Storage Mortlake Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Mortlake collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It applies to all Storage Mortlake customers and users of our services within the Mortlake area, including individuals, businesses, and representatives acting on behalf of organisations.
1. Who this Privacy Policy applies to
This Privacy Policy applies to:
Customers who rent or enquire about storage units or related services from Storage Mortlake in the Mortlake area. Individuals who contact us with enquiries, requests, or complaints. Representatives of business customers, suppliers, and partners who interact with Storage Mortlake in a professional capacity. By using our services or contacting us, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act.
2. Personal data we collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data where necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:
Identification details, such as full name, title, date of birth, and proof of identity information supplied in documents you provide. Contact details, such as postal address, billing address, and any other address you provide to us, as well as any other contact information you choose to share. Account and contract information, such as customer reference numbers, contract start and end dates, storage unit details, payment preferences, correspondence history, and information about services you have ordered. Payment and transaction details, such as amounts paid, payment method type, transaction dates, and billing history. We do not store full payment card details; where required, these are processed securely by our payment service providers. Usage and access records, such as dates and times you access our storage facilities, unit allocation, and records relating to security access systems used at our premises. Communications, such as emails, letters, or other correspondence you send to us and notes of telephone conversations or in person discussions relating to your account or enquiries. Technical data, where applicable, such as information about your use of our website, including device information and basic analytics data.
3. How we collect your personal data
We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us by phone, online, or in person, when you sign a contract or open an account, or when you update your details. We may also receive personal data from third parties, such as business partners who refer you to us, credit reference agencies where checks are permitted by law and necessary, or service providers who assist us in operating our business.
4. Lawful basis for processing
We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under data protection law. The main lawful bases we rely on are:
Contract: We process data that is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as providing storage services, managing your account, handling payments, and communicating about your contract. Legal obligation: We process certain data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including record keeping, tax obligations, and compliance with lawful requests from authorities. 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 managing and improving our services, ensuring the security of our premises, preventing fraud, and handling customer service queries. Consent: In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of direct marketing where consent is required by law. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
5. How we use your personal data
We use personal data for the following purposes:
To provide storage and related services, including setting up and managing contracts, allocating storage units, processing payments, and communicating about your account or any changes to our services. To manage our relationship with you, including handling enquiries, complaints, or requests, and sending essential service communications such as payment reminders or notices about facility access. To protect our premises and assets, including controlling and monitoring access to our storage facilities, detecting and preventing fraud or misuse, and ensuring health and safety. To improve and develop our services, including reviewing usage patterns, monitoring service performance, and gathering feedback or conducting customer satisfaction activities. To meet legal and regulatory obligations, including financial record keeping, responding to lawful requests from public authorities, and complying with applicable laws.
6. Data retention and storage
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. The retention period will depend on factors such as the type of data, the nature of our relationship with you, and our legal and regulatory obligations.
For customers, we usually keep core account and contract information for a period after the end of the contract to address any queries, disputes, or legal claims, and to meet tax and accounting requirements. Access records and security related data are kept for a shorter period, unless they are required for the investigation of an incident or legal matter. When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to an identifiable individual.
7. Data processors and third parties
We may share your personal data with trusted third party service providers who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors may provide services such as payment processing, IT hosting and infrastructure, customer management systems, document storage, and security or maintenance services for our facilities.
We only engage processors who provide sufficient guarantees that they will implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data and process it solely on our instructions and in accordance with data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.
We may also share data where necessary with professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers, with insurers, or with public authorities where required by law or in connection with legal proceedings or regulatory requests.
8. International transfers
Where any of our service providers are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, or store data in those locations, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. These safeguards may include the use of standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities or other legally recognised mechanisms.
9. Security of your personal data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include access controls, secure storage systems, and procedures designed to restrict personal data access to authorised personnel who need it for legitimate business purposes.
10. Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have certain rights in relation to your personal data. Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, these may include:
The right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we hold personal data about you, and receive a copy of that data along with information about how it is processed. The right to rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you. The right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected and there is no legal obligation to retain it. The right to restriction of processing: You can request that we temporarily restrict our processing of your data in certain situations, such as while we are assessing a request for rectification. The right to object: You can object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including certain types of direct marketing. We will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests or we need to continue for legal reasons. The right to data portability: In some cases, you may request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine readable format, and that we transfer it to another controller where technically feasible.
11. Exercising your rights
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 details provided in your contract or on our main customer communication channels. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request. There is usually no fee for exercising your rights, although we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to act on requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive.
12. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or how we process personal data. When we make significant changes, we will take reasonable steps to inform you, for example by displaying a notice at our facilities or updating information provided to customers. The most recent version of this Privacy Policy will always apply to the personal data we hold and process about you.
