Privacy Policy - Balham Movers

Balham Movers is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of every customer, prospective customer, and website visitor who uses our services in the Balham area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Balham Movers customers in the area, including individuals and businesses that request quotes, book services, or communicate with us in connection with removals, packing, storage support, furniture handling, and related moving services.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for legitimate business purposes and to provide our services safely and effectively. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information: name, title, and any details needed to identify you as a customer or contact person.
Contact information: address, email address, telephone number, and moving location details.
Service information: quote requests, booking details, delivery instructions, inventory notes, and property access information.
Billing and payment data: payment status, invoices, transaction references, and limited payment details where required for processing.
Communication records: emails, call notes, messages, complaints, and feedback.
Operational data: job scheduling records, risk assessments, vehicle allocation details, and service preferences.
Technical data: basic website usage information such as device type, browser type, and interaction data if you contact us through online channels.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it to us, or we are required to do so for a lawful reason. If such information is received incidentally, we will limit its use and apply appropriate safeguards.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to manage our services, communicate with customers, and meet legal and operational obligations. Typical uses include:

providing quotes and confirming bookings;
planning and delivering moving services;
contacting you about access, timing, or service updates;
managing payments, invoices, and account records;
responding to queries, complaints, and requests;
maintaining internal records and service quality;
protecting against fraud, misuse, or security incidents;
complying with legal, tax, and insurance obligations.

We do not use personal data for unrelated purposes that would be incompatible with the original reason it was collected.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Balham Movers relies 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 providing quotes, confirming bookings, carrying out removals, managing delivery instructions, and handling payment administration.

Legal Obligation

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

Legitimate Interests

We process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include improving operations, preventing fraud, maintaining customer records, and ensuring service security.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where this is required for certain optional communications or non-essential processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

We always assess the balance between our legitimate interests and your privacy rights before relying on this basis.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who support our operations. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share data where necessary and require appropriate safeguards.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and hosting providers that store or maintain business systems;
email and communication service providers used to manage correspondence;
payment processing providers that handle card or transaction processing;
accounting and bookkeeping providers who support financial administration;
subcontracted movers or logistics partners who assist in completing services;
insurance or legal advisers where required for claims, compliance, or disputes.

All processors are required to act only on our instructions, keep data secure, and use it solely for the agreed purpose. Where personal data is shared with independent controllers, they are responsible for their own privacy practices.

5. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider stores or accesses personal 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 permitted under data protection law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, unless a longer period is required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Customer and booking records: kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records: kept for the legally required accounting and tax period.
Complaints and correspondence: kept long enough to resolve issues and maintain a service history.
Technical or operational logs: retained only as long as needed for security, troubleshooting, and business administration.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices.

7. Data Security

We apply technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted access to sensitive records. While no system is completely risk-free, we take reasonable steps to safeguard the information we hold.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing.

Right of access: you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure: you may request deletion of your data in certain situations.
Right to restrict processing: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in specific cases.
Right to data portability: you may request certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: you may 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.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal or operational limits.

9. How to Exercise Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of your rights, please make a request using the channels made available by Balham Movers. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will usually reply within one month, although this may be extended where requests are complex or multiple.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a moving service and provided by an adult authorised to act on their behalf. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected data from a child without a lawful basis, 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 legal requirements, our services, or our data practices. Any updates will apply from the date they take effect. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Balham Movers is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it secure, share it only with appropriate processors or other lawful recipients, and retain it only for as long as required. This policy applies to all Balham Movers customers in the area and reflects our ongoing commitment to privacy and compliance.