Storage Chelsfield Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Chelsfield collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Storage Chelsfield customers and enquirers in our service area who use or consider using our storage services, whether in person, by telephone, by post, or through any online or digital channels we operate.
By using our services, contacting us with an enquiry, or entering into a contract with us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy as it applies to your personal data under applicable data protection laws, including the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Data Controller
For the purposes of data protection law, Storage Chelsfield is the data controller in relation to the personal data we collect and process about you. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for complying with applicable data protection obligations.
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 name, postal address, billing address, contact address, and details of any authorised persons linked to your account.
Contract and account information such as unit number, contract dates, payment history, correspondence relating to your booking or rental, and records of any queries, complaints, or feedback you provide.
Payment and billing details such as limited payment transaction information required to process payments, including card type and partial card details as necessary. We do not store full card numbers or security codes when payments are processed by secure payment providers.
Security and site access information such as vehicle registration numbers you provide, access control records, and CCTV recordings on or around our premises for security, safety, and fraud prevention purposes.
Technical and usage information where you interact with our online or digital services, such as basic device and usage data generated when you access our website or online tools, to support security, performance, and service improvement.
Any other information you choose to provide to us in the course of an enquiry, booking, complaint, or ongoing customer relationship.
How We Collect Your Data
We may collect your personal data directly from you when you contact us to make an enquiry, request a quote, reserve or rent a storage unit, make a payment, visit our premises, or communicate with us by post, email, telephone, or in person.
We may also collect information from third parties where this is necessary and lawful, for example from payment service providers processing your transactions or from law enforcement bodies or regulators in connection with investigations or legal obligations.
Lawful Bases for Processing
We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, we rely on the following lawful bases:
Performance of a contract: We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to set up and manage your storage agreement, take payment, and provide customer service.
Compliance with legal obligations: We process certain data because we are legally required to do so, for example to comply with tax, accounting, record-keeping, health and safety, crime prevention, and other regulatory obligations.
Legitimate interests: We process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of a third party, and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This may include ensuring the security of our premises, preventing fraud and misuse of our services, maintaining and improving our services, and managing our business operations.
Consent: In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of optional direct marketing. Where we rely on consent, you are free to withdraw it at any time.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We may use your personal data for the following purposes, to the extent permitted by law:
To respond to your enquiries, provide quotes, and manage your reservations or bookings.
To set up, manage, and administer your storage contract, including processing payments, managing invoices, and dealing with any changes or renewals.
To communicate with you about your account, payments, contractual notices, and important updates concerning your use of our services or our premises.
To ensure security and safety on our premises, including through the use of access control systems and CCTV, and to prevent, detect, and investigate suspected or actual crime, fraud, or misuse.
To manage and improve our services, premises, and customer relationships, including analysing feedback and internal records for service improvement and training.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including responding to lawful requests from public authorities and regulators.
To send you information about our services that may be of interest, where this is permitted by law and, where required, where you have given your consent. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
Data Retention
We will retain your personal data only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, accounting, or reporting requirements.
In general, we will retain records related to your contract and payments for a period required by applicable law, which may be several years after the end of your relationship with us. CCTV and access control data are kept for shorter periods, unless required longer for the investigation of an incident, suspected crime, or legal claim.
When determining the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure, the purposes for which we process it, and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, as well as applicable legal requirements.
Data Processors and Third Parties
We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf to support the operation of our business and the delivery of our services. These may include:
Payment service providers and banks that process your payments securely.
IT and system support providers who host or maintain our business systems, access control, CCTV, and data storage solutions.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers who assist us in fulfilling our legal and business obligations.
These third parties are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions, for specified purposes, and subject to appropriate confidentiality and security obligations. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
We may also disclose your personal data to law enforcement agencies, courts, regulators, or other public authorities where we are required or permitted to do so by law, or to protect our rights, property, and safety or the rights, property, and safety of others.
International Transfers
Where any of our processors or service providers are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, or where personal data is otherwise transferred internationally, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with data protection law. This may include standard contractual clauses or other recognised safeguards approved by relevant authorities.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, and subject to certain conditions and exemptions, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
The right of access: You can request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you, together with information about how we use it.
The right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you.
The right to erasure: You can request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing.
The right to restriction of processing: You can ask us to restrict our use of your personal data in certain situations, for example while we are verifying its accuracy or considering an objection you have raised.
The right to data portability: In some circumstances, you can request that we provide you with personal data you have given to us in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and have it transmitted to another controller.
The right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including profiling, or where we process your data for direct marketing purposes. We will then stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds or are required to do so by law.
Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that our processing of your personal data infringes data protection law.
Security of Your Personal Data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include access controls, physical security on our premises, secure systems and storage, and staff training on data protection responsibilities.
While we use reasonable efforts to protect your personal data, no system or transmission can be completely secure, and you share information with us at your own risk. You should also take care to safeguard your own access credentials and any information you provide to us.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. Any updated version will apply to all personal data held and processed by us from the date it is issued. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.
