Privacy Policy - Selfstorage Balham

This Privacy Policy explains how Selfstorage Balham collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Selfstorage Balham customers in the area, including prospective customers, account holders, authorised users, contractors, visitors, and anyone who interacts with our storage services. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our services, you acknowledge that your information may be processed as described in this policy. We only collect and use personal data where we have a valid legal reason to do so and we aim to collect only what is necessary for the purposes set out below.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect different categories of personal data depending on how you use our services. The information collected may include:

Identity information: full name, date of birth, and identification details where required for security or verification.
Contact information: postal address, billing address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and contract information: storage unit details, booking records, rental dates, payment status, access permissions, and correspondence related to your account.
Payment information: payment method details, transaction history, invoices, and records of fees paid or outstanding. We do not store more payment data than is necessary.
Security and access information: CCTV footage, access logs, key or entry records, and incident reports where relevant for safety and loss prevention.
Communications: emails, phone records, written messages, complaints, and service requests.
Technical information: basic device and usage data where collected through digital systems used to support our services.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is provided to us by you and is necessary for a specific legal or operational reason. If such information is ever processed, we will do so only with an appropriate lawful basis and additional safeguards.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to set up and manage storage agreements;
to verify identity and prevent fraud;
to provide access to storage units and site facilities;
to process payments, issue invoices, and manage refunds or arrears;
to communicate about bookings, changes, service updates, and account matters;
to maintain safety, security, and site integrity;
to monitor compliance with site rules and contractual obligations;
to resolve disputes, handle complaints, and investigate incidents;
to comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
to improve our operations, systems, and customer service.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where necessary, we notify you.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, Selfstorage Balham may rely on one or more of the following:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing your storage agreement, confirming bookings, taking payment, providing access, and dealing with service-related matters.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where needed to comply with the law, including tax, accounting, insurance, fraud prevention, and regulatory requirements. We may also retain certain records to meet legal obligations.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal 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 site security, CCTV monitoring, protecting property, managing customer service, preventing misuse of facilities, and maintaining records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for optional communications or certain types of processing that are not covered by another lawful basis. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

4. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our services, comply with the law, or protect our legitimate interests. These third parties act either as independent controllers or as processors acting on our instructions.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment processors that handle card or electronic payments securely.
IT and cloud service providers that support our systems, storage, and communications.
Security providers that supply CCTV, alarm monitoring, or access control services.
Professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, auditors, or legal advisers.
Maintenance and operational contractors who support the safe running of the site.

Where a third party processes personal data on our behalf, we require them to protect it appropriately and to use it only for authorised purposes. We do not sell personal data.

We may also disclose information if required by law, court order, law enforcement request, or to protect the rights, property, safety, or security of Selfstorage Balham, our customers, staff, or others.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, and reporting obligations. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

In general:

contract and account records are retained for the duration of the relationship and for a period afterwards where needed for legal claims or record-keeping;
payment and invoicing records are kept for the period required by tax and financial laws;
security records, including CCTV footage, are retained for a limited period unless needed for an investigation or legal matter;
correspondence and complaints may be kept for as long as necessary to respond to the issue and for evidence of handling.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention practices and legal obligations.

6. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, password protection, monitoring, and restricted access to records.

Although we take reasonable steps to safeguard personal data, no system can be completely secure. We therefore encourage customers to keep their own information secure and to notify us promptly of any suspected misuse affecting their account.

7. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place so that the data remains protected in accordance with applicable law. Such safeguards may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal mechanisms.

8. Your Rights

You have a number of rights under data protection law. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, these include:

Right of access: you may request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and receive a copy of that data.
Right to rectification: you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure: in some circumstances, you may request deletion of your data.
Right to restriction: you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object: you may object to processing based on legitimate interests, and in some cases to direct marketing.
Right to data portability: where applicable, you may request your data in a portable format.
Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise your rights, you should provide sufficient information to help us identify you and understand your request. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits set by law.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe your data has been mishandled. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve them directly.

9. Cookies and Similar Technologies

If we use digital tools that involve cookies or similar technologies, these may be used to support website functionality, improve performance, and understand general usage patterns. Where consent is required, we will obtain it before setting non-essential cookies. This policy does not provide website details, but any related processing will follow the same data protection principles.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data processing practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is protected.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Selfstorage Balham is committed to respecting privacy, using personal data responsibly, and maintaining transparency about our practices. We only collect information that is relevant to providing secure storage services, protecting our business and customers, and meeting legal requirements. We take a data-minimisation approach wherever possible and keep records only for as long as necessary.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Selfstorage Balham customers in the area. By using our services, you can expect your personal information to be handled with care, lawfulness, and respect for your rights.