Privacy Policy - Kingstonuponthames Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Kingstonuponthames Storage collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Kingstonuponthames Storage customers in the area, including individuals and business customers who use, enquire about, or otherwise interact with our 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.

By using Kingstonuponthames Storage services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed as described in this policy. We encourage you to read this document carefully so you understand how your information is used and what rights you have.

1. Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for business operations, legal compliance, and customer service. Depending on your relationship with us, this may include:

Identity information such as your name, date of birth, and government-issued identification details where required for verification or security purposes.
Contact information such as postal address, email address, telephone number, and other communication details you provide.
Account and service information such as storage unit allocation, booking details, payment status, service preferences, access logs, and customer correspondence.
Financial information such as payment card details or bank account information, where necessary for billing, refunds, or collections. Payment data may be handled by a secure payment processor rather than stored directly by us.
Identification and security records such as CCTV footage, access records, incident reports, and other data collected to protect our premises, staff, customers, and property.
Usage and technical information such as device data, IP address, browser type, and website interaction data if you visit our digital services, where applicable.

We may also collect information that you choose to provide to us voluntarily, for example when you make a complaint, submit an enquiry, or request support. We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and you have provided it, or unless we are legally required to do so in connection with a specific matter.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We process personal data for the following purposes:

to provide storage services and manage your customer account;
to confirm your identity and verify eligibility where required;
to take payment, issue invoices, process refunds, and manage outstanding balances;
to communicate with you about your booking, access arrangements, service changes, and customer support matters;
to maintain security and prevent unauthorised access, theft, fraud, damage, or misuse of our facilities;
to meet legal, regulatory, insurance, and accounting obligations;
to deal with complaints, disputes, claims, or enforcement matters;
to improve our services, systems, and customer experience;
to administer business operations, records, and internal reporting.

We only use personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably determine that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and that such use is permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Kingstonuponthames Storage relies on the following lawful bases, depending on the activity involved:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as managing your storage agreement, billing, customer support, and account administration.

Legal Obligation

We may process data where needed to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, fraud prevention, safety, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include protecting our facilities, managing business operations, improving services, and maintaining records. When relying on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and apply appropriate safeguards.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional marketing communications or specific uses of personal data where consent is the most appropriate basis. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time, although this will not affect processing already carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, only where necessary and in accordance with applicable law. Our processors may include:

Payment service providers who process transactions securely on our behalf;
IT and cloud service providers who host systems, store data, or support business software;
Security service providers who support CCTV, alarm monitoring, access control, or incident response;
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, and legal advisers;
Debt recovery or collection partners where a customer account remains unpaid and lawful recovery action is necessary;
Regulators, law enforcement, or public authorities where disclosure is required by law or needed to protect rights, property, or safety.

Where we use processors, they are required to act only on our instructions, maintain confidentiality, and implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We do not sell personal data. If personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law. Retention periods depend on the type of information and the reason for processing. In general:

customer account and contract records are kept for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
financial and accounting records are retained for the period required under tax and accounting laws;
security records, including CCTV and access logs, are kept for a limited period unless needed longer for incident investigation, legal claims, or regulatory purposes;
complaints, dispute records, and correspondence are retained for as long as necessary to resolve the matter and defend or establish legal claims.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention procedures. We review retention periodically to ensure data is not kept longer than necessary.

6. Security of Personal Data

We apply appropriate technical and organisational safeguards designed to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, encryption where appropriate, staff confidentiality obligations, monitoring, secure storage, and incident management procedures. While we take reasonable steps to safeguard information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limitations and exemptions. They include:

The right of access to obtain confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of it.
The right to rectification to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, also known as the right to be forgotten.
The right to restriction to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
The right to data portability to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format, where applicable.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
The right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
The right to complain to the relevant supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the time limits set by law. Your rights are important, and we will consider each request carefully and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Our storage services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where required in connection with a lawful business arrangement or legal obligation. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete it or otherwise handle it lawfully.

9. Marketing Communications

Where permitted by law, we may send limited service-related updates or, where you have opted in, marketing communications about our services. You can object to marketing at any time. If you opt out, we will stop sending such communications as soon as reasonably possible, although we may still contact you for important service or legal matters.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, operational practices, or service offerings. The updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review it periodically so they remain informed about how their data is handled.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Kingstonuponthames Storage is committed to protecting personal data and using it responsibly. We collect only what is necessary, process it on a valid legal basis, retain it only as long as needed, and share it only with appropriate processors or where required by law. We also respect your rights and aim to handle all personal data with care, transparency, and accountability.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Kingstonuponthames Storage customers in the area.