Privacy Policy - Holborn Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Holborn Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal, storage, packing, and related services. It applies to all Holborn Removals customers in the area, including individuals, families, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services or enquire about them. We are committed to handling personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws.

1. Personal data we collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary to deliver our services, manage customer relationships, and meet legal obligations. The type of information we may collect includes:

Identity details: name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact details: address, email address, and telephone number.
Service details: moving date, property access notes, inventory information, delivery instructions, and packing requirements.
Payment information: billing address, payment status, and transaction details. We do not store full card details unless required by the payment provider’s secure systems.
Communication records: enquiries, quotes, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Operational information: notes about large or fragile items, parking restrictions, stair access, storage preferences, and special handling requirements.
Technical data: limited website or device information if you interact with digital services, such as IP address and browser type, where applicable.

We may also receive data from third parties, such as estate agents, landlords, solicitors, letting agents, or business partners, where necessary to arrange or fulfil a removal service. In such cases, we will only use the data for the purpose for which it was provided.

2. How we use personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and manage bookings;
to plan and deliver removal, packing, storage, and related services;
to communicate with customers about schedules, access, or service changes;
to process payments and issue invoices;
to maintain internal records and service history;
to handle complaints, disputes, or insurance matters;
to improve service quality, training, and operational efficiency;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations.

We only use personal data for the purposes outlined above or for compatible related purposes. We do not sell personal data or use it for unrelated marketing without appropriate permission.

3. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, Holborn Removals relies on the following legal bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, booking services, carrying out removals, processing payments, and dealing with customer support relating to those services.

Legal obligation

We may process data where we must comply with legal duties, such as accounting, tax, record-keeping, insurance, fraud prevention, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your rights do not override those interests. This may include managing business operations, improving our services, communicating with customers about their bookings, and protecting our business from misuse or claims. We always assess legitimate-interest processing to ensure it is proportionate and respectful of privacy.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of optional marketing or for the use of non-essential cookies, if applicable. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

4. Data sharing and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the relationship and legal role. Processors only process data on our instructions and must protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors and recipients may include:

IT and hosting providers, who store or support our systems and data;
payment service providers, who handle secure payment processing;
accounting and bookkeeping providers, who help manage finance and compliance;
insurance providers and claims handlers, where needed for service protection or claims handling;
storage or logistics partners, where relevant to a move or storage arrangement;
professional advisers, including legal or tax advisers;
public authorities, courts, or regulators where required by law.

Where processors are used, we take reasonable steps to ensure they are bound by appropriate contractual and security obligations. If data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure suitable safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data protection law.

5. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the nature of the service.

In general:

customer booking and service records are kept for a period necessary to manage the contract and handle queries or claims;
financial and invoicing records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law;
complaints, correspondence, and insurance-related records may be retained longer where needed to resolve disputes or support legal claims;
data that is no longer needed is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in line with our retention practices.

We regularly review retention needs to avoid keeping personal data for longer than necessary.

6. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, password protection, staff training, and data minimisation. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we work to maintain a high level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

7. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limits and exceptions, but we will always review requests carefully.

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 circumstances.
Right to restrict processing: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: you may request that certain data be provided in a structured, commonly used format where technically feasible.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you exercise a right, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law.

8. Complaints and further information

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to raise them so that we can investigate and respond appropriately. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

9. 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. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

10. Summary of key principles

Holborn Removals processes personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only what we need, use it for clear business and legal purposes, share it only with trusted processors or where legally required, and retain it for no longer than necessary. All Holborn Removals customers in the area are covered by this policy, and we remain committed to respecting privacy at every stage of our service.