Privacy Policy - Paddington Movers

Paddington Movers is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of our customers. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. It applies to all Paddington Movers customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our removal, packing, storage, and related services.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Paddington Movers acts as the data controller for the personal data we collect and use in connection with our services. This means we decide why and how personal data is processed. We are responsible for ensuring that all processing is lawful, fair, transparent, and limited to what is necessary for the purposes stated in this policy.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process a range of personal data depending on the services requested and the way in which you interact with us. The categories of data we collect may include:

Identity data, such as your name and title.
Contact data, such as your address, phone number, and email address.
Service data, such as moving dates, property details, inventory lists, access requirements, and service preferences.
Payment data, such as billing information and transaction records. We do not store full card details unless this is necessary and securely managed by an approved payment provider.
Communication data, including emails, text messages, call notes, and other correspondence related to your booking or enquiry.
Technical data, such as IP address, browser type, and device information if you use our website or digital booking forms.
Special category data, only where strictly necessary and usually not intentionally collected. If such data is provided by you, we will handle it with additional care and only where a lawful basis exists.

We collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quotation, book a service, submit forms, communicate with our team, or provide information during the planning and completion of a move. We may also receive limited information from third parties where needed to carry out the service, such as landlords, estate agents, solicitors, storage partners, or authorised representatives acting on your behalf.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data only for legitimate business and legal purposes connected to the services we provide. These purposes may include:

Preparing quotations and service estimates.
Managing bookings, scheduling crews, and planning routes.
Delivering removal, packing, storage, and related services.
Handling payments, invoices, and account administration.
Communicating with you about your service, changes, or issues.
Managing claims, complaints, and service disputes.
Meeting legal, regulatory, accounting, and insurance obligations.
Improving our operations, training, service quality, and customer experience.
Protecting against fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and we have informed you where required.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Paddington Movers relies on one or more of the following lawful bases, depending on the circumstance:

Contract: We process data to take steps at your request before entering into a contract and to perform our service agreement with you.
Legal obligation: We process data where necessary to comply with tax, accounting, transport, insurance, or other legal requirements.
Legitimate interests: We process data to run and improve our business, prevent fraud, manage risk, and maintain accurate records, provided our interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Consent: In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where optional marketing communications are involved or where required for certain types of data processing. You can withdraw consent at any time where it is the basis used.
Vital interests: In rare circumstances, we may process data to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

Where we process special category data, we will do so only when another lawful condition is met and additional safeguards are in place.

5. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties only when necessary for the purposes set out in this policy. These parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service provided.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

IT and software providers that host booking, scheduling, or record-keeping systems.
Cloud storage and document management services.
Payment service providers and accounting software providers.
Communication platforms used for email, SMS, or customer support.
Vehicle tracking, route planning, or logistics tools.
Professional advisers, including lawyers, accountants, and insurers where necessary.
Subcontracted movers or storage partners assisting with delivery of the service.

We require our processors to handle personal data securely, to act only on our instructions, and to comply with data protection law. Where information is shared with third parties acting as independent controllers, we will do so only when there is a lawful basis and the sharing is necessary for the service or for legal reasons.

We do not sell personal data. We do not share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes unless you have expressly agreed or we are otherwise permitted by law.

6. International Transfers

In some cases, your personal data may be stored or processed outside the UK, for example where a technology provider uses servers in another country. If this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision, standard contractual clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism recognised under UK GDPR.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, insurance, and dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the data and the service provided.

Typical retention practices may include:

Booking and service records retained for a period necessary to manage the contract and any follow-up issues.
Financial and invoicing records retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Claims or complaint records retained for as long as needed to resolve the issue and defend against legal claims.
Marketing preferences retained until you withdraw consent or object where applicable.

When personal data is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in a way that prevents unnecessary access.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under UK GDPR, you have important rights regarding your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these rights include:

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 restriction: You may request that we limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability: You may request that we provide certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object: You may object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Please note that these rights are not absolute. In some cases, we may need to retain or continue processing certain data where the law allows or requires it.

9. Security Measures

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

10. Children’s Data

Our services are generally not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for the provision of a service requested by an adult customer and is handled in accordance with data protection law. Where children’s data is involved, we will process it only where justified and with appropriate safeguards.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Paddington Movers respects your privacy and is committed to using personal data responsibly, securely, and lawfully. We collect only the information needed to provide a professional moving service, rely on appropriate lawful bases, share data only with trusted processors where required, retain it for no longer than necessary, and support your rights under data protection law. Our approach is designed to be transparent, accountable, and customer-focused at every stage of your move.