Storage Rainham Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Rainham collects, uses, stores and shares personal data about its customers and prospective customers in the Rainham area. It also explains your rights under the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all individuals who use or enquire about Storage Rainham services, including storage unit rentals, related services and any contact made with our staff in person, by post or through digital channels.
Data Controller
Storage Rainham is the data controller for the personal data described in this Privacy Policy. This means that Storage Rainham decides what personal data is collected, how it is used and how it is protected, in line with applicable data protection laws.
Personal Data We Collect
Storage Rainham collects and processes different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you use. The types of data we may collect include:
Identification data such as full name, title, date of birth and proof of identity documentation details as required for verification and security.
Contact data such as home or business address, correspondence address, and any contact details you choose to provide other than email addresses or phone numbers, which are not collected or stored under this policy.
Contract and account data such as storage unit number, contract start and end dates, rental terms, payment history, billing records and correspondence relating to your account.
Payment and transaction data such as payment records, amounts paid, method of payment and associated financial records processed through our selected payment processors. We do not store full payment card details on our own systems.
Security and access data such as access codes, entry and exit logs for our storage facilities, CCTV footage from our premises, incident logs and information relating to security checks where relevant for the safety of customers, staff and property.
Communication data such as records of communications with you, including written correspondence, complaints, queries, feedback and notes made by our staff when responding to your requests.
Marketing preference data such as your choices about receiving marketing information from Storage Rainham and how you prefer us to contact you for non-essential communications.
How We Collect Personal Data
We collect personal data directly from you when you make an enquiry, sign a storage contract, make a payment, visit our facilities, communicate with us or update your details. We may also receive personal data from third parties such as payment service providers, credit reference agencies where lawful and applicable, or law enforcement and regulatory bodies when they are legally permitted to share such data.
Lawful Basis for Processing
Storage Rainham processes personal data only when there is a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the context, we rely on the following lawful bases:
Contract performance: We process personal data as necessary to enter into and perform our contract with you. This includes setting up and managing your storage agreement, processing payments, providing access to your unit and communicating with you about your account.
Legal obligation: We process personal data to comply with legal and regulatory requirements such as tax, accounting, anti-money laundering, crime prevention and health and safety obligations, as well as to respond to requests from public authorities when legally required.
Legitimate interests: We process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests and those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes ensuring the security of our premises, preventing fraud, improving our services, managing customer relationships and defending our legal rights.
Consent: In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain direct marketing activities or where we request optional information beyond what is necessary for contract or legal compliance. Where processing is based on consent, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
How We Use Your Personal Data
Storage Rainham uses the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
To provide and manage storage services, including creating and administering your account, managing your contract, arranging access to units and handling any changes or renewals.
To process payments and manage billing, including issuing invoices, recording payments and handling queries about charges or transactions.
To maintain safety and security at our facilities, including monitoring access logs, using CCTV systems, managing incident reports and cooperating with law enforcement where necessary.
To provide customer support, respond to enquiries, manage complaints and improve the quality of our customer service.
To send you information about important changes to your contract, our terms, pricing or policies, as well as service messages that are necessary to the running of your account.
To carry out internal business operations such as auditing, risk management, fraud prevention, service analysis and staff training.
To send you marketing communications about Storage Rainham services where we are permitted to do so by law and where you have not opted out of such communications.
Data Retention
Storage Rainham keeps personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet legal, accounting and regulatory requirements. The length of time we retain personal data depends on the type of data and the context of processing:
Contract and billing records are generally kept for a period required by tax and accounting laws, after which they are securely deleted or anonymised.
CCTV footage is retained for a limited period necessary for security and incident investigation, unless a longer retention is required in connection with a specific investigation, dispute or legal claim.
Access logs and security records are retained for as long as needed to maintain the safety and integrity of our premises and to investigate any suspected incidents.
Marketing preference data and records of consent are kept for as long as we continue to send you marketing communications or until you withdraw your consent or opt out, and for a reasonable period afterward to demonstrate compliance.
When personal data is no longer required, Storage Rainham takes steps to delete it securely or to anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to an identifiable individual.
Data Processors and Third Parties
Storage Rainham may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors may provide services such as payment processing, secure data storage, customer relationship management systems, IT support, security and CCTV maintenance, and professional advisors such as accountants or legal representatives.
All processors that handle personal data on behalf of Storage Rainham are required to act only on our documented instructions, to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect the data, and to maintain confidentiality. We do not allow our processors to use your personal data for their own purposes.
We may also share personal data with third parties where required by law, to protect our rights or the rights of others, to investigate fraud or security incidents, or to respond to lawful requests from public authorities and law enforcement.
Storage Rainham does not sell personal data to third parties.
International Data Transfers
Where Storage Rainham or its processors transfer personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses or equivalent mechanisms, to provide a level of protection for your personal data that is essentially equivalent to that in the United Kingdom.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection laws, you have several rights in relation to your personal data held by Storage Rainham. These rights apply to all Storage Rainham customers and prospective customers in the Rainham area, subject to certain legal conditions and limitations.
Right of access: You have the right to request confirmation of whether we process your personal data and to receive a copy of that data, along with information about how it is used.
Right to rectification: You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
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 where you withdraw consent and there is no other legal basis for processing.
Right to restriction of processing: You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in specific situations, for example while we verify the accuracy of the data or consider an objection you have raised.
Right to object: You have the right to object to processing carried out on the basis of our legitimate interests, including profiling, and we will stop processing your personal data unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds that override your interests, rights and freedoms or where processing is required for legal claims. You always have the right to object to direct marketing.
Right to data portability: Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you have the right to receive personal data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, and to request that we transmit it 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 does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact Storage Rainham first so we can address your concerns directly.
Security of Your Personal Data
Storage Rainham takes appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or damage. Measures may include physical security controls at our facilities, secure access controls to our systems, staff training on data protection responsibilities and regular review of our security arrangements.
Updates to This Privacy Policy
Storage Rainham may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or data protection practices. Any updated version will apply to all personal data held by Storage Rainham from the date it is issued. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we protect your personal data.
