Self Storage Swiss Cottage Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Self Storage Swiss Cottage collects, uses, stores and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers in the Swiss Cottage area. It is intended to comply with the requirements of the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all Self Storage Swiss Cottage customers and prospective customers in the surrounding area, including anyone who makes an enquiry, obtains a quote, enters into a storage agreement, accesses our facilities, or interacts with us in relation to our services. It also applies to personal data collected through visits to our premises and through any digital channels we operate, to the extent that these channels relate to our storage services.
Data Controller
For the purposes of data protection law, Self Storage Swiss Cottage is the data controller of the personal data we collect and process about you. This means that we decide how and why your personal data is used, and we are responsible for ensuring that it is handled in a lawful and transparent manner.
Personal Data We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data about you:
Identification and contact details, such as your full name, residential address, billing address, date of birth, and contact details including email address and any other communication details you choose to provide.
Contract and account information, such as unit number, contract start and end dates, payment status, correspondence relating to your storage agreement, and records of your communication with us.
Payment and billing information, such as payment method, partial card details where necessary for payment processing, billing history, and information required for fraud prevention and billing verification.
Security and access information, such as vehicle registration numbers provided for access purposes, access control logs relating to entries and exits, CCTV footage captured on and around our premises, incident reports, and records of any security-related events.
Marketing and communication preferences, including your preferences relating to receiving marketing communications, and records of your responses to any campaigns where relevant.
Technical information, where applicable, such as basic device and connection data when you use any of our online forms or digital tools, and logs of your interactions with our online services.
How We Collect Your Personal Data
We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, visit our premises, sign a storage agreement, make a payment, or otherwise interact with us in person, by phone, or through any digital channels we provide.
We may also collect limited personal data from third parties such as payment service providers, identity verification providers, or credit reference agencies, where this is necessary to verify your identity, process payments, assess risk, or comply with legal obligations.
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 context, we may rely on the following lawful bases:
Performance of a contract: We use your personal data to provide our storage services, set up and manage your account, process payments, communicate with you about your agreement, and handle any queries or issues you raise.
Legal obligations: We process certain data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including tax and accounting rules, anti-money laundering obligations, law enforcement requests, and health and safety requirements relating to our premises.
Legitimate interests: We process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes securing and managing our premises, preventing and detecting crime or fraud, improving our services, managing business operations, and maintaining accurate records.
Consent: In some cases we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of direct marketing communications that are not based on our legitimate interests. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us or updating your preferences.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To provide, administer and manage storage services, including setting up agreements, managing access, and dealing with queries or disputes.
To process payments, issue invoices, manage arrears, and maintain financial and accounting records.
To maintain the security and safety of our facilities, including monitoring access, using CCTV for the prevention and detection of crime, and managing incidents on our premises.
To communicate with you about your agreement, any changes to our terms or services, and other information necessary for the operation of our business relationship.
To conduct internal management, reporting and business planning, including quality control, staff training, and service improvement.
To send marketing communications about our services where we are permitted to do so by law, and where applicable in line with your preferences.
Data Sharing and Processors
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy and where permitted by law. These third parties act as data processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.
Data processors are third parties who process personal data on our behalf, in accordance with our instructions and subject to contractual safeguards. We may use processors to assist with payment processing and merchant services, secure data hosting and storage, customer relationship management systems, CCTV system maintenance and security services, and professional advisors including accountants and legal advisors.
Where required, we may also share personal data with law enforcement agencies, regulatory authorities, courts, or other third parties acting as independent controllers, where we are legally obligated to do so or where it is necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of our customers, staff, or the public.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
International Transfers
If we transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as using standard contractual clauses or transferring to countries with an adequacy decision, in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.
In general, we keep records relating to your storage agreement, including your contact details, contract history, and financial records, for the duration of your agreement and for a period afterwards as required by tax and accounting laws or to handle any potential claims or disputes.
CCTV footage is kept for a limited period, which is normally short, unless it is required for the investigation of an incident or for legal proceedings, in which case it may be retained for longer as necessary.
When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have certain rights in relation to your personal data, subject to applicable conditions and exemptions.
You have the right to access the personal data we hold about you and to receive information about how it is processed. You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data. You have the right to request the deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal basis to retain it.
You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as where you contest the accuracy of the data or object to our processing. You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests as our lawful basis, including in relation to direct marketing. You also have the right to data portability in certain situations, meaning you can request to receive personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and to have that data transmitted to another organisation where technically feasible.
You also have the right to withdraw your consent to processing where we rely on consent as our lawful basis. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
Security of Your Personal Data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include physical security controls for our premises, access controls for our systems, staff training on data protection responsibilities, and procedures for handling suspected data breaches. While we take reasonable steps to protect your personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Updates to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our data processing practices, or applicable law. Any updated version will take effect from the date it is made available. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we process personal data.
