Storage St Jamess Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage St Jamess collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to its customers and prospective customers. It also describes your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage St Jamess customers and prospective customers in the area who use our self storage facilities or related services.
Who we are and scope of this policy
Storage St Jamess is a self storage provider offering storage units and related services to individuals and businesses. We act as the data controller for the personal data that we process about you in connection with enquiries, bookings, contracts, payments, and access to our storage facilities. This Privacy Policy covers personal data collected through our premises, our website, by phone, and through any other communication with our team.
Types of 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, postal address, billing address, and correspondence address, together with any other contact details you choose to provide. Customer account information, such as your storage unit number, access credentials, contract start and end dates, and records of your interactions with us. Payment and billing information, such as payment method details and records of payments made and amounts owed. Verification information, such as identity documentation numbers, proof of address details, and any information we are legally required to collect for verification and anti fraud or security purposes. Usage and access data, such as logs of your visits to our facilities, dates and times of entry and exit where access control systems are in place, and any records kept for security reasons. Communications data, such as enquiries, complaints, and feedback you submit, and any correspondence we have with you. Technical information, such as information about how you use our website or online tools, including device information, approximate location information, and similar data where collected.
How we collect your personal data
We obtain personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, enter into a storage agreement, make or receive a payment, or contact us by any means. We may also collect data automatically through access control systems and CCTV on our premises where lawfully operated. In some cases we may receive personal data about you from third parties, such as payment service providers, credit reference agencies where applicable, or business customers who authorise you to access a storage unit.
Lawful basis for processing your data
We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context, we rely on the following lawful bases under data protection law.
To perform a contract or take steps at your request before entering into a contract, for example to provide quotes, manage bookings, supply storage services, process payments, and handle routine administration. To comply with our legal obligations, such as obligations relating to taxation, accounting, prevention of fraud or crime, and responding to lawful requests from authorities. For our legitimate interests, provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests. These legitimate interests may include securing and managing our premises and facilities, protecting our property and the property stored with us, improving our services, managing business operations, and handling queries or complaints. In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional marketing communications where required by law. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
Purposes for which we use personal data
We use your personal data for purposes including providing and managing storage services, administering your account, processing bookings, renewals, and terminations, taking and receiving payments, and managing deposits. We also use data to verify your identity where required, maintain the security and integrity of our premises, units, and systems, operate access control and security measures, respond to your enquiries and provide customer support, manage and resolve complaints or disputes, maintain business records and comply with legal and regulatory requirements, and send you information about our services where permitted by law and your communication preferences.
Data retention and storage periods
We keep your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. In general, we retain customer account and contract information for a period following the end of your contract so that we can respond to queries, deal with disputes, and meet our legal and regulatory obligations. Financial and transaction records are retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting laws. Security and access records are retained for a shorter period, unless they need to be kept longer to investigate an incident, address a dispute, or comply with a legal requirement. When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete or anonymise it.
Sharing personal data and use of processors
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties where necessary and lawful. These third parties act as data processors or independent controllers depending on their role.
We may use service providers acting as processors who supply services such as data hosting, storage management software, payment processing, document and record management, customer relationship management tools, and security or maintenance services. These processors may only process personal data on our documented instructions and must provide appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We may also share data with professional advisers such as legal advisers or accountants, insurers in relation to insurance cover or claims, and public or law enforcement authorities when required to do so by law or where necessary to protect our rights, property, or the safety of our customers or staff.
If we engage third parties outside the UK or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in accordance with data protection law.
Security of your personal data
We take the security of your personal data seriously. We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. Measures may include restricted access to systems and premises, use of passwords and authentication, encrypted storage where appropriate, staff training on data protection responsibilities, and procedures for managing any suspected data incidents. While we take steps to secure personal data, no system can be completely secure, and you are also responsible for keeping any passwords and access credentials safe.
Your data protection rights
You have several rights in relation to the personal data that we hold about you. These rights may be subject to certain conditions and legal limitations.
You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and to request access to that data. You may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data. You may request the erasure of your personal data where there is no good reason for us to continue processing it, for example where we no longer need it for the purposes for which it was collected and we have no legal obligation to keep it. You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, such as when the accuracy of the data is contested or you have objected to our processing. You may object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests, including any direct marketing based on those interests. You may also, in some circumstances, request the transfer of your personal data to you or to another organisation in a structured, commonly used, machine readable format.
Where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before 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 made available on our official communications or at our premises. We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable data protection laws and may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can attempt to resolve any concerns directly.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, our processing activities, or applicable laws. Any updated version will be made available through our usual communication channels. We recommend that you review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we process your personal data.
