Storage Hanwell Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Hanwell collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in the Storage Hanwell service area. It is intended to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Please read it carefully to understand how and why we use your information and the choices available to you.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage Hanwell customers, former customers and prospective customers in our service area. It covers personal data collected through enquiries, bookings, contracts, site visits, payments and any other interactions you have with Storage Hanwell, whether in person, by post or through other communication channels.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us. This may include:
Identification and contact details, such as your name, postal address, billing address, and any other contact details you choose to provide.
Customer account and contract information, including unit numbers, contract start and end dates, access permissions, records of correspondence with us and relevant notes relating to customer service.
Payment and billing information, including payment method details, billing history, amounts paid, outstanding balances and related transaction records. We do not store full card details where a payment service provider processes them on our behalf.
Security and access data, such as access codes, key or fob numbers, sign-in logs, records of site entry and exit and, where in operation, CCTV footage in and around our storage facilities.
Usage and communication data, including details of your enquiries, complaints or feedback, and information about how often and when you visit your storage unit.
How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, make a booking, sign a storage agreement, make a payment or communicate with us. We may also collect data when you visit our premises, including through access control systems and CCTV where installed.
In limited cases, we may receive personal data about you from third parties, for example if someone nominates you as an authorised contact or emergency contact in relation to a storage unit.
Lawful Bases for Processing
We process your personal data only when we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. The main lawful bases we rely on are:
Contract: Where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, for example to provide storage services, manage your account, take payments and communicate with you about your booking.
Legal obligation: Where we must comply with legal or regulatory obligations, such as tax, accounting, safety and security obligations and retaining certain records for statutory periods.
Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests. This includes protecting our premises and property, managing our relationship with customers, preventing and detecting crime, pursuing unpaid fees and improving our services.
Consent: In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example if we wish to send you certain types of marketing messages that go beyond what you would reasonably expect as a customer. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We may use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To provide self-storage services, including processing enquiries, preparing quotes, setting up and managing contracts, administering unit access and providing customer service and support.
To handle payments, invoicing and account administration, including processing payments, dealing with failed or late payments and maintaining accurate financial records.
To maintain safety and security at our premises, including monitoring access control systems, operating CCTV where in place, addressing security incidents and protecting our property, staff, customers and visitors.
To respond to your questions, complaints or requests and to communicate important information about your storage unit, such as changes to terms, access arrangements or facility rules.
To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including record-keeping, responding to lawful requests from authorities and assisting in the prevention and detection of crime or fraud.
To manage our business operations, including auditing, quality control, service improvement, staff training and planning for future capacity and services.
Data Sharing and Processors
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where this is necessary for the purposes described above or where we have a legal obligation to do so.
Service providers acting as data processors may process personal data on our behalf in accordance with our instructions. These may include:
Payment processing providers that handle card payments and other transactions.
IT and cloud service providers that host or support our customer databases, security systems or communication systems.
Security and maintenance providers that support access control, CCTV and facility management systems.
Professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, where this is necessary to obtain advice or protect our legal rights.
Public authorities, law enforcement or regulators, where we are required to share information by law or in order to protect our rights, property or the safety of others.
Whenever we use data processors, we ensure there is a written contract in place requiring them to protect your personal data, use it only for the purposes we have specified and comply with applicable data protection law.
Data Retention
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting or reporting requirements. The specific retention period will depend on the type of data and the applicable legal or operational requirements.
Customer contract and billing information is generally retained for a number of years after your contract ends, to comply with tax and accounting laws and to enable us to handle any queries or disputes. Security records, such as access logs and CCTV footage, are kept for shorter periods unless they are required for an ongoing investigation or legal matter.
When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete it or anonymise it so that you can no longer be identified.
International Transfers
Where we use service providers located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, or where their systems store or access data from outside these areas, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in accordance with data protection law. This may include using standard contractual clauses or other approved mechanisms.
Security of Your Personal Data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage systems, staff training and regular review of our security arrangements.
While we work hard to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed as completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee the absolute security of personal data but we do take all reasonable steps to protect it.
Your Rights Under Data Protection Law
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal data that we hold about you. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, these may include:
The right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you and information about how we process it.
The right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
The right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data.
The right to restriction: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations.
The right to data portability: Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may ask to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and to have it transferred to another controller, where technically feasible.
The right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including profiling based on those interests. You also have an absolute right to object to direct marketing.
The right to withdraw consent: Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
Exercising Your Rights and Complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your rights or have questions about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the usual Storage Hanwell contact channels. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority for data protection if you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data. We would, however, appreciate the chance to resolve your concerns directly in the first instance.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, how we process personal data or changes in applicable law. Any updates will apply from the date they are published and the revised version will replace earlier versions. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.
