Privacy Policy - Greenwich Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Greenwich Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing removal and related services. It applies to all Greenwich Removals customers in area, including prospective customers, current customers, and individuals who interact with us in connection with a move, survey, quotation, booking, or service enquiry.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Greenwich Removals is a removals service provider that processes personal data to deliver home and business moving services. For the purposes of data protection law, we act as a data controller in relation to the personal data we collect and use for our own business operations.

2. Personal data we collect

We collect only the data that is necessary for the services we provide and for managing our relationship with customers. The categories of personal data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name, title, and any relevant identification details.
Contact data such as address, email address, telephone number, and move-related correspondence details.
Service data such as property access information, inventory lists, moving dates, items to be moved, packing requirements, and delivery instructions.
Payment and transaction data such as billing details, payment status, and records of services purchased.
Communication data such as records of calls, emails, messages, complaints, and feedback.
Technical data if you use any digital booking or enquiry systems, including device information, IP address, and basic usage data.
Special category data only where necessary and where you choose to provide it, for example information about accessibility needs or health-related moving requirements.

We do not intentionally collect unnecessary or excessive information. If you provide personal data relating to other people, such as family members, tenants, or employees, you should ensure that you have the authority to do so and that they are aware of this Privacy Policy.

3. How we use your personal data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide removal, packing, storage, delivery, and related services;
to prepare quotations, surveys, and estimates;
to schedule and manage bookings and operational logistics;
to communicate with you about your move and respond to your enquiries;
to process payments, issue invoices, and manage accounting records;
to handle complaints, claims, and service issues;
to improve our services, internal processes, and customer experience;
to comply with legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity; and
to defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We will only use your data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and the law permits us to do so.

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process personal data only where we have a valid lawful basis under the UK GDPR. The lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes providing quotations, managing bookings, carrying out removals, issuing invoices, and fulfilling service commitments.

Legal obligation

We may process data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, insurance, record-keeping, or regulatory requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service improvement, customer administration, fraud prevention, and internal business management.

Consent

Where required, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or the processing of special category information that you voluntarily share and where another lawful basis is not appropriate. You can withdraw consent at any time where consent is the basis for processing.

Vital interests

In rare situations, we may process personal data to protect someone’s vital interests, for example if there is an emergency during a service appointment.

5. Data sharing and processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who assist us in delivering our services or running our business. These third parties act either as processors or independent controllers depending on the nature of the service.

Processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that host data, manage systems, or support communications;
payment service providers that process card or bank transactions;
accountants and bookkeeping providers who support financial administration;
insurance providers and claims handlers where a claim or incident requires assessment;
subcontracted removals teams or logistics partners assisting with the completion of a move;
storage facilities where items are stored as part of the service;
professional advisers such as lawyers or auditors when needed.

We require processors to handle personal data securely, only in accordance with our instructions, and in compliance with data protection law. We do not allow them to use your personal data for their own independent purposes unless they are separately acting as a controller and have their own lawful basis.

We may also disclose personal data where necessary to law enforcement, regulators, courts, or other public authorities when required by law or to protect our legal rights.

6. International transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate measures to ensure that it remains protected to a standard equivalent to UK data protection law. This may include the use of approved contractual safeguards and other lawful transfer mechanisms.

7. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet contractual, legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements.

Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the data and the service provided. As a general approach:

customer and booking records are retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
financial and tax-related records are retained for the period required by law;
complaints, disputes, and claim-related data may be retained longer where needed to resolve the matter or defend legal claims;
data collected for optional communications is kept until you withdraw consent or opt out, where applicable.

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

8. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our procedures. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the risks involved.

9. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These may 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 information.
Right to erasure – you can request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to restrict processing in certain situations.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – you can request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. We will explain any limitations if we are unable to act on a request in full.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

If we use digital tools that rely on cookies or similar technologies, these may collect limited technical information to support functionality, security, and performance. Where consent is required, it will be obtained in accordance with applicable law. You can manage cookie settings through your browser or device controls.

11. Children’s data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for the provision of a service and provided by an adult with authority to do so. If we learn that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority, we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

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

13. How to exercise your rights

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, raise a concern, or request further information about how your data is used, we will respond in line with applicable data protection law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request to ensure personal data is protected.

Greenwich Removals is committed to respecting privacy and processing personal data responsibly. We aim to keep information accurate, secure, and only as long as needed, while providing a reliable and professional removals service to customers in the area.