff training. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risk.

11. Children’s data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is provided by an adult customer in connection with a service arrangement. If we become aware that we have collected child-related data without a lawful basis, we will take appropriate steps to remove or protect it.

12. 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 updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their information is used.

13. Summary of our approach

Man And Van Barnet is committed to processing personal data responsibly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide and manage our services, use it under clear lawful bases, retain it only for appropriate periods, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your rights and aim to handle every customer’s information with care and accountability.