Privacy Policy - Blackfriars Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Blackfriars Removals collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data when providing removal and related services. It applies to all Blackfriars Removals customers in area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who enquire about our services. We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Blackfriars Removals is a removals service provider that helps customers with home moves, business relocations, packing, transport, storage coordination, and related services. In the course of delivering these services, we may need to collect and process personal data about customers, their household members, employees, contractors, and other relevant contacts involved in a move.

We take privacy seriously and aim to collect only the information we need to carry out our services safely, efficiently, and lawfully.

2. What Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Identity data such as your name and, where relevant, the names of individuals connected to your move.
• Contact data including address, email address, and telephone number.
• Service data relating to your move, such as property access details, inventory information, service preferences, moving dates, and delivery instructions.
• Billing and transaction data such as payment records, invoice details, and service history.
• Communication data including correspondence, enquiry records, complaints, and feedback.
• Technical data where applicable, such as basic information about how you interact with our digital services, if used for booking or communication.
• Special category data only where strictly necessary and where you have provided it to us, for example if it is relevant to access needs, vulnerable persons, or other service-related requirements.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary personal data. Where special category data is involved, we apply additional safeguards and process it only when permitted by law.

3. How We Collect Data

We may collect personal data directly from you when you:

• request a quote or make an enquiry;
• book or use our removals services;
• complete forms or provide instructions;
• communicate with us by phone, email, or other methods;
• provide feedback or raise a complaint.

We may also receive data from third parties where necessary for service delivery, such as estate agents, solicitors, landlords, property managers, storage providers, or payment service providers. In such cases, we rely on appropriate lawful bases and only use the data for the relevant service purpose.

4. Why We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide quotes and respond to enquiries;
• to plan, manage, and deliver removal services;
• to communicate about schedules, access arrangements, and service updates;
• to issue invoices, process payments, and maintain financial records;
• to keep service records and manage customer relationships;
• to address complaints, disputes, and customer support matters;
• to improve our services, operations, and service quality;
• to meet legal, regulatory, accounting, and insurance obligations;
• to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will never use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reason it was collected, unless we are legally required or otherwise permitted to do so.

5. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Blackfriars Removals relies on the following lawful bases depending on the context:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging moves, managing logistics, and completing the services you request.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal duties, including tax, accounting, record-keeping, insurance, and other statutory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes service administration, customer communication, fraud prevention, business improvement, and internal record management.

Consent

Where required by law, we rely on your consent, especially for optional communications or any processing that is not otherwise covered by another lawful basis. If consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital Interests and Public Interest

In exceptional circumstances, we may process personal data where it is necessary to protect someone’s vital interests or where required for tasks carried out in the public interest. These bases are expected to apply only rarely, if at all, in normal removals operations.

6. Who We Share Data With

We may share personal data with selected third parties who support the delivery of our services. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the circumstances.

• Payment processors to process payments securely.
• IT and cloud service providers for secure storage, communication, and administration.
• Accountants and professional advisers for financial, tax, insurance, and legal support.
• Storage providers where storage arrangements form part of the service.
• Subcontractors and partner service providers assisting with removals, packing, or logistics.
• Authorities and regulators where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

We do not sell personal data. Any sharing is limited to what is necessary for the service or required by law.

7. Processors and Data Security

Where we use processors, they are contractually required to handle personal data securely, only on our instructions, and in compliance with applicable data protection laws. We choose processors carefully and require appropriate technical and organisational measures, including access controls, confidentiality obligations, and secure storage.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. However, no system is entirely risk-free, and customers should also take care when sharing personal information.

8. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, reporting, and insurance obligations.

• Enquiry and quote records are typically kept for a limited period to manage follow-up and service administration.
• Customer service records are retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
• Financial and transaction records are retained in line with statutory accounting and tax requirements.
• Complaint and dispute records may be kept longer where needed to resolve issues or defend legal claims.

When data is no longer required, we delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply depending on the lawful basis and the nature of the processing:

• 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 data.
• Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction – to ask us to limit processing in certain situations.
• Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
• 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 will respond to valid requests within the time limits required by law and may ask for information to verify your identity before acting on a request.

10. International Transfers

In some cases, data may be stored or processed using service providers located outside the UK. Where this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that your personal data remains protected to an adequate standard under applicable law.

11. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults, but personal data may incidentally relate to children where it is necessary for the move or household arrangements. We do not intentionally collect children’s data for marketing purposes and process any such data only where necessary and lawful.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data protection practices. The most current version will apply to your use of our services.

13. Summary of Our Commitment

Blackfriars Removals is committed to protecting personal data, using it fairly and transparently, and respecting your rights. We collect only what we need, use it for clear business and legal purposes, share it only where necessary, and retain it only for as long as required. This policy applies to all Blackfriars Removals customers in area and is intended to ensure that personal data is handled responsibly throughout the moving process.

By using our services, you acknowledge that we may process your personal data in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.