Storage Merton Park Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Merton Park collects, uses, stores and shares personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in the Merton Park area. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage Merton Park customers, account holders, enquirers and website users located in the area who use or consider using our storage and associated services.
Data Controller
Storage Merton Park is the organisation that decides how and why your personal data is processed. We are responsible for ensuring that your personal data is handled in a lawful, fair and transparent manner and that your rights are respected.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect and process different types of personal data, depending on how you interact with us and the services you use. The categories of data we may collect include:
Identity and contact details such as your name, postal address, billing address, move in and move out addresses, and other identifying information that you choose to provide to us.
Account and contract information such as customer account numbers, storage unit numbers, key or access details that identify you as the account holder, rental agreements, records of services you have purchased, and details of your communications with us in relation to your contract.
Payment and transaction information such as payment method details partially recorded for reference, records of payments made, amounts charged, payment status and invoices. We do not store full card details when a payment processor is used, but we receive transaction confirmation and references from that processor.
Communication information such as records of enquiries and correspondence with you, notes of conversations, and any information you voluntarily provide when you contact us in person, by post, or through online forms.
Technical and usage data such as information about how you use our services, including entry and exit times at our facilities when access systems are used, and interactions with our website such as pages visited and basic device details where this is collected.
Security and monitoring information such as images captured by CCTV at our premises where installed, access logs for our storage units, and records created when alarms or other security devices are triggered.
How We Collect Your Data
We collect personal data about you in the following ways:
Directly from you when you make an enquiry, request a quote, reserve or rent a storage unit, sign a contract, make a payment, or contact us with questions or feedback.
Automatically through access control systems and CCTV at our premises, where these systems are in operation and are necessary to protect our customers, staff and property.
From third parties such as payment processors, referencing agencies or business partners who help us to provide our services, where this is permitted by law and necessary for our legitimate business purposes.
Lawful Bases for Processing
We only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the purpose, we rely on the following lawful bases:
Contract. We process your personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as setting up your account, providing storage services, managing billing and payments, and communicating with you about your contract.
Legal obligation. We process certain data where needed to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, such as tax and accounting obligations, record keeping requirements, and obligations to assist law enforcement or regulatory bodies.
Legitimate interests. We process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests or those of a third party and your interests or fundamental rights do not override those interests. This includes maintaining the security of our premises and systems, preventing and detecting crime or fraud, managing our relationship with you, and improving our services.
Consent. In limited circumstances we may rely on your consent, for example where we send certain types of marketing communications by electronic means. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, and we will explain how to do this when we collect your consent.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
To provide and manage storage and related services to you, including setting up your account, processing reservations, managing access to your storage unit, and handling customer service enquiries.
To process payments, issue invoices and receipts, manage any arrears, and keep appropriate financial and accounting records.
To maintain the security and safety of our premises, customers, staff and property through access logs, CCTV where installed, and other security measures.
To communicate with you about your account, including notifications about access, renewals, changes to your contract, or essential service information.
To manage our business operations, including audits, quality assurance, service improvements, staff training and the maintenance of accurate internal records.
To comply with applicable laws and regulations, respond to lawful requests from public authorities, and exercise or defend legal claims.
To provide you with information about services that may be relevant to you, where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
Data Retention
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting or reporting requirements.
In general, we retain customer account and contract information for the duration of your contract and for a period after it ends to deal with any queries, disputes or legal claims and to comply with our legal obligations. Financial records are kept for the period required by tax and accounting law. Security logs and CCTV recordings, where used, are kept for a limited period that is appropriate for security and incident investigation purposes, unless extended retention is required in connection with a specific incident or legal claim.
When data is no longer needed, we will securely delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be associated with you.
Data Processors and Sharing
We may share your personal data with trusted third parties who process data on our behalf. These data processors are engaged to provide services such as payment processing, secure data storage, customer relationship management systems, accounting support, security and access control systems, and information technology support. We ensure that all processors only process your personal data on our instructions, that they provide appropriate security, and that they comply with applicable data protection laws.
We may also share your data with other third parties where necessary, including professional advisers such as lawyers or auditors, insurers, law enforcement and regulatory bodies where we are required to do so by law, and prospective buyers or partners in the context of a business sale or restructuring, to the extent permitted by law.
We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
International Data Transfers
If we transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure that an adequate level of protection is in place. This may include using countries that are recognised as providing an adequate level of data protection, using standard contractual clauses approved by regulators, or other appropriate safeguards as required by law.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights apply to all Storage Merton Park customers and enquirers in the Merton Park area, subject to certain exemptions and limitations. Your rights include:
Right of access. You have the right to obtain confirmation as to whether we process your personal data and, if so, to receive a copy of that data and information about how we use it.
Right to rectification. You have the right to request that we correct or complete personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Right to erasure. In certain circumstances, you have the right to request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected or processed and we are not required to retain it for legal reasons.
Right to restriction. You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in certain situations, such as while we are verifying its accuracy or considering an objection you have raised.
Right to object. You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data where we are relying on legitimate interests, including profiling, or where we are using your data for direct marketing.
Right to data portability. Where processing is based on your consent or on a contract and carried out by automated means, you have the right to receive the personal data you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and to have that data transmitted to another controller where technically feasible.
Right to withdraw consent. Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdraw it.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe that your personal data has not been handled in accordance with data protection law.
Security of Your Data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. These measures include secure systems, restricted access controls, staff training and clear internal policies. While we take security seriously, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and you should take care to keep any access details safe.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements or services. Any changes will apply from the date they are posted. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle your personal data.
