Dulwich Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Dulwich Removals collects, uses and protects your personal data when you use our removal and related services. It applies to all Dulwich Removals customers in our service area, including prospective, current and past customers who contact us or engage our services.

We are committed to processing your personal data lawfully, fairly and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and all applicable data protection legislation.

Data Controller

Dulwich Removals is the data controller for the personal data we collect and process about you for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy. This means we decide how and why your personal data is processed and are responsible for safeguarding it.

You can contact us in writing for any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we handle your data, or to exercise your data protection rights.

Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you use. This may include the following categories of information.

Identification and contact details such as your name, address, property addresses relevant to the removal, and other contact details you choose to share.

Service and booking information such as details about the removal service requested, inventory information you provide, dates and times of moves, access details for premises, and any specific instructions relating to the service.

Communication records such as information contained in emails, letters, messages, and notes from telephone calls or in-person discussions relating to quotations, bookings, complaints or feedback.

Payment and billing information such as billing address, details of payments made, and payment status. We do not store full payment card details where payment is processed through a third party payment provider.

Website and technical information such as basic technical data collected when you visit our website, which may include IP address, browser type and approximate location data. This is typically used for security, analytics and website performance purposes.

How We Collect Your Data

We may collect your personal data in a variety of ways, including when you contact us to request a quote, book a removal or make an enquiry, when you complete forms or provide details in writing or over the phone, when you communicate with us during the course of providing services, and when you visit or interact with our website or digital platforms.

We may also receive personal data about you from third parties where this is necessary for providing our services, such as estate agents or other intermediaries you have authorised to share your details.

Purposes and Lawful Bases for Processing

We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the GDPR. Depending on the specific activity, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases.

Contractual necessity. We process data to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, and to perform our contract with you. This includes providing quotations, arranging and carrying out removal services, communicating with you about the services, and handling billing and payment.

Legitimate interests. We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples include improving our services, responding to general enquiries, ensuring the security of our systems and premises, handling complaints, and maintaining appropriate business records.

Legal obligation. We may process personal data where this is necessary to comply with our legal obligations, such as accounting, tax and insurance requirements, and for responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where we send you certain optional marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes.

To provide our removal and related services, including preparing quotations, organising logistics, planning routes and access, and delivering the services you have requested.

To communicate with you, including answering your enquiries, confirming arrangements, sending service updates, and responding to complaints, comments or feedback.

To manage our business operations, including accounting, record keeping, insurance administration, training, and internal analysis of service usage.

To maintain the safety and security of our staff, customers and property, including managing access to sites and vehicles and preventing fraud or misuse.

To comply with applicable laws and regulations, including tax, financial and legal reporting obligations and responding to legitimate requests from public authorities.

To send you information about our services where you have requested this, or where our legitimate interests permit and you have not opted out.

Data Sharing and Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and where they act as data processors or independent controllers.

Service providers and processors. We may engage third party companies to perform services on our behalf, such as IT and system support providers, payment processors, document storage and archiving providers, and customer relationship management providers. These processors are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and are required to keep it secure.

Professional advisers and insurers. We may share data with our accountants, legal advisers, insurance brokers and insurers where necessary for professional advice, claims handling, or compliance obligations.

Public authorities. We may disclose personal data if required by law, regulation, court order or a competent authority, or where necessary to protect our rights, property or safety or that of our customers, staff or others.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

International Data Transfers

Where our service providers or systems involve the transfer of personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with data protection law. This may include using standard contractual clauses or ensuring transfers are made only to countries with an adequate level of protection.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.

In general, we keep core customer and service records for a period that allows us to handle queries, manage potential legal claims and comply with statutory obligations. After this period, data will be securely deleted or anonymised so that it can no longer be linked to you.

The specific retention period may vary depending on the type of information and our regulatory obligations. We review our retention periods regularly and securely dispose of data that is no longer required.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and exemptions.

Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of your personal data, together with certain information about how we use it.

Right to rectification. You have the right to ask us to correct personal data you believe is inaccurate or to complete data you believe is incomplete.

Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you have the right to request that we delete your personal data, for example where the data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to retain it.

Right to restriction of processing. You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we are considering a request to rectify it.

Right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, and to object at any time to the use of your data for direct marketing.

Right to data portability. In some cases, you have the right to receive the personal data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and to request that we transfer it to another organisation where technically feasible.

Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdraw consent.

Exercising Your Rights and Complaints

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have questions about this Privacy Policy, you can contact us in writing using our published contact details. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority for data protection if you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concerns directly.

Security of Your Personal Data

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, misuse, alteration or loss. These measures include access controls, staff training, secure storage and appropriate contractual arrangements with our service providers.

While we strive to protect your personal data, no method of transmission or storage can be guaranteed as completely secure. You are also responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect your own information when communicating with us.

Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or services. The latest version will always apply to the personal data we hold about you. We recommend reviewing this page periodically to stay informed about how we protect your data.