Storage Mile End Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Mile End collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in the Storage Mile End service area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. By using our storage services, making an enquiry or otherwise interacting with us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage Mile End customers, prospective customers and users of our services in the Storage Mile End area. It covers personal data collected in person at our facility, over the phone, through online enquiries, and through any other communication or contractual arrangements with us.
Types of 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: name, postal address, billing address, contact address, date of birth, and other basic identity information required to identify you as a customer.
Contact information: email address, communication preferences and information relating to enquiries you make about our services.
Contract and account information: details of storage units rented, contract start and end dates, access permissions, payment status, invoices and transaction history.
Financial and billing data: limited payment-related information necessary to process payments and manage your account. We do not store full card details where payments are processed via secure payment processors.
Security and access information: records of access to the facility such as entry logs, unit numbers and, where in use, closed circuit television images captured on site for security and safety purposes.
Communication records: copies of correspondence, notes of telephone calls and details of complaints, queries and feedback provided by you.
How we collect your personal data
We mainly collect personal data directly from you when you enquire about storage, sign a storage agreement, make a payment or contact us with a question. We may also obtain personal data from third parties where this is lawful, such as references or verification services, and from the use of our on-site systems including facility access controls.
Lawful bases for processing your data
We process your personal data only when we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following lawful bases:
Contract: to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, and to perform our contract with you. This includes setting up and managing your storage agreement, taking payment, providing access to the facility and managing your account.
Legal obligation: to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, for example record keeping, tax obligations, responding to lawful requests from public authorities and maintaining safety records.
Legitimate interests: to pursue our legitimate business interests in a way that is proportionate and respects your privacy. This includes managing and improving our services, securing our facility, preventing and detecting fraud, handling queries and complaints, and maintaining accurate records of customer interactions.
Consent: in limited situations, where we ask for your clear consent for a specific purpose. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, and we will explain how you can do this at the time we request your consent.
Purposes for which we use your personal data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
To provide storage services: setting up and managing storage units, administering contracts, processing reservations, issuing invoices and receipts, collecting payments and communicating with you about your account.
To maintain security and safety: managing access to the facility, monitoring storage areas where appropriate, preventing unauthorised access, and ensuring the safety of customers, staff and property.
To manage our relationship with you: answering enquiries, responding to feedback and complaints, sending important service communications, and notifying you of changes to our terms or policies.
To operate and improve our business: internal administration, record keeping, auditing, service improvement, staff training and the development of new or improved services.
To comply with laws and regulations: meeting our reporting obligations, cooperating with law enforcement or regulatory bodies where required, and enforcing our contractual rights.
Data retention and storage
We keep personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or to meet legal, accounting or reporting requirements. The specific retention period will depend on the type of data and why it was collected.
Generally, we retain customer and contract records for a period necessary to manage the storage relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle any queries, disputes or legal claims. Financial and invoicing records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting laws. Security and access data, including access logs and any applicable CCTV footage, is kept for a shorter period, unless it is required in connection with a specific incident, dispute or investigation.
When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it in accordance with our data retention procedures.
Data processors and third parties
We may use carefully selected third party service providers, acting as data processors, to help us deliver our services and manage our business. These processors may provide services such as payment processing, secure data storage, customer relationship management, accounting support, facility management systems and security systems.
Where we engage processors, they are only permitted to process personal data on our instructions, for the purposes we specify, and must implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data. We do not allow processors to use your personal data for their own purposes.
We may also share personal data with other third parties where required by law, to protect our rights or the rights of others, or in connection with the sale or restructuring of all or part of our business. In such cases, we will ensure that the disclosure is limited to what is necessary and that appropriate safeguards are in place.
International transfers
Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in line with data protection law. This may include using standard contractual clauses or other recognised transfer mechanisms, and ensuring that the recipient provides adequate protection for your personal data.
How we protect your personal data
We take the security of your personal data seriously. We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage, staff training, data minimisation and regular review of our security practices.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to the personal data we hold about you. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, these include:
Right of access: you can request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of the data we hold about you.
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
Right to erasure: in certain circumstances, you can ask us to delete your personal data, 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 lawful basis for processing.
Right to restriction of processing: you can request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection you have raised.
Right to object: you can object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests, and we will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds or need the data for legal claims.
Right to data portability: where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, or transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.
Where we rely on consent as a lawful basis, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.
Complaints and further information
If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data or wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, you can contact us using the usual communication methods associated with our services. We will respond to your request or complaint in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any concerns directly.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or the services we provide. Any changes will take effect when the updated Privacy Policy is made available. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.
