Storage Old Ford Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Old Ford collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in our service area. It also explains the legal bases on which we process personal data, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and the rights you have under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage Old Ford customers, past customers, prospective customers, and anyone who contacts or interacts with Storage Old Ford in relation to storage services in our operating area. By using our services or providing your personal data to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Data Controller
Storage Old Ford is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means that Storage Old Ford decides how and why your personal data is processed and is responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with applicable data protection laws.
Personal Data We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data when you enquire about, enter into, or use our storage services:
Identification and contact details, such as your full name, postal address, billing address, and any other contact information you choose to provide.
Account and contract information, such as unit number, contract start and end dates, payment status, rental history, and communications relating to your account.
Payment and billing information, such as payment method and transaction records. Card details are handled in accordance with industry standards and are not retained by us beyond what is necessary for lawful processing.
Security and access data, such as access codes, entry and exit logs, and where in operation, CCTV footage in and around the facility for security and safety purposes.
Communication data, such as emails, letters, and records of telephone or in-person enquiries and complaints.
Technical data, where applicable, such as IP address, device information, and basic usage information if you interact with our website or online portals.
How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, sign a storage agreement, make a payment, or otherwise use our services. We may also collect data when you visit our facility, including through security systems such as access control logs and CCTV.
In limited circumstances, we may receive personal data from third parties, such as payment service providers, referral partners, or law enforcement agencies where legally permitted.
Lawful Basis for Processing
We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so under data protection law. Depending on the specific activity, we rely on the following lawful bases:
Contractual necessity: To enter into and perform our contract with you, including setting up and managing your storage unit, processing payments, communicating about your account, and providing customer support.
Legal obligation: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax, accounting, and record-keeping obligations, as well as responding to lawful requests from authorities.
Legitimate interests: To operate, manage, and improve our business and services, including ensuring site security and safety, preventing and detecting fraud, protecting our property and the property of customers, managing customer relationships, and analysing service usage. When relying on legitimate interests, we balance these interests against your rights and freedoms.
Consent: In limited cases, we may ask for your consent, for example for certain optional marketing communications. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To provide storage services to you, including setting up and managing your account, allocating storage units, and maintaining secure access.
To process payments, issue invoices, manage arrears, and handle refunds where applicable.
To communicate with you about your contract, including renewals, changes to terms, and essential service and safety notifications.
To maintain the security and integrity of our facilities through access control systems and, where operated, CCTV monitoring.
To handle your enquiries, feedback, and complaints, and to provide customer service and support.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, resolve disputes, enforce our contractual rights, and cooperate with relevant authorities.
To manage and develop our business operations, including internal reporting, auditing, and service improvement.
Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
Customer account and contract information is generally retained for the duration of your contract and for a period afterwards as required by law, for example to comply with tax and financial regulations or to deal with any potential disputes.
CCTV footage and access logs, where used, are retained for a limited period that is appropriate for security and investigative purposes, unless a longer retention is required for a specific incident or legal matter.
Where we no longer need your personal data for the purposes described, we will securely delete, anonymise, or otherwise remove it from our systems.
Data Processors and Sharing of Personal Data
We may share your personal data with third parties that act as data processors on our behalf. These service providers are engaged to perform functions such as payment processing, secure data storage, IT and system administration, and security monitoring. They are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and are required to maintain appropriate security measures.
We may also share personal data with other third parties where necessary, including professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, law enforcement and regulatory authorities where required by law, and debt collection agencies or courts where necessary to enforce our rights.
We do not sell your personal data. Any sharing of data is limited to what is necessary for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy and is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection law.
International Transfers
Where we use service providers or systems located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we take steps to ensure that your personal data is afforded an equivalent level of protection. This may include using countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection or implementing appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.
Data Security
We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage practices, and regular review of our security arrangements. While we do our best to protect your personal data, no system can be completely secure and you should take care to protect your own information, particularly where you use online services.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and legal exceptions, but generally include:
The right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you, along with information about how and why we process it.
The right to rectification: You can ask us to correct or complete personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.
The right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected.
The right to restrict processing: You can request that we limit the way we use your personal data in certain situations.
The right to data portability: In some cases, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, or transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.
The right to object: You can object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, and you can always object to direct marketing.
The right to withdraw consent: Where we process your personal data based on your consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.
Exercising Your Rights and Complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or raise a concern about how we handle your personal data, you can contact Storage Old Ford using the contact details provided on our main customer documents or at our facility. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable legal timeframes.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concerns.
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 be made available through our usual communication channels. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your personal data.
Contacting Storage Old Ford
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how we process your personal data, or how to exercise your rights, please contact Storage Old Ford using the contact information published on our official documentation or at our facility in the Storage Old Ford service area.
