Storage Longlands Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Longlands collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers. It also explains your rights under data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage Longlands customers and enquirers in our service area.
Who this Privacy Policy applies to
This Privacy Policy applies to individuals who use, or enquire about using, self-storage or related services provided by Storage Longlands in our operating area. It also applies to individuals who visit our premises or communicate with us in connection with our services, such as guarantors, payers on an account, and authorised contacts on a storage agreement.
Personal data we collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data, depending on your relationship with us and the services you use:
Identification and contact details: name, postal address, billing address, contact address, date of birth, and other basic identification details; contact information such as email address and other communication preferences where you choose to provide them.
Contract and account information: storage unit details, contract start and end dates, services selected, billing history, payment status, correspondence relating to your account or contract, and records of interactions with our team.
Payment-related information: payment method type, payment transaction records, and fees paid. We do not store full payment card details; these are handled via secure payment processors.
Security and access information: CCTV footage in and around our premises, access control records such as entry and exit logs, vehicle registration numbers where captured by our security systems, and records of key or code issuance and use.
Communication data: records of emails, letters, and notes of telephone calls or in-person conversations, including queries, complaints, and other communications related to our services.
Technical data: where you use our website or online services, we may collect limited technical information, such as your IP address, browser type, and the pages you visit, to maintain and improve our services and for security monitoring.
How we collect your personal data
We collect personal data directly from you when you contact us, request a quote, enter into a storage agreement, make a payment, update your account details, visit our premises, or communicate with us by telephone, in writing, or online.
We may also receive personal data indirectly where another person provides your details in connection with a contract or enquiry, for example where you are an authorised contact, emergency contact, or payer for the account of another customer.
Lawful basis for processing
We process your personal data only where we have a lawful basis under the UK GDPR. Depending on the context, we rely on the following legal grounds:
Contract: We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into, or perform, a contract for storage or related services with you. This includes setting up your account, administering your contract, processing payments, managing access, and providing customer service.
Legal obligation: We process personal data where necessary to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, such as tax and accounting requirements, record-keeping rules, and obligations relating to security and health and safety.
Legitimate interests: We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided that these are not overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms. These interests include the security of our premises, preventing and detecting crime or fraud, managing and improving our services, and handling queries or complaints.
Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of marketing communications where consent is required. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time.
How we use your personal data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To provide storage and related services, including setting up and managing your storage agreement, allocating and securing your storage unit, administering payments, and communicating with you about your contract.
To maintain the security and safety of our premises, staff, customers, and stored goods, including through CCTV monitoring, access control systems, and incident investigations.
To handle enquiries, complaints, and requests, and to provide customer support before, during, and after your contract.
To manage our business operations, such as financial reporting, debt recovery, auditing, and developing and improving our services.
To comply with legal and regulatory duties and to respond to lawful requests from public authorities where required.
To send you service-related and administrative messages about your account, contract changes, safety notices, or other essential information.
To send you information about services that may be of interest to you, where permitted by law and subject to your preferences and rights.
Data sharing and processors
We do not sell your personal data. We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These may include:
Payment service providers that process payments and manage transactions securely.
IT and cloud service providers that host our systems, data, and communications tools.
Security and access control service providers assisting with CCTV, access systems, alarms, and incident management.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, or legal advisers, where necessary for our business operations and legal obligations.
Debt collection agencies or similar service providers where this is necessary to collect overdue amounts.
Each processor is required to handle your personal data only in accordance with our instructions, to use appropriate security measures, and to comply with data protection law. We may also share personal data with public authorities or law enforcement where we are legally required or permitted to do so.
Data retention
We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including meeting any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.
In practice, this generally means:
Contract and account records: kept for the duration of your contract and for a defined period afterwards to deal with any queries, disputes, or legal obligations.
Payment and financial information: retained for the period required by tax, accounting, and financial regulations.
CCTV and security records: retained for a limited period sufficient to investigate incidents, manage security, and support legal claims where necessary, unless a longer retention is justified for a particular incident.
Where retention periods are reached and there is no continuing need for the data, we securely delete or anonymise the information.
Data security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include physical security at our premises, access controls, secure storage of records, and appropriate safeguards within our IT and communications systems.
While we take reasonable steps to secure your data, no system is completely secure. We therefore cannot guarantee absolute security, but we continuously review and improve our security arrangements.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These include:
Right of access: You have the right to request confirmation that we process your personal data and to obtain a copy of that data, together with certain information about how it is used.
Right to rectification: You have the right to request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data is corrected or updated.
Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing.
Right to restriction: You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we are checking its accuracy or considering an objection you have raised.
Right to object: You have the right to object to processing that is based on our legitimate interests, including any direct marketing. We will stop processing your data for these purposes unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests or where processing is required for legal claims.
Right to data portability: Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller, where technically feasible.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve any concerns.
International transfers
Where we use service providers located outside the United Kingdom 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, such as the use of approved standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms.
Updates to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, how we use personal data, or changes in legal requirements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. You should revisit this page periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.
