Privacy Policy - Balham Removals

Balham Removals is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all customers, prospective customers, and website or service users. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Balham Removals customers in the area, including anyone who requests, receives, or enquires about our removal services.

1. Who We Are

Balham Removals provides domestic and commercial removal services, including related logistics, packing, storage coordination, and moving support. For the purposes of data protection law, Balham Removals acts as the data controller for the personal data we collect and process in connection with our services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the operation and delivery of our services, to manage our customer relationships, and to meet legal obligations. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name and title.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Service and booking data including removal dates, property details, inventory information, special instructions, and access requirements.
Payment and billing data such as payment records, transaction references, invoicing details, and limited financial information needed to process payments.
Communication data such as correspondence, quotes, complaints, feedback, and notes relating to customer service.
Technical data if you interact with our digital services, which may include device information, IP address, and usage data.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and usually only if you choose to disclose it, for example information about mobility needs or access requirements that may affect how we provide the service.

We do not intentionally collect more personal data than is needed. Where we request information, you are free to decide whether to provide it, but withholding certain details may limit our ability to deliver the service effectively.

3. How We Use Personal Data

Balham Removals uses personal data for the following purposes:

To provide quotes, confirm bookings, and manage removal services.
To communicate with customers about scheduling, access, logistics, and service updates.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain business records.
To handle complaints, claims, disputes, and customer support requests.
To comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.
To improve our services, internal processes, and customer experience.
To protect our business, staff, customers, and property from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We process personal data in a manner that is fair, lawful, transparent, and limited to specified purposes. We do not use your data for unrelated purposes unless we inform you and have a valid legal basis to do so.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Balham 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 quotations, confirming bookings, moving goods, and completing the services you request.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where necessary to comply with laws and regulations, including accounting, tax, insurance, and record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process certain data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This can include managing customer relationships, improving services, preventing fraud, maintaining security, and handling internal administration. We always balance our interests against your privacy rights.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where we need to use optional information or send specific communications that are not required for the service. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to provide our services or meet our obligations. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum information required and use appropriate safeguards.

Processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle card or electronic transactions.
IT and cloud service providers that store or support our business systems.
Customer management, booking, and communications platforms.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, legal advisers, and auditors.
Subcontractors or specialist partners involved in delivering a removal service, where relevant.

Where processors handle data on our behalf, they are contractually bound to act only on our instructions, protect the data, and maintain appropriate security measures. We do not sell your personal data.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, insurance, or dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the reason for processing.

In general:

Booking and service records may be retained for several years to support administration, customer queries, and legal obligations.
Financial and tax records are kept for the period required by law.
Correspondence and complaints may be stored for a reasonable time to manage service history and resolve issues.
Technical data is retained for a limited period unless needed for security or legal purposes.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete, anonymise, or securely destroy it. This retention approach helps ensure that data is not kept longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We take 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, and limitation of data access to those who need it for their role.

While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we regularly review our safeguards and seek to reduce risk through good security practices and data minimisation.

8. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate legal safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We only permit such transfers where adequate protection is maintained.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:

Access the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure of your data in certain circumstances.
Restriction of processing in certain situations.
Data portability for information you have provided to us, where applicable.
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent.

You also have the right to be informed about how your data is used and the right not to be subject to certain decisions made solely by automated means, where applicable. We will respond to valid requests in accordance with GDPR time limits and requirements.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a household move and provided by an adult customer or guardian. If we learn that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. 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 updates will apply from the date they are published. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how Balham Removals handles your personal data, you should first contact us through our usual customer service channels so we can try to resolve the matter. You also have the right to raise a concern with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

By using Balham Removals services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy. We are committed to handling all personal data with care, transparency, and respect for your rights.