Privacy Policy - Man With Van The Hale

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van The Hale collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, transport, and related services. It applies to all Man With Van The Hale customers in the area, including prospective customers, private individuals, landlords, tenants, and business clients who request or receive our services.

We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is designed to help you understand what information we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your personal data.

1. Who We Are

Man With Van The Hale provides van-based moving and transport services, including house moves, office moves, item collection, delivery, loading, unloading, and related support. In the course of delivering these services, we may process personal data about customers, recipients, suppliers, and other individuals connected with a booking.

For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller for the personal data we decide to collect and use for service administration, customer communication, billing, compliance, and business operations.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

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

Identity information such as your name and title.
Contact details such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking details including move dates, collection and delivery locations, service instructions, access notes, and item descriptions.
Payment and billing data such as invoicing details and transaction records.
Communication records including messages, phone notes, complaint details, and service updates.
Special instructions relevant to the move, such as fragile items, property access requirements, or parking arrangements.
Technical data if you interact with our digital systems, such as device information, IP address, and usage logs, where applicable.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you provide it voluntarily, for example where it is included in service instructions. If such data is provided, we will handle it with extra care and only where a lawful basis applies.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and manage bookings;
to plan and carry out moving and delivery services;
to communicate with customers about service arrangements;
to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain accounts;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, or requests;
to maintain business records and meet legal obligations;
to improve our services, processes, and customer experience;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will only use your personal data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected or where we have a lawful basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for every processing activity. We rely on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, confirming bookings, delivering services, and managing payment and service completion.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data where required by law, such as for tax records, accounting obligations, insurance matters, and compliance with lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include record keeping, service improvement, fraud prevention, and handling disputes.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to provide optional information or agree to certain forms of communication. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

We do not rely on consent where another lawful basis is more appropriate or required.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for service delivery, administration, or legal compliance. These third parties act as data processors or independent controllers depending on the context.

Processors are organisations that process personal data on our instructions. They may include:

accounting and bookkeeping providers;
payment service providers;
IT, cloud storage, and software providers;
customer communication tools;
logistics or subcontracted service partners, where used;
professional advisers such as insurers, legal advisers, or auditors.

All processors are required to handle personal data securely, only for agreed purposes, and in compliance with data protection law. We do not sell personal data. We do not share information for unrelated marketing by third parties unless you have clearly agreed to it.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights, customers, staff, or property.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Typical retention periods may include:

Booking and service records: retained for a reasonable period after the service to manage queries, disputes, and follow-up matters;
Invoice and tax records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
Complaint and claims records: retained for the duration needed to resolve the matter and defend legal claims;
Communication records: retained for customer service, audit, and business continuity purposes.

When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, destroy, or anonymise it.

7. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, and the use of reputable service providers.

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

8. International Transfers

If any processor stores or accesses data outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms required under data protection law.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights over your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing. They include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain cases;
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations;
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable;
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. We will respond within the time limits required by law unless an extension is permitted.

If you believe we have not handled your data properly, you also have the right to raise a concern with the relevant data protection authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

10. Third-Party Information

Sometimes you may provide us with personal data relating to another person, such as a recipient, property owner, tenant, or contact person. If you share such information, you should ensure you have the authority or permission to do so. We will treat that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or 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 data is used.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van The Hale is committed to protecting personal data and using it responsibly. We collect only the data needed to deliver our services, rely on clear lawful bases, keep data only for as long as necessary, use trusted processors under contract, and respect your rights under data protection law. This policy applies to all Man With Van The Hale customers in area and is intended to provide transparent, fair, and lawful handling of personal information throughout the customer journey.