Privacy Policy - Selsdon Storage

Effective for all Selsdon Storage customers in the area, this Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal data in connection with our storage services. It applies to all customers, prospective customers, and other individuals whose personal data we process as part of providing storage-related services in the Selsdon area.

1. Introduction

Selsdon Storage is committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the information you share with us. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, the lawful basis we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This policy is designed to be clear and practical. It applies to all Selsdon Storage customers in area, including individuals, sole traders, and business customers using our services.

2. Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, managing our relationship with you, meeting legal obligations, and protecting our business. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name, date of birth, and identification details where required for verification.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and contract data such as booking details, customer account records, service preferences, payment status, and storage unit information.
Payment data such as billing details and transaction records. We do not usually store full card details where payment processing is handled securely by a third party.
Security and access data such as CCTV footage, access logs, entry records, vehicle details, and site attendance information where relevant to site security.
Communications data such as enquiries, complaints, service messages, and correspondence with us.
Technical data where relevant, such as IP address or device information when you interact with digital systems used to manage services.

We generally do not collect special category data unless you voluntarily provide it or it is required in exceptional circumstances, for example where needed to deal with a complaint or legal issue. If such data is collected, we will handle it with appropriate care and only where the law allows.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To register you as a customer and manage your account.
To provide storage services, allocate space, and administer access.
To process payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable.
To communicate with you about bookings, renewals, changes to service, or customer support matters.
To maintain site safety, prevent fraud, and protect our property, customers, and staff.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To handle disputes, claims, or enforcement actions.
To improve our services, systems, and internal operations.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes stated in this policy or for purposes that are compatible with those purposes.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, providing storage, administering payments, and fulfilling service obligations.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where needed to comply with legal requirements, including tax, accounting, health and safety, fraud prevention, and lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include site security, prevention of misuse, internal administration, service improvement, and maintaining business records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or specific processing activities. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Sharing and Processors

We do not sell personal data. However, we may share data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. These third parties may act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service provided.

Examples of processors may include:

IT and hosting providers that support our systems and data storage.
Payment service providers that securely process transactions.
Security service providers, including CCTV and alarm monitoring services.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, and legal advisers.
Administrative and communication service providers that help us manage customer records and correspondence.

Where a third party acts as a processor, they are only permitted to process your personal data on our instructions and must keep it secure and confidential. We require appropriate contractual safeguards before sharing data with any processor.

We may also disclose data where required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect our rights, customers, staff, or property.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason we hold it.

Customer account and contract data may be retained for the duration of the contract and for a reasonable period afterwards to deal with claims, queries, and record-keeping.
Financial and tax records are usually retained for the period required by law.
Security records and CCTV footage are typically retained for a shorter period unless required for an incident, investigation, or legal claim.
Communications may be kept for as long as necessary to resolve the matter and maintain 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.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, and limited access to records on a need-to-know basis.

While we work to protect your information, no system is completely secure. If we become aware of a data breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will act in accordance with applicable law.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under UK GDPR. These rights may be subject to conditions or exceptions in certain circumstances. Your rights include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data where legally possible.
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to raise concerns about how we handle your personal data. If you believe your rights have been infringed, you may contact the relevant data protection authority.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where required in limited circumstances and with appropriate safeguards.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data handling practices. The updated policy will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review it periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your personal data.

11. Summary of Key Points

We collect only the data needed to provide and manage storage services.
We process personal data on the basis of contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests, or consent where applicable.
We retain data only as long as necessary and in line with legal requirements.
We use trusted processors under contract to support our services.
Customers have clear rights over their personal data under UK GDPR.

By using Selsdon Storage services, you acknowledge this Privacy Policy applies to all Selsdon Storage customers in area.