Storage West Ealing Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage West Ealing collects, uses, stores and shares personal data about customers and prospective customers in our service area. It is intended to meet the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. This Policy applies to all Storage West Ealing customers and individuals who enquire about or use our services in the Storage West Ealing area.
Data Controller
For the purposes of data protection law, Storage West Ealing is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means that we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us. The categories of data we may collect include:
Identity and contact data: name, postal address, billing address, contact address, nationality, and similar identifying information.
Contact details: email address, communication preferences, and other contact information you provide to us.
Contract and account data: storage unit details, rental start and end dates, payment history, contract documentation, and correspondence about your bookings or account.
Payment and transaction data: information about payments you make to us and from us to you, including dates, amounts, and payment method type. We do not store full payment card details; these may be processed securely by our payment processors.
Usage and operational data: records of your visits to our facilities where relevant, including access logs, unit access times, and related operational records necessary to provide secure storage services.
Technical and website data: when you visit our website, we may collect technical data such as IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, and information about your visit for analytics and security purposes.
Security and CCTV data: where CCTV is in operation on our premises, we may collect video images for security, safety, and crime prevention.
How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data in several ways:
Directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, make a booking, sign a storage agreement, make a payment, or communicate with us.
Automatically when you interact with our website through the use of cookies and similar technologies, subject to your preferences.
From third parties such as payment service providers, referencing or credit-check providers where applicable, and service partners that support our operations.
Lawful Basis for Processing
We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. Depending on the context, we may rely on the following lawful bases:
Contract: to take steps at your request before entering into a contract and to perform our contract with you, including managing your storage unit, taking payments, and providing customer support.
Legal obligation: to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax, accounting, insurance, and security obligations, and to cooperate with law enforcement where required.
Legitimate interests: to pursue our legitimate business interests, provided your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This may include maintaining security at our facilities, preventing fraud, managing our business operations, and improving our services.
Consent: where we rely on your consent, for example for certain types of marketing communications where consent is required. You may withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We may use your personal data for the following purposes:
To set up and manage your storage account, provide storage services, process payments, and manage your relationship with us.
To communicate with you about your contract, including notices, invoices, updates, and service messages.
To respond to your enquiries, provide quotes, and offer customer support.
To manage our facilities, including access control, security, maintenance, and operational planning.
To improve our services, including monitoring usage patterns and conducting internal analysis or reporting.
To send you marketing communications about our services where permitted by law and in line with your communication preferences.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including record-keeping, insurance requirements, and cooperating with law enforcement or regulatory bodies.
Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which we collected it, including for the purposes of satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
Customer contract and account data is generally retained for the duration of your relationship with us and for a defined period afterwards to deal with any queries, disputes, or legal claims, and to comply with statutory retention periods.
Payment and transaction records are kept in accordance with legal and tax requirements.
CCTV footage and access logs are retained for limited periods necessary for security, safety, and investigation purposes, unless a longer retention period is required in connection with a specific incident.
Where we rely on your consent for marketing, we will retain data used for that purpose until you withdraw your consent or we no longer need it, subject to a reasonable limitation period.
Data Processors and Third Parties
We may share your personal data with selected third parties who act as processors on our behalf. These service providers are only permitted to process your personal data in accordance with our instructions and are required to maintain appropriate security measures. Categories of processors may include:
IT and hosting providers that supply and maintain our information systems and storage platforms.
Payment processing providers that handle card or electronic payments on our behalf.
Customer management, communication, and marketing service providers that help us manage customer interactions and send permitted communications.
Security and access control service providers that support the operation and monitoring of our facilities.
We may also share your data with other third parties acting as independent controllers where required or permitted by law, such as insurers, legal advisers, accountants, regulators, law enforcement bodies, and courts.
International Transfers
Where we transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure that an adequate level of protection is in place. This may include using countries that have been formally recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection, or implementing appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent measures.
Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage, restricted access to CCTV recordings, and regular review of our data handling practices. While no system can be completely secure, we work to protect your information in line with applicable legal requirements and industry standards.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, you may have the right to:
Access: request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data.
Rectification: request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
Erasure: request deletion of your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to retain it.
Restriction: request that we limit the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example while we verify its accuracy.
Objection: object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including profiling related to those interests, and we will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is for legal claims.
Data portability: request that we provide the personal data you have given to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, or transmit it to another controller where technically feasible and where the legal basis is consent or contract.
Withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing before your consent was withdrawn.
Exercising Your Rights and Complaints
If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights or have questions about how we handle your personal data, you can contact us using the contact details provided in your contract or on our official website and communications. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data or exercise other rights.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office if you have concerns about how we handle your personal data. Further information about your rights and how to contact the relevant supervisory authority is available from the Information Commissioner's Office.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, how we process personal data, or legal requirements. The updated version will be made available through our usual communication channels. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we process your personal data.
