Privacy Policy - Bethnalgreen Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Bethnalgreen Storage collects, uses, shares, stores, and protects personal data. It applies to all Bethnalgreen Storage customers in area, including prospective customers, current customers, former customers, and visitors who interact with our services in connection with storage, administration, payments, security, and related support. 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.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Bethnalgreen Storage acts as the data controller in relation to the personal data described in this policy. This means we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data when you use our storage services or interact with us in an operational or administrative context.

This policy applies to personal data we collect directly from you, data collected automatically through our systems, and data received from third parties where permitted by law.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We only collect personal data that is relevant and necessary for providing our services, maintaining security, managing accounts, and meeting legal obligations. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name, title, date of birth, and identification details where required for verification.
Contact data such as your address, email address, telephone number, and billing details.
Account and contract data such as your storage unit details, booking history, service preferences, and agreement records.
Payment data such as payment method information, transaction records, invoicing details, and payment status. We do not retain full card details where payment is processed by a secure provider.
Security and access data such as entry logs, time stamps, CCTV images, key codes, and access control records.
Correspondence data such as emails, phone notes, complaint records, and other communications with us.
Technical data such as IP address, device information, browser type, and limited usage data when our systems or digital tools collect it.

We generally do not intentionally collect special category data. If you choose to share such information with us, we will only process it where a lawful basis applies and where it is necessary and permitted by law.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to set up and manage your storage account;
to provide storage services and related support;
to process payments, invoices, refunds, and account balances;
to verify identity and prevent fraud;
to maintain site safety, access control, and security;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, and requests;
to administer contracts and keep accurate records;
to comply with legal, regulatory, insurance, and tax obligations;
to protect our business, property, staff, customers, and other lawful interests;
to improve service quality, systems, and operational efficiency.

We do not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless we have a valid lawful basis and, where required, have informed you.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the activity, we rely on one or more of the following bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing bookings, supplying storage space, billing, access control, and customer support.

Legal Obligation

We process data where we need to comply with legal duties, such as accounting, tax, fraud prevention, health and safety requirements, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include maintaining security, preventing misuse of our facilities, improving services, managing records, and handling disputes. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on individuals and only process what is necessary.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example, for certain optional communications or specific processing where consent is the appropriate lawful basis. Where consent is used, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our services. These parties act either as processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers. We only share data where appropriate safeguards are in place.

Our processors may include:

IT and cloud service providers who host systems, store records, and support secure operation of our business tools.
Payment service providers who process card or electronic payments securely.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers who assist with financial administration and compliance.
Security service providers who support CCTV, alarms, access control, or facility monitoring.
Customer service and communication providers who help manage messages and service workflows.
Professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, auditors, and consultants where needed for advice or compliance.

We require processors to handle personal data only on our instructions, to protect it appropriately, and to comply with data protection law. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or regulatory request, or where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and for any additional period required by law or justified by legitimate business needs. Our retention periods depend on the category of data and the reason for processing.

Contract and account records are generally retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage disputes, queries, and audit needs.
Payment and invoicing records are retained for the period required by financial and tax legislation.
Security records such as CCTV and access logs are retained for a limited period unless needed for an investigation, incident, or legal claim.
Correspondence may be retained for as long as needed to resolve issues and maintain an accurate business record.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unlawful access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include restricted access, encryption where appropriate, secure storage, staff training, and monitoring of systems and facilities. While we take reasonable steps to protect personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

8. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place and that the transfer complies with applicable data protection law. This may include the use of adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

9. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to legal limits and exceptions.

Right of access to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction to ask us to limit processing in certain situations.
Right to data portability to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

If you exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within the timeframes required by law.

10. Complaints

If you are concerned about how we handle your personal data, you have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant data protection authority. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the matter promptly and fairly. You also have the right to seek a judicial remedy where applicable.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or operational practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated, and we encourage you to review it periodically.

By using Bethnalgreen Storage services, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed in line with this Privacy Policy.

This policy is intended to provide clear, lawful, and transparent information for all Bethnalgreen Storage customers in area.