Privacy Policy - Alperton Storage

Last updated: This Privacy Policy explains how Alperton Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Alperton Storage customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, and former customers who have used our storage services, related facilities, or customer support channels.

1. Introduction

Alperton Storage is committed to handling personal information lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy describes the types of personal data we may collect, the reasons we collect it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we retain it, the third parties that may process it on our behalf, and the rights available to individuals.

We only collect and use personal data where we have a valid lawful basis. We also take appropriate technical and organisational measures to keep your information secure and to ensure it is used only for legitimate purposes connected with our storage services.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal data, depending on your interactions with us:

Identity data: name, title, date of birth, and identification details where required for verification.
Contact data: address, email address, telephone number, and emergency contact details where provided.
Account and contract data: storage unit details, booking information, contract terms, payment status, and service preferences.
Payment data: bank details, card payment references, billing records, and transaction history. We do not store full card details where this is handled by a secure payment provider.
Security data: CCTV images, access logs, key fob records, alarm or incident reports, and entry/exit information.
Communications data: emails, written correspondence, complaint records, support requests, and call notes.
Technical data: IP address, device information, browser type, and access logs from our digital systems where applicable.

We generally collect data directly from you when you make an enquiry, sign a contract, make a payment, access our premises, or communicate with us. In some cases, we may receive information from third parties, such as payment processors, identity verification providers, debt recovery services, or lawful authorities.

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to provide storage services and manage your customer account;
to verify your identity and assess eligibility for services;
to process payments, refunds, and account reconciliations;
to communicate with you about your booking, contract, or service changes;
to maintain site security, prevent fraud, and manage access control;
to respond to enquiries, complaints, or disputes;
to comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations;
to enforce contracts and protect our legitimate business interests;
to keep records for operational, audit, and insurance purposes.

Where necessary, we may also use personal data to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must identify a lawful basis for each use of personal data. Depending on the context, Alperton Storage relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing storage agreements, payments, account administration, access arrangements, and related customer service.

Legal Obligation

We process data where required to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, fraud prevention, safeguarding, regulatory reporting, and lawful disclosures to authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include premises security, CCTV monitoring, fraud prevention, business record keeping, service improvement, and dispute handling. We always consider whether the processing is proportionate and relevant.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for optional marketing communications or certain non-essential uses. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal will not affect processing already carried out lawfully before withdrawal.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Retention periods depend on the type of data and the purpose for which it is held.

Contract and account records: retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to manage queries, disputes, and audit obligations.
Payment and accounting records: retained for the period required by tax and financial laws.
Security records: such as CCTV and access logs, retained for a limited period unless required longer for incident investigation, insurance claims, or legal proceedings.
Communications and complaints: retained while needed to resolve the matter and for record-keeping purposes.
Identity verification documents: retained only as long as necessary to meet verification and compliance obligations.

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

6. Processors and Third Parties

We may share personal data with trusted processors and third parties that help us operate our services. These organisations act on our instructions and are required to handle data securely and in compliance with data protection law.

Examples of processors may include:

payment service providers;
IT hosting and system support providers;
identity verification and fraud prevention services;
customer communication and email service providers;
accounting, audit, and bookkeeping providers;
security and CCTV maintenance providers;
legal advisers, insurers, and debt recovery services where necessary;
regulatory bodies, law enforcement, or courts where disclosure is required by law.

We do not sell your personal data. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved contractual protections.

7. Data Security

We use appropriate security measures to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, encryption where appropriate, secure storage, staff training, and regular review of our procedures. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we take reasonable and proportionate steps to reduce risk.

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 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, you may withdraw it at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exemptions or conditions. If you exercise a right, we may need to verify your identity before responding.

9. Complaints and Further Information

If you believe your personal data has been handled improperly, you may raise a concern with us so we can investigate and respond. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you are dissatisfied with how your data has been handled.

We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy carefully and review it from time to time, as it may be updated to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data protection practices. Any updates will apply from the date of publication.

By using Alperton Storage services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable data protection law.