Privacy Policy - Mileend Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Mileend Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when providing storage-related services to customers in the area. It applies to all Mileend Storage customers in area, including prospective customers, current customers, and former customers. By using our services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Policy and applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information that is necessary to provide and manage our services, comply with legal obligations, and protect our legitimate business interests. The categories of personal data we may collect include:

Identity data: name, title, date of birth, and similar identifiers.
Contact data: address, email address, and telephone number.
Customer account data: booking details, storage unit references, payment status, and service preferences.
Financial data: payment card details, bank account information, billing history, and transaction records.
Verification data: identification documents, proof of address, and other information used to verify identity where required.
Technical data: IP address, device information, log data, and usage information when you interact with our digital systems.
Security data: CCTV images, access records, alarm logs, and entry/exit information where applicable.
Correspondence data: records of communications with us, including complaints, queries, and service requests.

We generally collect personal data directly from you when you enquire about, book, pay for, or use our services. We may also receive data from third parties such as payment providers, identity verification services, insurers, debt recovery providers, and public authorities where lawful and necessary.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to assess enquiries and provide storage services;
to create and manage customer accounts;
to verify identity and prevent fraud;
to process payments, refunds, and invoices;
to manage access to storage facilities and maintain security;
to communicate service updates, notices, and account information;
to handle complaints, disputes, and service-related requests;
to meet legal, tax, insurance, and regulatory requirements;
to protect our property, customers, staff, and business operations;
to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We may also use aggregated or anonymised information for analysis, service improvement, and operational planning. This information does not identify you directly.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the purpose, we may rely on one or more of the following bases:

3.1 Performance of a contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes setting up your account, providing storage services, taking payment, and managing your storage arrangement.

3.2 Legal obligation

We may process personal data to comply with legal obligations, including accounting, taxation, fraud prevention, record-keeping, and lawful responses to regulatory or court requests.

3.3 Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests include protecting our facilities, preventing fraud, improving services, managing risk, and enforcing agreements. Where required, we balance our interests against your privacy rights.

3.4 Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain marketing communications or optional processing activities. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

3.5 Vital interests and public task

We do not generally rely on vital interests or public task as a basis for processing, but may do so in exceptional cases where required by law or to protect someone’s life.

4. Retention of Personal Data

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, security, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Customer account and contract records: kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Payment and invoice records: retained for tax, accounting, and audit purposes in line with legal requirements.
Security records such as CCTV and access logs: retained only as long as necessary for security, incident management, and evidence preservation.
Correspondence and complaint records: retained for the period needed to resolve the matter and defend possible claims.
Verification records: kept only as long as necessary to confirm identity or satisfy compliance checks.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe and appropriate manner.

5. Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who process data on our behalf or for their own independent purposes. These parties may include:

Payment processors to handle card and bank transactions;
IT and cloud service providers to store and support systems;
Identity verification providers to confirm customer details;
Security and monitoring providers for access control and surveillance;
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, and legal advisers;
Debt recovery or collections providers where accounts remain unpaid;
Public authorities where disclosure is required by law or a valid request.

Where third parties act as processors, they are only permitted to process personal data on our instructions and must protect it using appropriate technical and organisational measures. Where a third party acts as an independent controller, it will be responsible for its own privacy obligations.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate safeguards to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, encryption, secure storage, staff training, monitoring, and contractual protections with processors. While we take reasonable steps to secure information, no system can be guaranteed completely secure.

7. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent lawful mechanisms. Where required, we assess the transfer risks before data is shared internationally.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction: to ask us to limit processing in certain situations.
Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can address any concerns, but you are not required to do so before contacting the authority.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are not intended for children acting on their own behalf. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where necessary in connection with a lawful arrangement involving a parent, guardian, or authorised representative.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data handling practices. The latest version will apply to all Mileend Storage customers in area from the date it is made available. We recommend reviewing this Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

11. Summary of Your Privacy Commitments

By using Mileend Storage services, you provide personal data that allows us to deliver storage solutions securely and efficiently. We process data only for specified, lawful purposes, retain it only as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors and other parties where justified. We respect your rights and aim to handle all personal information fairly, transparently, and securely.

This Privacy Policy is intended to be read as a general statement of our data protection practices for all Mileend Storage customers in area.