Privacy Policy - Catford Movers

Catford Movers is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal information when we provide moving, packing, storage, and related services. It applies to all Catford Movers customers in our service area, including prospective customers, booking enquiries, and individuals who interact with us for quotes, removals, and delivery arrangements.

1. Who we are

For the purposes of data protection law, Catford Movers acts as the data controller for the personal data we process in connection with our services. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing personal information in line with applicable data protection requirements, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Personal data we collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data depending on the services requested and the way you interact with us:

Identity data such as your name and title.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Booking and service data including moving dates, property details, inventory information, access requirements, and service preferences.
Payment data such as billing details and payment status. We do not routinely store full card details unless required for transaction processing through a secure payment provider.
Communication data including emails, call notes, messages, complaints, feedback, and correspondence related to your booking.
Technical data where applicable, such as limited device and usage information when you interact with our digital systems.
Special category data only where you voluntarily provide it and where it is necessary for the service, for example if access arrangements require information about health or mobility needs.

We aim to collect only the information that is relevant and necessary for providing our services. We do not intentionally collect more data than we need.

3. How we collect personal data

We collect personal data directly from you when you request a quote, make a booking, communicate with us, or otherwise use our services. We may also receive data from third parties where necessary to complete a service, such as:

property managers, landlords, or letting agents;
payment processors;
subcontracted service providers supporting delivery or logistics;
referral partners or comparison services where you have asked them to share your details with us.

Where we receive information from third parties, we use it only for legitimate service-related purposes and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

4. How we use your data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide quotations and assess service requirements;
to manage bookings, schedule services, and deliver removals or related services;
to communicate with you about your order, access arrangements, timing, and service changes;
to process payments, invoices, refunds, and accounting records;
to handle complaints, claims, and dispute resolution;
to meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
to improve our operations, training, quality control, and customer experience;
to protect against fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless we have a valid lawful basis to do so.

5. Lawful basis for processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Catford Movers relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as preparing quotes, confirming bookings, moving your items, and issuing invoices.

Legal obligation

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

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 includes managing customer service, preventing fraud, maintaining service quality, and keeping business records.

Consent

In limited situations, we rely on your consent, for example where you voluntarily provide certain optional information or agree to a specific type of communication. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital interests and public task

These bases are unlikely to apply in normal circumstances, but may be relied upon where necessary under applicable law.

6. Data sharing and processors

We may share your personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to run our business and deliver our services. These parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Processors are organisations that process personal data on our behalf under written instructions and appropriate security obligations. Examples may include:

IT and cloud storage providers;
booking and scheduling system providers;
payment processing services;
accounting and invoicing software providers;
document storage and secure backup services;
professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, or legal advisers where needed.

We may also share data with service partners involved in completing a move, but only where necessary and proportionate for service delivery. Where a third party acts as an independent controller, they are responsible for their own compliance and privacy practices.

We do not sell your personal data. We do not share data for unrelated marketing purposes without a proper lawful basis.

7. International transfers

If any of our processors or service providers store or access data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal information. These safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections, depending on the destination and the nature of the transfer.

8. Data retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting legal, accounting, insurance, and contractual obligations. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the context in which it is used.

Booking and service records are retained for as long as needed to complete the service and manage follow-up issues.
Financial and tax records are generally retained for the period required by law.
Customer communications and claims data may be retained for a reasonable period to resolve disputes, support service quality, and meet insurance requirements.
Enquiry data may be retained for a shorter period if no service is booked.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise dispose of it. We apply retention controls to avoid keeping personal data indefinitely.

9. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, loss, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, data minimisation, and regular review of our procedures. However, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, so we cannot promise absolute security.

10. Your rights

Subject to legal limitations, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
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 supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can address them promptly.

11. Children’s data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children except where it is incidentally provided in connection with a household move or where necessary for a service requested by an adult customer.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect legal, operational, or service changes. When we do, we will revise the policy so that it remains accurate and transparent. The latest version will apply from the date it is made available.

13. Summary of our approach

In short, Catford Movers processes personal data only when needed, uses it for clear and lawful purposes, shares it with processors under appropriate safeguards, and retains it only for as long as necessary. We are committed to respecting your privacy and meeting our obligations under data protection law.