Privacy Policy - Selfstorage Queenspark

This Privacy Policy explains how Selfstorage Queenspark collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Selfstorage Queenspark customers in the area, including prospective customers, account holders, authorised users, visitors to our premises, and anyone who interacts with us in connection with our self-storage services.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, the legal basis we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights you have over your information.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is necessary for the operation of our self-storage services, the management of our relationship with customers, and compliance with legal obligations. The data we collect may include the following:

Identity data such as your name, title, date of birth, and identification details where required.
Contact data such as billing address, correspondence address, telephone number, and email address.
Account and contract data such as storage unit details, contract dates, payment status, rental history, and service preferences.
Financial data such as bank account details, card payment information, invoices, receipts, and transaction records.
Security data such as CCTV footage, access logs, vehicle registration details, and site entry records where applicable.
Communication data such as emails, written enquiries, call notes, and complaint records.
Usage data such as details of your use of our facilities, including entry times and service interactions.
Technical data where relevant, including device or browser information collected through digital services used to manage accounts or bookings.

In some situations, we may also collect information from third parties, such as payment providers, identity verification services, debt recovery providers, or law enforcement agencies where permitted by law.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for specific, legitimate purposes related to our business operations. These include:

setting up and managing customer accounts;
providing self-storage services and administering rental agreements;
processing payments, refunds, and billing matters;
verifying identity and preventing fraud;
maintaining site security and protecting our customers, staff, and property;
communicating about service updates, access arrangements, account matters, and disputes;
handling complaints, claims, and customer support requests;
complying with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations;
enforcing our terms and conditions and protecting our legal rights;
improving our services, processes, and customer experience.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original purpose for which it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so and the law allows it.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process your data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes opening accounts, managing storage agreements, collecting fees, and providing the services you request.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, including accounting rules, tax requirements, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include site security, CCTV monitoring, service improvement, business administration, debt recovery, and protection against misuse of our facilities. When we rely on legitimate interests, we ensure the processing is proportionate and relevant.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example in relation to certain optional communications or where the law requires consent. Where consent is used, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.

4. How We Share Personal Data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share information only where necessary and appropriate for legitimate business, legal, or contractual reasons. Recipients may include:

Payment processors who handle card or bank transactions on our behalf;
IT and hosting providers who support our systems, records, and data storage;
Security providers who assist with alarms, access control, and CCTV-related services;
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, legal advisers, and consultants;
Debt recovery or credit reference services where lawful and necessary for unpaid balances;
Regulatory bodies, law enforcement, and courts where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, property, or safety.

Any third party acting as a processor must only process personal data on our instructions, must protect it appropriately, and must not use it for its own unrelated purposes.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods are determined by factors such as the type of data, the nature of the customer relationship, legal requirements, and the need to resolve disputes or enforce agreements.

In general:

contract and account records are retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law;
security records such as CCTV footage are kept only for as long as needed for safety, incident handling, or legal purposes;
correspondence and complaint records are kept for as long as necessary to deal with the matter and any follow-up obligations.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention procedures.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or misuse. These measures may include access controls, password protections, staff training, secure storage, and monitoring of systems and premises. While we work hard to protect your information, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we therefore cannot guarantee absolute security.

7. 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 your data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases;
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, machine-readable format where applicable;
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time;
Right to lodge a complaint – to complain to the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. Some rights may not apply in every situation, as legal exceptions can limit or modify their scope.

8. Processors and Service Providers

We may use trusted service providers to process data on our behalf. These processors may support functions such as payment handling, document storage, customer relationship management, IT support, secure backup, communications, and site security. They are required to:

act only under our instructions;
keep data confidential;
implement appropriate security measures;
assist us in meeting our data protection obligations where relevant;
delete or return data when their services end, unless retention is required by law.

Where processors are used, we take reasonable steps to ensure contracts and safeguards are in place so your data remains protected.

9. International Transfers

In limited cases, your personal data may be transferred outside the United Kingdom if a service provider or system provider operates in another country. Where this occurs, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections, so that your data remains protected to the required standard.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Selfstorage Queenspark is committed to collecting only the personal data we need, using it lawfully, keeping it secure, and retaining it only for as long as necessary. We aim to be transparent about our practices and respectful of your rights. If you are a customer in the area, this policy applies to you and describes the standards we follow whenever we process personal data in connection with our self-storage services.

Your privacy matters to us, and we are dedicated to handling your information responsibly and fairly.