Storage Barnes Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Barnes collects, uses, discloses, and protects personal data relating to customers and prospective customers in our service area. It is intended to meet the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and related data protection laws. By using our services, visiting our premises, or otherwise interacting with us, you acknowledge that your personal data will be handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage Barnes customers, prospective customers, and individuals who contact us or use our services in our operating area. It covers personal data collected through our storage facilities, customer service interactions, and any other offline or online methods we use to provide and manage our services.
Who we are and our role
Storage Barnes is the controller of the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. As controller, we determine the purposes and means of processing your personal data and are responsible for ensuring that such processing complies with data protection laws.
Types of personal data we collect
We collect and process different categories of personal data depending on how you interact with us and which services you use. This may include:
Identification details such as name, title, date of birth, and identification document numbers where required for security or verification.
Contact details such as postal address, billing address, and other contact information you choose to provide so that we can communicate with you about your storage agreement and related matters.
Account and contract information such as customer reference numbers, storage unit numbers, contracts, start and end dates of agreements, and payment history.
Payment and billing information such as partial card details, billing records, invoices, and payment confirmations processed through our selected payment providers.
Usage and communication data such as records of correspondence, enquiries, complaints, and feedback, along with information about your preferences relating to communication and services.
Security and access data such as CCTV footage from our premises, access control logs, visit records, vehicle registration details where relevant, and incident or accident reports.
Technical data where applicable such as basic device or system information generated when you interact with any online services we operate, for example access dates and times and basic diagnostic information.
How we collect personal data
We collect personal data directly from you when you enquire about storage, sign a contract, make a payment, visit our site, contact us, or provide feedback. We may also collect personal data automatically through security systems such as CCTV and access controls at our premises. In some cases, we may receive personal data from third parties, such as payment service providers, referencing or verification services where applicable, or individuals who name you as an emergency contact or authorised user of a storage unit.
Lawful bases for processing your data
We rely on different lawful bases for processing your personal data, depending on the purpose:
Contract: We process personal data to set up and manage your storage agreement, take payment, provide customer service, and perform our contractual obligations.
Legal obligation: We process certain information to comply with legal and regulatory duties, such as tax, accounting, prevention of fraud and crime, health and safety, and to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.
Legitimate interests: We process personal data when it is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, and when these interests are not overridden by your rights. Our legitimate interests include securing our premises and property, preventing and detecting crime, managing and improving our services, handling enquiries and complaints, and maintaining accurate records.
Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain types of optional communications or where required by law. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, and we will explain how to do so when we obtain your consent.
Purposes for which we use personal data
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
To provide storage services, including handling enquiries, quotations, reservations, contract administration, payments, renewals, and terminations.
To maintain the safety and security of our sites, customers, staff, and property, including the operation of CCTV, access controls, and incident reporting.
To manage our relationship with you, such as communicating important information about your account, responding to your questions, and handling requests or complaints.
To manage our business, including accounting, auditing, internal reporting, quality control, and service improvement.
To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and guidance, including in relation to taxation, financial reporting, law enforcement cooperation, and health and safety.
To protect our legal rights, including the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims, debt recovery, and enforcement of contract terms.
Data retention and storage
We keep personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, and to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. The specific retention period will vary depending on the type of data and the context in which it was provided.
Generally, we retain customer and contract records for a period after the end of the storage agreement to address any queries, disputes, or legal obligations. CCTV footage and access logs are typically kept for a shorter period, unless longer retention is required for the investigation of an incident, to support legal proceedings, or to comply with legal obligations.
When personal data is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it, in line with our data retention procedures.
Data processors and third party recipients
We use carefully selected third parties to help us provide, manage, and improve our services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers. Categories of such recipients may include:
Payment service providers who process payments on our behalf.
IT and system support providers who maintain our data storage, security, and communication systems.
Security and facility management providers who assist with CCTV, access systems, and site maintenance.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, and legal advisers who provide business and legal support.
Public and regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies, or courts where we are required to share data by law or in order to protect our rights or the rights of others.
Where we engage processors, we ensure that they are bound by contractual obligations to handle personal data securely, only in accordance with our instructions, and in compliance with data protection laws.
International data transfers
If we transfer personal data to countries outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will do so in compliance with applicable data protection law. This includes ensuring that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses, to protect your personal data and your rights.
Your data protection rights
You have a range of rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exceptions under data protection law. These include:
Right of access: You can request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, along with information about how it is used.
Right to rectification: You can ask us to correct or complete personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Right to erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request that we delete your personal data. This is sometimes known as the right to be forgotten.
Right to restriction: You can ask us to restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, for example while we verify its accuracy or consider an objection.
Right to data portability: In some cases, you can request that we provide your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format, and that we transmit it to another controller where technically feasible.
Right to object: You may object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including profiling related to those interests. We will stop such processing unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights, and freedoms, or where processing is necessary for legal claims.
Rights in relation to consent: Where we rely on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing before consent was withdrawn.
How to exercise your rights
If you wish to exercise any of your rights, or if you have questions about how we process your personal data, you can contact us using the contact methods provided on our website or at our premises. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request, to help ensure that personal data is not disclosed to anyone who does not have the right to receive it.
We aim to respond to all valid requests within one month. If your request is particularly complex or there are multiple requests, this period may be extended, and we will inform you of any extension and the reasons for it.
Complaints
If you are concerned about how we handle your personal data, we encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concerns. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority. Details of the authority and how to contact it are available from official government sources.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal obligations. Any updates will be made available through our usual communication channels and at our premises. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your personal data.
