Privacy Policy - Hamptonwick Storage

Effective date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Hamptonwick Storage customers in the area and explains how we collect, use, share, and protect personal data in connection with our storage services.

We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all individuals who enquire about, use, or otherwise interact with Hamptonwick Storage services, including customers, account holders, authorised users, and business representatives.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. The categories of information we may collect include:

Identity information: name, title, date of birth, and identification details where required for verification.
Contact information: postal address, billing address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and transaction information: booking details, rental records, payment status, invoices, and service preferences.
Security and access information: records relating to entry to storage facilities, access logs, CCTV recordings where used, and incident reports.
Communication information: correspondence and messages exchanged with us, including complaints, service requests, and feedback.
Technical information: limited data from your use of our digital systems, such as device information, IP address, and audit logs, where relevant to security and service delivery.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is strictly necessary and permitted by law, for example where it is provided in the context of a complaint or legal claim. Where such data is processed, we apply additional safeguards.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data to operate our storage services, manage customer accounts, secure our premises, and comply with legal obligations. Typical purposes include:

setting up and managing storage agreements;
verifying identity and preventing fraud;
processing payments and managing billing;
communicating about bookings, renewals, access arrangements, and service updates;
maintaining security, including monitoring access and investigating incidents;
handling complaints, disputes, and claims;
meeting tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory requirements;
improving our services, policies, and operational processes;
defending or establishing legal rights.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for a compatible purpose or where the law permits otherwise.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, Hamptonwick Storage may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to perform our contract with you or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract. This includes managing your storage account, providing access to a unit, taking payment, and administering the services you have requested.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where necessary to comply with laws and regulations, including financial record-keeping, tax requirements, fraud prevention, health and safety obligations, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. These interests may include securing our premises, preventing misuse of services, managing business operations, improving efficiency, and protecting against fraud or legal claims. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we conduct an appropriate balancing assessment.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional communications or specific uses that are not covered by another lawful basis. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. These third parties act as processors or independent controllers, depending on the service they provide.

Processors may include:

payment service providers that handle card or account transactions;
IT and cloud service providers that store data, support systems, or provide security tools;
accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with financial administration;
security service providers supporting monitoring, access control, alarm systems, or CCTV operations;
customer communication providers used to send service-related notices;
professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, auditors, or consultants, where necessary.

We require processors to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection obligations. We do not allow processors to use your data for their own purposes.

We may also disclose personal data to law enforcement, courts, regulators, or other public authorities when required by law or when necessary to protect our rights, property, staff, customers, or the public.

5. International Transfers

If any processor or service provider processes personal data outside the UK, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include an adequacy decision, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms recognised by data protection law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, reporting, and insurance requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

In general:

customer account and contract records are retained for the duration of the service relationship and for a period afterwards to manage claims and legal obligations;
financial and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
security records, including access logs and CCTV footage where applicable, are retained for a limited period unless needed for an investigation or legal matter;
complaints, disputes, and correspondence may be retained for as long as necessary to resolve the matter and for a reasonable period afterward.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in line with our retention procedures.

7. How We Protect Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff training, system monitoring, and contractual safeguards with processors.

While we strive to protect your information, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We will act promptly if we become aware of a data incident and will notify you and the relevant authorities where required by law.

8. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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

Strong protection of your rights is important to us, and we will respond to valid requests in accordance with applicable law. Some rights are subject to legal exceptions and may not apply in every situation.

9. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental and necessary in the course of a lawful transaction or legal requirement.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our operational practices. Any updates will take effect when published in the revised version. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

We collect only what we need, use it lawfully, keep it secure, and retain it for no longer than necessary. Hamptonwick Storage is committed to respecting privacy and handling customer data with care, fairness, and transparency.

This Privacy Policy applies to all Hamptonwick Storage customers in the area.