Privacy Policy - Movers Soho

This Privacy Policy explains how Movers Soho collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing moving and related services. It applies to all Movers Soho customers in the area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and businesses using our services. We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable privacy laws.

1. Who We Are

Movers Soho is a service provider that arranges and performs removals, delivery, packing, storage coordination, and related support services. In providing these services, we act as a data controller for the personal data we collect and use to manage our relationship with customers, suppliers, and site visitors where applicable. Where we process data on behalf of another party, we do so according to their instructions and applicable law.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data necessary to deliver our services, manage operations, and meet legal obligations. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and, where needed, business or company name.
Contact data: billing address, service address, email address, and telephone number.
Service data: moving dates, inventory details, access notes, property information, delivery instructions, and service preferences.
Payment and transaction data: invoice details, payment status, and limited financial records necessary for accounting and audit purposes.
Communication data: messages, call notes, feedback, complaints, and service-related correspondence.
Technical data: IP address, device type, browser type, and basic usage information if you interact with digital systems we use.
Verification data: information needed to confirm identity or authorisation when required for security or legal reasons.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you choose to provide it, or we are required to do so by law. If such data is shared with us accidentally, we will handle it carefully and limit its use to what is necessary and lawful.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotes, plan moves, and deliver requested services;
to communicate with customers about scheduling, access, instructions, and service updates;
to process payments, issue invoices, and maintain records;
to manage complaints, claims, and service issues;
to improve service quality, training, and operational efficiency;
to comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and insurance obligations;
to protect our business, staff, and customers from fraud, misuse, or security incidents.

We will always aim to use personal data in a fair, transparent, and proportionate way.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for using personal data. Movers Soho relies on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotations, organising removals, handling service logistics, and completing payment-related tasks.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, insurance, record-keeping, and regulatory requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may use personal data where we have a legitimate business interest that does not override your rights and freedoms. This may include managing customer relationships, improving our services, preventing fraud, and ensuring business security. When relying on this basis, we assess the impact on your privacy and apply appropriate safeguards.

Consent

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before processing personal data. If consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In rare cases, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, such as during an emergency involving safety or urgent care.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties, but only where necessary and lawful. These parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service provided.

Payment providers: to process transactions and payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers: to support invoicing, tax, and financial record-keeping.
IT and cloud service providers: to host systems, store data, and support communications.
Insurance providers and claims handlers: to manage cover, incidents, or loss-related matters.
Professional advisers: such as legal or compliance advisers where necessary.
Subcontractors and operational partners: where needed to perform parts of the moving service under our instructions.

Where we use processors, we ensure they are bound by written contracts that require them to process personal data only on our instructions, maintain appropriate security, and respect confidentiality. We do not sell personal data.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including legal, accounting, reporting, and operational requirements. Retention periods may vary depending on the type of record and the reason for keeping it.

Customer and service records: kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterward to manage follow-up, disputes, or warranty-related matters.
Financial and tax records: retained for the period required by law and accounting standards.
Claims and complaint records: retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and support legal defence.
Security and technical logs: retained for a limited period unless a longer retention is required for investigation or legal reasons.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unlawful access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, password protection, staff confidentiality obligations, secure storage, and limited data access based on role. While we take security seriously, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. We therefore continuously review and improve our safeguards.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that suitable safeguards are in place to protect it. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms recognised under applicable law.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be limited in some situations, but we will always explain the reason if we cannot comply fully.

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 ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing: you may request limits on how we use your data in some situations.
Right to data portability: you may request that certain data be provided to you or another controller in a structured format.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data has been handled unlawfully or unfairly.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are generally intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect children’s personal data unless it is necessary for a specific service arrangement and provided by a parent, guardian, or authorised adult. If we become aware that we have collected data improperly, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

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 practices. The latest version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

12. Our Commitment

Movers Soho is committed to protecting privacy, respecting customer trust, and processing personal data responsibly. We aim to collect only what we need, keep it only as long as necessary, and use it only for clear and lawful purposes. If you use Movers Soho services in the area, this policy governs how your personal data is handled throughout the service lifecycle.

Last updated: This policy is intended to reflect current UK GDPR principles and should be reviewed regularly to ensure ongoing compliance.