Privacy Policy - Brixton Removals

Brixton Removals is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our customers, website visitors, suppliers, and any other individuals whose information we process. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in connection with our removal and related services. It applies to all Brixton Removals customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our services.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to be transparent about what information we collect, why we collect it, and the rights available to you.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and which services you request. The information we collect may include:

Identity data, such as your name, title, and date of birth where required for service verification or insurance purposes.
Contact data, such as your address, email address, telephone number, and alternative contact details.
Service data, including move addresses, property access details, inventory information, special handling instructions, and preferred move dates.
Payment data, such as billing information, payment method details, and transaction records. We do not store full card details where payment processing is handled by a secure third-party provider.
Communication data, including emails, messages, call notes, quotes, complaints, and customer service correspondence.
Technical data, if you visit any online platform we use, such as IP address, browser type, device identifiers, and usage information.
Special category data, only where strictly necessary and with appropriate safeguards, for example if you voluntarily provide information about accessibility needs, health-related handling requirements, or vulnerabilities that affect the service.

We generally collect personal data directly from you. In some cases, we may receive information from third parties, such as estate agents, landlords, solicitors, property managers, insurers, or payment service providers, where this is necessary to complete the service or administer a booking.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and arrange removal services;
to plan, deliver, and manage your move;
to communicate with you about bookings, scheduling, access, and service changes;
to process payments, refunds, and account-related matters;
to handle queries, complaints, and claims;
to comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, and insurance obligations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity;
to improve our services, train staff, and maintain quality standards;
to keep records of transactions and service history.

We only use personal data where we have a valid lawful basis for doing so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Performance of a Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, arranging removals, managing bookings, carrying out the move, and handling payment.

Legal Obligation

We may process your information where required to comply with legal obligations, such as tax rules, accounting requirements, insurance obligations, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights. This may include service improvement, record-keeping, fraud prevention, internal administration, and handling customer disputes.

Consent

Where required, we will rely on your consent. This may apply to certain types of optional processing or where you provide special category information voluntarily and we need your explicit permission to use it. You may withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the lawful basis.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service provided. These third parties are only permitted to use your data for agreed purposes and must protect it appropriately.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

payment processors for secure payment handling;
IT and cloud storage providers used for business administration and data backup;
customer relationship management and booking systems;
accountants, auditors, and professional advisers;
insurance providers and claims handlers;
subcontracted removal staff or logistics partners where needed to deliver your move;
maintenance or software support providers for business systems.

We require processors to use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data. If we disclose information to independent controllers, such as legal advisers, insurers, or authorities, those parties are responsible for their own data handling practices.

We do not sell your personal data.

5. International Transfers

In some cases, personal data may be stored or processed outside the UK. If this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as approved contractual clauses or adequacy decisions, to protect your information to a standard equivalent to UK data protection requirements.

6. 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, insurance, and contractual requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information and the reason it is held.

As a general approach:

customer and service records are retained for a period necessary to manage our relationship and resolve disputes;
financial records are retained for the period required under tax and accounting law;
complaints, claims, and insurance-related records may be retained longer where needed to defend or establish legal rights;
data that is no longer required is securely deleted or anonymised.

We periodically review our records to ensure that data is not kept longer than necessary.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, password protection, and restricted use of customer information. While no system is completely secure, we take data protection seriously and work to reduce risks wherever possible.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have certain rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to limitations depending on the circumstances and the legal basis for processing.

Right of access: you can request confirmation of whether we process your data and obtain a copy of it.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: in some cases, you can request deletion of your data.
Right to restriction: you can ask us to restrict how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability: you may request certain information in a structured, commonly used format where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner???s Office (ICO) if you believe your rights have been violated. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first.

9. 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 move involving a family household and only to the extent required to provide the service safely and effectively.

10. 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 handling practices. Any revised version will take effect when published or otherwise communicated to you. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Brixton Removals will only collect and use personal data for clear, lawful, and limited purposes. We aim to be transparent, fair, and responsible in the way we handle information. We retain data only as long as needed, use trusted processors where necessary, and respect your rights under data protection law. This Privacy Policy applies to all Brixton Removals customers in the area and is designed to ensure your personal data is handled with care and in line with GDPR principles.