Privacy Policy - Thehyde Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Thehyde Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with its services. It applies to all Thehyde Removals customers in area, including individuals, households, landlords, tenants, and business clients who use our removal, transport, packing, storage, and related services.

We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We take privacy seriously and aim to ensure that all personal information is processed fairly, lawfully, transparently, and securely.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations. The information we may collect includes the following:

Identity details such as your name, title, and, where relevant, company name.
Contact details such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Service information including property access details, moving dates, inventory notes, item descriptions, and special handling requirements.
Payment information such as billing address, payment status, and transaction records.
Communication records including emails, call notes, quotations, complaints, and service updates.
Technical information such as basic device and usage data if you interact with our digital systems, where applicable.
Optional personal data that you choose to provide when requesting a quote, making a complaint, or asking for additional support.

We do not seek to collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and you have provided it yourself, or unless a legal obligation requires it. Where special category data is unintentionally disclosed to us, we will handle it with additional care and only use it where a lawful basis permits.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to deliver our services efficiently and responsibly. Typical uses include:

providing quotes and responding to enquiries;
planning, arranging, and carrying out removal services;
communicating about bookings, access arrangements, delays, and service changes;
issuing invoices, processing payments, and maintaining business records;
protecting our staff, customers, and property;
handling complaints, claims, and disputes;
meeting legal, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations;
improving our services, processes, and customer experience;
preventing fraud, misuse, and unauthorised access.

We only use your personal data for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected. If we need to use it for a new purpose, we will assess whether that use is lawful and, where necessary, notify you.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for each use of personal data. The lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, moving items, and managing related customer communications.

Legal obligation

We may process data to comply with laws and regulations, including tax, accounting, insurance, health and safety, and record-keeping obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing enquiries, securing our operations, improving services, and maintaining internal records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to provide optional information or agree to certain non-essential communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Vital interests

In rare situations, we may process personal data to protect someone???s life or physical safety.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, and insurance requirements. The exact retention period depends on the type of data and the reason for processing.

Customer and contract records are generally kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are retained in line with legal obligations and standard accounting practice.
Complaints, claims, and dispute records may be retained for longer where required to defend legal claims or comply with insurance processes.
General correspondence is kept only as long as needed to resolve the matter or maintain accurate business records.

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

5. Processors and Sharing of Data

We may share personal data with trusted third parties that act as data processors or independent controllers, only where necessary and lawful. These parties are required to handle your data securely and use it only for the agreed purpose.

Examples of processors and recipients may include:

Payment providers who process card or electronic payments.
Accounting and bookkeeping services that support invoicing and financial administration.
IT and cloud service providers that store or maintain our systems and records.
Insurance providers and claims handlers where an incident, loss, or damage must be assessed.
Professional advisers such as legal or tax advisers.
Regulators, law enforcement, or courts where disclosure is required by law.
Subcontractors or partner service providers who assist with the delivery of removal-related services.

Where we use processors, we put appropriate contractual safeguards in place to ensure that personal data is protected and processed only on our instructions.

6. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent protections recognised under data protection law. We will only transfer data where necessary and where suitable safeguards protect your information.

7. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and careful handling of physical and electronic records.

While we work hard to protect all personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs and it presents a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will take appropriate action in line with legal requirements.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may apply in different circumstances and may be subject to legal exemptions.

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 personal data where there is no lawful reason to keep it.
Right to restrict processing ??? you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability ??? you may ask for certain data to be provided in a portable format, where applicable.
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.
Right to complain ??? you may raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We will respond to rights requests within the time limits required by law and may need to verify your identity before taking action.

9. Children???s Data

Our services are intended for adults or for customers acting on behalf of households or organisations. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary for service delivery and provided by an adult customer or authorised representative. If we become aware that we have collected such data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it.

10. 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 protection practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review it periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Approach

Thehyde Removals is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide our services, we use it for clear and legitimate purposes, we keep it only as long as necessary, and we share it only with trusted processors or where the law requires it. We also respect your rights and take appropriate steps to safeguard your information throughout its lifecycle.