Storage South Hackney Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage South Hackney collects, uses, shares and protects personal data belonging to customers and prospective customers in the South Hackney area. It is intended to provide clear information about our data practices and your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
By using our storage services, visiting our premises, or otherwise interacting with us, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy. We may update this document from time to time to reflect changes in law or in how we operate. The most recent version will always apply to the personal data we hold.
Scope and Data Controller
This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage South Hackney customers and prospective customers in the South Hackney area, including individuals, sole traders, partnerships and company representatives. It also applies to visitors to our premises and any person who contacts us about our services.
Storage South Hackney is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As the data controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with applicable data protection laws.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and which services you use. This may include:
Identification and contact details such as your full name, address, date of birth, and any identification documents you provide, such as a passport or driving licence, as well as your contact details such as postal address and any online or in-person contact details you choose to provide.
Contract and account information such as the storage unit you rent, the duration of your contract, payment history, billing details, security deposits, access permissions, communications relating to your contract, and records of any changes or renewals.
Payment and transaction details such as information relating to payments you make for our services, including the method of payment, payment dates and amounts, and any associated billing information. Where payments are processed electronically, detailed card information is handled by our chosen payment processors and not stored by us beyond what is necessary for accounting and reconciliation.
Security and access information such as CCTV footage from our premises, access logs, records of entry to and exit from storage units, and information relating to any security incidents or investigations.
Communication records such as your queries, complaints, feedback and correspondence with us, whether in person, by post, by electronic means or via any other communication channel that you choose to use when contacting us.
Marketing and preference data such as your consent to receive marketing communications, your communication preferences and information about how you respond to marketing communications where applicable.
How We Collect Personal Data
We collect personal data in several ways, including:
Directly from you when you enquire about our services, sign a storage agreement, make a payment, visit our premises, communicate with us, or complete any forms that we provide.
Automatically when you visit our premises, for example through CCTV systems and access control systems used to protect our property and the property stored with us.
From third parties where permitted by law, for example from payment processors confirming that a transaction has been authorised, or from credit reference or fraud prevention agencies if we undertake checks in connection with your contract.
Lawful Basis for Processing Personal Data
We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, our lawful bases may include:
Contract performance where processing is necessary for entering into or performing a contract with you, such as creating and managing your storage agreement, taking payment, and providing you with access to your unit.
Legal obligations where we are required to process personal data to comply with legal obligations, such as record-keeping requirements for tax and accounting purposes, preventing fraud, responding to law enforcement requests or court orders, and complying with health and safety regulations.
Legitimate interests where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of a third party, and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. Examples include managing and improving our services, ensuring the security of our premises and the goods stored with us, preventing and detecting crime, and handling customer queries and complaints.
Consent where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose, such as receiving certain types of marketing communications. You may withdraw your consent at any time, although this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use personal data for the following purposes:
To provide storage services, including setting up and managing your customer account, administering contracts, handling payments and invoicing, and communicating with you about your storage arrangements.
To maintain safety and security at our premises, including monitoring access, investigating incidents, operating CCTV systems and taking measures to protect customers, staff and property.
To manage our business operations, including internal administration, accounting, auditing, reporting, service improvement, staff training and planning.
To communicate with you, including responding to your enquiries, notifying you about changes to your contract or our policies, and providing information about our services that is relevant to your existing storage arrangements.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including record-keeping requirements and responding to lawful requests from authorities.
To send marketing communications, where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
Data Retention
We keep 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.
Contract and account data relating to your storage agreement is generally retained for a defined period after the end of your contract to handle any disputes, queries or legal claims. Financial records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
CCTV footage and access logs are retained for a limited period necessary for security and incident investigation purposes, unless a longer retention period is required in connection with an ongoing investigation, legal claim or law enforcement request.
Marketing preference data is retained for as long as you remain subscribed or until you opt out of marketing communications. If you opt out, we may retain a record of your preference to ensure that you do not receive unwanted messages.
When personal data is no longer needed, we take steps to delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with you.
Use of Data Processors and Sharing of Personal Data
We may engage third-party service providers to act as data processors on our behalf. These processors may provide services such as payment processing, secure data hosting, IT support, accounting support, security services, and document storage or destruction.
Where we use data processors, we ensure that appropriate contractual and technical safeguards are in place to protect your personal data and ensure that it is processed only in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection laws.
We may also share personal data with third parties where required by law or where it is necessary to protect our rights or the rights of others. Examples include sharing with law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, professional advisers or insurers in connection with legal obligations, disputes or claims.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
International Transfers
Where we use service providers located outside the United Kingdom or where personal data is otherwise transferred to a country without an adequacy decision, we take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms, and that your rights are protected.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and limitations. These rights include:
The right of access, which allows you to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of the data we hold about you, along with certain information about how it is processed.
The right to rectification, which allows you to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
The right to erasure, sometimes known as the right to be forgotten, which allows you to request deletion of your personal data where there is no lawful basis for us to continue processing it.
The right to restriction of processing, which allows you to request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example while we verify its accuracy or assess an objection you have raised.
The right to data portability, which allows you to receive 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 technically feasible and where the processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to object to processing, which allows you to object to our processing of your personal data where it is based on legitimate interests or used for direct marketing. We will stop processing your data for direct marketing purposes if you object.
The right to withdraw consent where we rely on your consent to process your personal data. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before withdrawal.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office if you are concerned about how we process your personal data. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concerns directly.
Security of Your Personal Data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration or destruction. These measures include physical security at our premises, access controls, staff training and policies designed to safeguard information. While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no system can be completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our internal practices or applicable law. Any changes will be effective from the date the updated Privacy Policy is published. We recommend that you review this page periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.
