Privacy Policy - Man With A Van Soho

This Privacy Policy explains how Man With A Van Soho collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our moving, delivery, and related services. It applies to all Man With A Van Soho customers in the area, including anyone who requests a quote, books a service, communicates with us, or otherwise interacts with our business. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, transparent, and secure manner in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Man With A Van Soho provides man and van transport, removals, collections, deliveries, and associated services. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller when we decide why and how personal data is processed. In some cases, we may also act as a data processor where we handle data on behalf of another controller, for example a business customer arranging a move for its own clients or staff.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet legal obligations. The types of information we may collect include:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
Contact information such as phone number, email address, and service address.
Booking and service details including move date, pickup and delivery locations, inventory information, access notes, and special handling requests.
Payment and transaction information such as billing details, payment status, and records of invoices or receipts.
Communication records including emails, text messages, call notes, and customer service correspondence.
Technical information where applicable, such as basic device or usage data collected through digital systems used for administration and security.
Evidence required for claims or disputes such as photographs, delivery records, or incident reports.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is absolutely necessary and lawful to do so. If such data is provided to us inadvertently, we will handle it with additional care and only process it where a valid legal basis exists.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes and assess service requirements;
to schedule and complete removals, deliveries, and related work;
to communicate with customers about bookings, timings, and service updates;
to process payments, issue invoices, and manage accounting;
to maintain records of work completed and customer instructions;
to handle complaints, claims, disputes, or insurance matters;
to comply with legal, tax, regulatory, and contractual obligations;
to improve service quality, operational efficiency, and customer experience;
to protect our staff, customers, property, and business interests.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only when we have a lawful basis under GDPR. Depending on the circumstances, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process data that is necessary to take steps before entering into a contract, to accept a booking, and to perform our services. This includes using your contact details, service address, and move information to carry out the job you requested.

Legal Obligation

We may process and retain certain data to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, insurance, fraud prevention, and record-keeping duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include maintaining service records, preventing misuse, improving operations, managing customer enquiries, and defending legal claims. We always consider whether the processing is necessary and proportionate.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or where we need to process specific information that is not covered by another lawful basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties when necessary to run our business and deliver services. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on their role. Processors are only allowed to act on our instructions and must protect your data appropriately.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

payment processing providers;
accounting and bookkeeping services;
IT and cloud storage providers;
communication and email system providers;
customer administration and scheduling tools;
insurance or claims handling partners where necessary.

We may also share data with legal advisers, regulators, courts, law enforcement, or other parties where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. Where a third party receives data as an independent controller, its own privacy practices will apply.

6. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure it is protected to an appropriate standard. This may include using approved contractual safeguards or transferring data only to countries recognised as providing adequate protection. We do not transfer personal data unnecessarily.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected. In general:

booking and service records are retained for a period necessary to manage the relationship, handle disputes, and maintain business records;
financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
correspondence and complaint records are retained as long as needed to resolve issues and defend claims;
data no longer required is securely deleted or anonymised.

When determining retention, we consider the nature of the data, potential legal claims, and regulatory requirements. We apply the principle of storage limitation and review records periodically to ensure they are not kept longer than necessary.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful management of third-party services. While no system is completely secure, we work to keep data protected and to respond promptly if an issue occurs.

9. Your Rights Under GDPR

You have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal limits and exemptions, these include:

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – you can request certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage customers to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them quickly and fairly.

10. 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 a service context and provided by an adult with authority to do so. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without a lawful reason, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

12. Our Commitment

At Man With A Van Soho, we respect your privacy and aim to process personal data in a transparent and responsible way. We only collect what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, and keep it only for as long as necessary. If you are a customer in the area, this policy applies to you whenever you use our services, request information, or engage with us in any way.

Last reviewed: This policy should be treated as the current privacy notice for our services, subject to future updates.