Privacy Policy for Self Storage Kingston upon Thames
This Privacy Policy explains how Self Storage Kingston upon Thames collects, uses, stores and protects personal data about its customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Self Storage Kingston upon Thames customers and users of our services in the Kingston upon Thames area, whether you contact us online, by phone, or in person at our premises.
We are committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Policy sets out our responsibilities as a data controller and explains your rights in relation to your personal data.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different types of personal data in connection with the provision and management of storage services. The types of personal data we may collect include:
Identification details, such as full name, title, date of birth and proof of identity documentation details where required for security and verification.
Contact details, such as postal address, billing address, and any other address you provide for correspondence, as well as your preferred means of contact.
Account and contract information, including storage unit numbers, contract start and end dates, details of services requested or provided, payment history, and any communications relating to your contract.
Payment and billing information, such as details required to process payments and maintain financial records. We do not store full payment card details where payment is taken through a secure third-party payment processor.
Security and access information, including vehicle registration numbers, access records to the facility, CCTV footage in and around our premises, and records of incidents or complaints where relevant to safety and security.
Communication data, including records of enquiries, complaints, feedback, and any correspondence you send to us, whether by post, online forms, or other communication channels.
How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data directly from you when you enquire about our services, request a quote, sign a storage agreement, access our facility, or communicate with us in any way.
We may also receive personal data from third parties where this is necessary to confirm your identity, prevent fraud, or comply with our legal obligations, for example from identity verification providers or law enforcement agencies where legally permitted.
CCTV images are collected automatically whenever you are present in areas of our facility that are monitored for safety and security purposes.
Lawful Basis for Processing
We rely on a number of lawful bases under the UK GDPR to process your personal data, depending on the purpose:
Contract performance. We process your personal data to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract and to perform our contract with you, for example to set up and manage your storage unit, handle billing, and provide customer support.
Legitimate interests. We process personal data for our legitimate business interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests include managing and improving our services, maintaining security at our premises, preventing fraud and misuse of our facilities, and keeping reasonable business records.
Legal obligations. We process personal data where necessary to comply with our legal and regulatory duties, including financial record-keeping, responding to requests from law enforcement or regulatory bodies, and complying with court orders.
Consent. In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of optional marketing. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To provide, manage and administer storage services, including setting up your account, preparing and managing contracts, managing access to units, and responding to your enquiries or requests.
To process payments, manage invoices, handle refunds where applicable, and maintain accurate financial and transaction records.
To maintain the safety and security of our customers, staff and property, including monitoring access to the site, using CCTV for crime prevention and detection, and investigating incidents or complaints.
To communicate with you about your account, such as sending service notices, reminders, updates about your storage arrangements, and any changes to our terms or policies.
To manage our business operations, including internal reporting, auditing, quality control, staff training, and service improvement.
To comply with legal and regulatory requirements and to establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.
Subject to your preferences and applicable law, we may also use your contact details to send you information about services that are similar to those you have already purchased from us. You can opt out at any time.
Data Retention
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
Customer and contract records are typically retained for a period after the end of your contract to allow us to respond to queries, manage any disputes, and comply with legal obligations, such as tax and accounting requirements.
CCTV footage is retained for a limited period, which is determined by our security and operational needs, unless a longer retention period is required in connection with an investigation, legal claim, or law enforcement request.
When we no longer need personal data, we will delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.
Data Processors and Sharing of Personal Data
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors provide services that support our business operations, such as secure payment processing, IT and system support, cloud data storage, CCTV system maintenance, and professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers.
Where we use data processors, they are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and for the specific purposes we have identified. They are required to keep your personal data secure and to comply with applicable data protection laws.
We may also share personal data with other third parties in limited circumstances, for example with law enforcement bodies, regulatory authorities, or courts where disclosure is required by law or necessary for the prevention or detection of crime or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
International Transfers
Where any of our service providers transfer or store personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with data protection laws. These safeguards may include the use of standard contractual clauses approved by the relevant authorities or other lawful transfer mechanisms.
Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure, or access. Measures may include controlled access to systems and premises, encryption and secure storage, regular system monitoring, and staff training on data protection responsibilities.
While we take reasonable steps to protect your personal data, no system can be completely secure. You should also take care to protect your own information, such as keeping any access codes or passwords confidential.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under the UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all Self Storage Kingston upon Thames customers in the Kingston upon Thames area, subject to certain legal limitations and exemptions.
Right of access. You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification. You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you have the right to request that we delete your personal data, for example where the data is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent and no other lawful basis applies.
Right to restriction of processing. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we are considering a request to rectify or erase your data.
Right to data portability. In some cases, you may have the right to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to request that we transmit it to another controller where this is technically feasible.
Right to object. You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, including profiling based on those interests. You also have an absolute right to object at any time to your personal data being used for direct marketing.
Rights related to automated decision-making. You have rights in relation to decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects. We do not typically make such decisions in connection with our storage services.
You can exercise your rights by contacting us using the usual contact channels made available to customers. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. We aim to respond within the timescales required by data protection laws.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to raise them with us in the first instance so we can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK data protection supervisory authority. Details of how to do so are available from the authority responsible for data protection in the United Kingdom.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal or regulatory developments, or improvements to our services. Any changes will be effective from the date of publication. We recommend that you review this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.
