Highgate Removals Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Highgate Removals collects, uses and protects personal data about its customers within its service area. It is intended to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and any applicable data protection laws. This policy applies to all Highgate Removals customers in the area, including individuals and business clients who request quotes, make bookings, or otherwise use our services.

By using our services or providing your personal data to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

Who We Are and Scope of This Policy

Highgate Removals is a removals and related services provider. We act as the data controller for the personal data that we collect and process in connection with the provision of our services. This Privacy Policy covers all personal data we process about customers in our service area, including prospective, current and former customers.

This policy does not apply to the processing of personal data by third parties who are independent controllers, even if their services are linked to or used in connection with our own.

Types of Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you, depending on how you interact with us and which services you choose:

Identification and contact information: name, title, postal address, service address, billing address, and other contact details such as general correspondence addresses you provide.

Service and booking information: details of your removal requirements, property access information, inventory details you provide, dates and times of moves, special instructions, notes related to your booking, and records of services provided.

Account and communication information: communication preferences, records of communications with you including enquiries, complaints and feedback, and information you voluntarily share when you contact us.

Payment and transaction information: information relating to payments and invoices, such as amounts, dates and methods of payment. We do not store full payment card details if payment is taken via secure payment providers.

Technical and usage information: limited technical information generated when you visit our website or interact with our digital services, such as IP address, browser type and pages viewed, to the extent necessary for security, performance monitoring and basic analytics.

How We Collect Your Personal Data

We collect personal data from you directly when you request a quote, make a booking, contact us by phone or in writing, provide feedback, or otherwise interact with us in relation to our services.

We may also collect personal data indirectly in the following ways:

From third parties who refer you to us or work with us to provide services, where the transfer of such data is lawful.

From publicly available sources where appropriate, for example to confirm address details or verify business contact information.

From our website and digital services, through logs and technical tools that help us ensure security, diagnose issues and improve performance.

Lawful Bases for Processing

We always process personal data on at least one lawful basis as required by data protection law. The main lawful bases we rely on are:

Contract: We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide removals services, issue quotes, handle bookings and manage payments.

Legal obligation: We process personal data where it is necessary to comply with our legal obligations, for example for tax, accounting and record keeping requirements.

Legitimate interests: We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and interests. These interests include running and improving our business, managing customer relationships, ensuring security, and defending our legal rights.

Consent: In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of marketing communications where this is required by law. 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 services: including preparing and sending quotes, arranging and carrying out removals and related services, managing bookings and schedules, and communicating with you before, during and after your move.

To manage customer relationships: including responding to enquiries and complaints, keeping records of your interactions with us, and improving our services based on your feedback.

To handle payments and administration: including issuing invoices, processing payments through our chosen payment processors, managing accounts, and maintaining appropriate business records.

To ensure safety, security and compliance: including monitoring for fraud, enforcing our terms, managing disputes, and complying with legal and regulatory obligations.

To send service-related information: including important updates about your booking, changes to our services or to this Privacy Policy, and essential information required to provide our services effectively.

To carry out limited marketing: such as sending information about services similar to those you have previously used, where permitted by law and always offering an easy way to opt out.

Data Sharing and Use of Processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable law. These third parties act as processors on our behalf and may include:

IT and hosting providers who manage our systems, website and data storage.

Payment service providers who process your payments securely.

Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers who assist us in running our business.

Operational partners who help deliver our services, such as subcontracted removal teams, where necessary to fulfil your booking and always subject to appropriate data protection obligations.

We require all processors to only process personal data on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also need to share personal data with law enforcement, regulators or other authorities where required by law or to protect our rights or the rights of others.

Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

In general, this means:

Customer and booking records are retained for a period that allows us to manage our relationship with you, handle any complaints or queries and comply with legal obligations, commonly several years after the end of our relationship.

Financial records, including invoices and payment information, are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.

Technical logs and website data are kept for shorter periods, as needed for security and performance monitoring.

When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

International Transfers

Our primary systems and data storage are intended to be located within the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area wherever possible. If we need to transfer personal data to a country outside these regions, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent protections, in accordance with data protection law.

Security of Your Personal Data

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage solutions, and policies to ensure that personal data is only accessed by those who need it for legitimate business purposes.

While we strive to protect your personal data, no system can be completely secure. You are responsible for ensuring that any personal data you send to us is transmitted securely and that your own devices and systems are adequately protected.

Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have certain rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all Highgate Removals customers in our service area, subject to the conditions and exemptions set out in the law. Your rights include:

Right of access: You can request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, along with certain information about how we process it.

Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct or complete personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.

Right to erasure: You can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to retain it.

Right to restriction: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we are considering a request to rectify or erase your data.

Right to data portability: You can request that we provide you with certain personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or that we transmit it to another controller, where this is technically feasible and the processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.

Right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, including for direct marketing. We will stop processing your data unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue or where it is needed for legal claims.

Right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

Exercising Your Rights and Complaints

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the contact details provided on our website or through your usual communication channels with us.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in your country or region.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or for other operational reasons. When we make changes, we will revise the date of the update and, where appropriate, provide you with a more prominent notice. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Highgate Removals customers in our service area and remains in effect until superseded by an updated version.