Privacy Policy - Chelsea Removals

Scope: This Privacy Policy applies to all Chelsea Removals customers in the area and explains how we collect, use, share, store, and protect personal data in a manner consistent with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Introduction

Chelsea Removals is committed to handling personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We understand that when you arrange a move, you may share sensitive personal details such as your name, address, contact details, property access information, inventory details, and billing information. We only process personal data where we have a valid legal basis and only for purposes that are necessary for providing our removal and related services.

This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, when we share it with others, and what rights you have in relation to your information.

2. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and moving addresses.
Service data: details about your move, property access, dates, items to be moved, special handling requirements, and service preferences.
Transaction data: payment records, invoices, and service history.
Communication data: enquiries, complaints, feedback, and correspondence.
Technical data: limited information relating to device or browser use if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.

We do not seek to collect unnecessary personal data. If you provide information about third parties, such as family members, landlords, building managers, or other occupants, you should ensure that you have permission to share it with us.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data to deliver removal services and manage our business. Typical uses include:

arranging surveys, quotations, bookings, and schedules;
performing removal, packing, storage, and related services;
communicating with you about the service or your booking;
processing payments and maintaining accounts;
responding to queries, complaints, or claims;
meeting legal, insurance, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
protecting our staff, customers, property, and systems;
improving service quality and operational efficiency.

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

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Chelsea Removals generally relies on the following bases:

Contract: where processing is necessary to provide a quotation, enter into a contract, manage a booking, or carry out the removal service you have requested.
Legal obligation: where we must process or retain information to comply with tax, accounting, insurance, employment, or other legal duties.
Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as service improvement, fraud prevention, safeguarding, and record keeping, provided these interests do not override your rights and freedoms.
Consent: where we ask for permission for certain optional activities, and you may withdraw consent at any time.

We assess each processing activity to ensure that our use of data is proportionate, necessary, and respectful of your privacy.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. These may include:

payment service providers;
accountants and professional advisers;
IT, cloud storage, and system support providers;
subcontracted removal staff, packing teams, or storage providers;
insurers and claims handlers;
regulators, law enforcement, or public authorities where required by law.

Where we use processors, they only act on our instructions and are required to protect personal data with appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We do not sell your personal data.

Important: If data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as an adequacy decision or approved contractual protections.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, including to satisfy legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of record and the reason it is held.

Booking and service records: retained for the duration of the service and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage queries, complaints, or claims.
Financial records: retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Correspondence: retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and maintain proper business records.
Claims and legal matters: retained until the issue is resolved and any limitation period has expired.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or destroyed.

7. Security of Your Information

We take the security of personal data seriously. We use reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards designed to protect information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. Access to personal data is restricted to those who need it for legitimate business purposes. However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

8. Your Rights

Subject to legal limits, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

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

You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are aimed at adults arranging removals. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for the service and is provided by an adult with authority to do so. If we learn that we have collected such data unlawfully, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practices, or the services we provide. The latest version will apply from the date it is issued. We encourage customers to review it periodically.

11. Summary of Our Commitments

Chelsea Removals will only collect data that is relevant and necessary, use it for clear and lawful purposes, keep it for no longer than needed, and share it only with trusted processors or parties where required. We respect your privacy rights and aim to manage all customer information in a transparent, secure, and responsible way.

By using Chelsea Removals services in the area, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy.