Privacy Policy - Collierswood Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Collierswood Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to its customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Collierswood Storage customers in the area, including individuals and businesses who enquire about, reserve, rent, or otherwise use our storage services.

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

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process personal data that you provide directly to us, data generated through your use of our services, and data obtained from third parties where lawful to do so.

Information you provide to us

Identity details such as your name, title, date of birth, and identification documents where required.
Contact details such as billing address, correspondence address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and service details including your storage unit reference, access permissions, tenancy dates, and service preferences.
Payment information such as payment method details and transaction records. We do not store card details unless needed for secure recurring payment arrangements handled by a payment provider.
Supporting information you may provide in communications, complaints, damage reports, insurance claims, or service requests.

Information collected automatically

Site access records including entry and exit logs, key fob use, gate access data, and time stamps.
Security footage from CCTV systems operating on and around storage premises.
Device and technical data where you interact with our digital systems, such as IP address, browser type, and log information.

Information from third parties

Identity verification providers, where required for fraud prevention or compliance.
Payment processors and financial institutions, in relation to completed or failed transactions.
Insurance providers, where relevant to claims or cover linked to your storage arrangement.

We aim to collect only the personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To manage enquiries, quotations, reservations, agreements, and ongoing storage services.
To verify identity where needed for security, fraud prevention, or legal compliance.
To process payments, issue invoices, and maintain accurate financial records.
To provide access control, maintain site safety, and protect customers, staff, and property.
To handle customer support requests, complaints, and incident reports.
To administer insurance-related matters and fulfil contractual obligations.
To comply with legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, and record-keeping requirements.
To detect, investigate, and prevent fraud, misuse, damage, theft, or other unlawful activity.
To improve our services, systems, and internal operations.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a storage agreement, manage access to storage units, take payments, and provide related services.

Legal obligation

We process personal data to comply with laws and regulations, including tax, accounting, fraud prevention, safety obligations, and lawful requests from public authorities.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes securing the site, preventing crime, maintaining business records, responding to service issues, and protecting our property and customers.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or non-essential processing. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

Vital interests

In rare circumstances, we may process personal data where it is necessary to protect someone’s vital interests, such as in an emergency involving serious risk to life or health.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors on our behalf or, in some cases, as independent controllers. These parties are permitted to process data only in accordance with our instructions or their own legal obligations.

Typical processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers that host secure systems, storage management software, and backup services.
Payment service providers that handle card and bank payments securely.
Security service providers that support alarm monitoring, CCTV systems, and access control technologies.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, legal advisers, and debt recovery specialists.
Facilities and maintenance providers who may access limited information necessary to perform services safely.
Identity verification and fraud prevention providers where checks are required.

We may also disclose personal data if required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We do not sell your personal data.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements.

Retention periods may depend on the type of data, for example:

Customer and tenancy records are generally kept for the duration of the agreement and for a period afterwards to handle queries, disputes, and legal claims.
Financial records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Access logs and security records are retained for as long as needed for safety, fraud prevention, incident investigation, and operational security.
Correspondence and complaints may be retained until the matter is resolved and for a reasonable period thereafter.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it or anonymise it securely. In some cases, we may need to retain data for longer where required by law or to resolve disputes.

6. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, encryption where appropriate, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular security reviews.

While we take data security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs that poses a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will respond in line with applicable legal requirements.

7. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms designed to protect your information.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to conditions and exemptions.

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – you may request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to data portability – you may request transfer of certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise your rights, you should provide enough information for us to identify you and understand your request. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

9. Automated Decision-Making

We do not normally use automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on customers. If this changes, we will provide appropriate information about the logic involved, significance, and consequences of such processing.

10. Complaints and Supervisory Authority

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, you have the right to raise those concerns with the relevant data protection supervisory authority in the UK. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can review and address your concerns promptly.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it takes effect.

By using Collierswood Storage services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We remain committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and in accordance with applicable law.