Privacy Policy - Hanworth Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Hanworth Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our storage services. It applies to all Hanworth Storage customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, former customers, and any individuals who interact with us in relation to our services. We are committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Privacy is an important part of our service relationship. We only collect personal data that is necessary for the operation of our business, the provision of storage services, and the protection of our premises, property, staff, customers, and other lawful interests. This policy should be read alongside any service terms or rental agreement that may apply to your storage unit or related services.

1. Data Collection

We collect personal data directly from you, automatically from your use of our services, and occasionally from third parties where permitted by law. The types of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name, date of birth, and identification details used for verification.
Contact information such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and service information such as booking details, storage unit numbers, payment records, and communication history.
Financial information such as billing details, payment method information, and transaction status.
Security information such as access logs, key records, and CCTV images where applicable.
Technical information such as device identifiers, browser data, and usage patterns if you interact with digital systems we operate.

In some cases, we may also process limited special category data if you choose to provide it to us or if it is necessary for a lawful purpose, for example where you ask us to make adjustments relating to a disability or health-related need. We do not seek to collect special category data unless there is a clear and legitimate reason to do so.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data only for specific, legitimate purposes. These may include:

providing and managing storage services;
creating and maintaining customer records;
verifying identity and preventing fraud;
processing payments and managing invoices;
communicating about service matters, account issues, or contract changes;
maintaining the security of our premises, units, and systems;
meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations;
handling complaints, disputes, and enforcement actions where necessary;
improving our operations, customer service, and internal records.

We will not use your personal data for purposes that are incompatible with these stated aims unless we have a lawful basis to do so and, where required, we have notified you.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Performance of a Contract

We process data where it is necessary to enter into or perform our storage agreement with you. This includes setting up your account, managing access, collecting payment, and delivering the services you request.

Legal Obligation

We process data where we are required to comply with the law, including tax law, accounting requirements, fraud prevention obligations, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include protecting our property, ensuring site security, managing risks, defending legal claims, and improving service quality.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications or where special category data is involved and another lawful basis does not apply. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Important: if you do not provide certain data, we may be unable to provide some or all of our services, such as account creation, identity checks, or access management.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary and lawful. These parties act either as processors who process data on our instructions, or as independent controllers in their own right where the law requires them to do so.

Examples of processors or service providers may include:

payment processing providers;
IT hosting, cloud storage, and software support providers;
identity verification and anti-fraud service providers;
security and CCTV maintenance providers;
accounting, audit, and bookkeeping providers;
customer communication and document management services.

We require all processors to handle personal data securely, confidentially, and only in accordance with our written instructions. We do not allow processors to use your data for their own unrelated purposes.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, including to courts, law enforcement agencies, regulators, or other public authorities. If our business structure changes through a sale, merger, or restructuring, personal data may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate safeguards.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or for as long as required by law. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the legal or operational need for keeping it.

In general:

customer and contract records are kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards;
financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law and accounting rules;
security records, including access logs and CCTV images, are kept for limited periods unless needed for an investigation or legal claim;
correspondence and complaints may be retained for the time necessary to manage the issue and defend our legal interests.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it. We review retention practices regularly to ensure that we do not keep data longer than necessary.

6. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, restricted staff access, and monitoring of systems where appropriate. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take data protection and information security seriously and work to reduce risks to a practical minimum.

7. Your Data Protection Rights

As a data subject, you have rights under UK GDPR. Subject to legal conditions and exceptions, these may include:

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 data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so we can try to resolve the matter promptly and fairly.

8. Children’s Data

Hanworth Storage services are intended for adults and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in exceptional circumstances and is supported by a lawful basis. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate justification, we will take steps to delete it where required.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, business practice, or service arrangements. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically to stay informed about how we handle personal data. Continued use of our services after changes become effective will be treated as acknowledgement of the updated terms, where lawful.

In summary: Hanworth Storage processes personal data only when it has a lawful basis to do so, keeps it secure, limits retention, uses trusted processors, and respects the rights of all customers in the area.