Privacy Policy - Man With Van Stepney

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With Van Stepney collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving, removal, and transport services. It applies to all Man With Van Stepney customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who request or receive our services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With Van Stepney is a moving and transport service provider operating in the Stepney area and nearby locations. In the context of data protection law, we are the data controller for the personal data we collect and use for our own business purposes. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. Where we use third parties to support our services, they may act as data processors or, in some cases, separate controllers depending on the service they provide.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect data that is relevant and necessary to provide our services, manage bookings, and operate our business effectively. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name, title, and any business name you provide.
Contact data such as your phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service data including move dates, property access details, inventory information, special handling requirements, and delivery instructions.
Payment data such as payment method details, transaction records, and billing information. We do not store more payment information than is necessary for processing and accounting purposes.
Communication data including messages, call notes, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data where applicable, such as limited device or browser information if you interact with us electronically.
Special instructions that may reveal sensitive circumstances related to your move, for example access needs, timing constraints, or building restrictions. We ask customers to avoid sharing unnecessary special category data unless it is essential for the service.

We do not intentionally collect more information than needed. If you provide data about other people, such as family members, tenants, or business contacts, you are responsible for ensuring you have the right to share it with us.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes and manage bookings.
To plan and carry out removals, deliveries, and transport services.
To communicate with you before, during, and after the service.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain financial records.
To handle customer support, complaints, and claims.
To meet legal, tax, accounting, and insurance obligations.
To improve service quality, train staff, and manage business operations.
To defend legal claims or establish, exercise, or defend our rights.

We process personal data only for specified and legitimate purposes and will not use it in a manner that is incompatible with those purposes.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Depending on the context, Man With Van Stepney may rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract: We process data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as arranging a quotation, managing a booking, or completing a move.
Legal obligation: We may process and retain certain records to comply with tax, accounting, record-keeping, transport, or insurance laws.
Legitimate interests: We may use data for the efficient running of our business, service improvement, internal administration, fraud prevention, and customer support, provided our interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for optional communications or where special category data must be handled in a way that requires consent. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Where we process special category data or other sensitive information, we will only do so where a lawful condition under data protection law applies and only when necessary for the service.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services or to meet legal obligations. These recipients may include:

Payment providers for processing transactions.
Accounting and bookkeeping services for financial management and tax compliance.
IT and cloud storage providers for secure data hosting, email, and record management.
Customer communication tools used to manage bookings and service updates.
Insurance providers, legal advisers, and claims handlers where needed for risk management or dispute resolution.
Professional service partners who assist with operational tasks under our instructions.

Where these third parties act as processors, they process data only on our instructions, must keep it secure, and are not allowed to use it for their own purposes. We require appropriate contractual safeguards and ensure that processors provide sufficient guarantees regarding confidentiality, integrity, and availability of personal data.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or regulatory request, or where necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of our business, staff, customers, or the public.

6. International Transfers

We aim to store and process data within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area where possible. If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate protections are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent safeguards recognised under applicable law.

7. Data Retention

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

Booking and service records are retained for a reasonable period after completion to manage queries, disputes, and service history.
Invoice and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Complaint and claims records may be retained longer where needed to resolve disputes or defend legal claims.
Unnecessary or outdated information is securely deleted or anonymised when no longer needed.

We apply a storage limitation principle and review retained information periodically to ensure it is not kept longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, password protection, and restricted data sharing. While no system is completely risk-free, we take reasonable steps to safeguard the information entrusted to us.

9. Your Rights

Depending on the legal basis for processing and the circumstances of the request, you may have the following rights under data protection law:

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 situations.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we process your data in specific circumstances.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable 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.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond within the time limits set by law. In some cases, we may need to verify your identity before acting on your request. Some rights may be limited where processing is necessary for legal compliance, contract performance, or the establishment and defence of claims.

10. Automated Decision-Making

We do not normally rely on fully automated decision-making that has legal or similarly significant effects on customers. If this changes, we will inform you and provide the safeguards required by law.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults arranging moving or transport services. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is unavoidable in connection with a household move and only where it is relevant and limited to the service requested.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or services. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how their data is handled.

Summary of Our Commitment

Man With Van Stepney is committed to processing personal data lawfully, securely, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to deliver our services, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it only as long as necessary, and respect the rights of all customers in the Stepney area.