Privacy Policy - Greenwich Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Greenwich Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to all Greenwich Storage customers in the area. It applies to prospective customers, current customers, former customers, and any individual who interacts with Greenwich Storage in connection with storage services, account management, payments, access arrangements, or customer support.

Greenwich Storage is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We recognise the importance of privacy and aim to ensure that any personal information we handle is used only for legitimate purposes and retained only for as long as necessary.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity information such as name, date of birth, and identification details where needed for verification or account setup.
Contact information including address, email address, telephone number, and preferred communication method.
Account and contract information such as booking details, storage unit allocation, rental dates, service preferences, billing records, and correspondence relating to your account.
Payment information including payment card details, bank account information, transaction records, and invoicing data, where relevant.
Security and access information such as gate access logs, site entry records, key or code allocation, CCTV recordings, and incident reports.
Communications including emails, written messages, telephone notes, complaints, requests, and any other interactions with our team.
Technical and usage data where you use our digital systems, such as IP address, browser type, device information, and usage patterns, to the extent necessary for system security and performance.

We do not intentionally collect special category data unless it is necessary and permitted by law. If such data is collected incidentally, it will be handled with additional safeguards and only where a lawful basis exists.

2. How We Use Personal Data

Greenwich Storage uses personal data for the following purposes:

to create and administer customer accounts;
to provide storage services and manage unit access;
to process payments, deposits, refunds, and invoices;
to communicate about bookings, renewals, amendments, and service updates;
to verify identity and prevent fraud;
to maintain site safety, security, and access control;
to record and respond to enquiries, feedback, complaints, and claims;
to comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
to protect our legal rights, property, staff, customers, and premises;
to analyse service performance and improve our operations;
to manage audits, accounting, and record-keeping requirements.

We only use personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, Greenwich Storage relies on one or more of the following lawful bases when processing personal data:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes setting up your storage agreement, managing your booking, granting access to a unit, issuing invoices, and providing customer support connected to the services you have requested.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, fraud prevention, health and safety, and regulatory record-keeping requirements.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms. Examples include site security, CCTV monitoring, access control, service improvement, complaint handling, and protecting our business from unlawful activity.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where required for certain marketing communications or optional uses of data. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

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

Processors may include:

Payment service providers that handle card payments or bank transactions;
IT and cloud service providers that support data storage, email systems, security systems, and software tools;
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with financial administration;
Security providers involved in monitoring, CCTV, alarms, or access control systems;
Professional advisers such as lawyers, insurers, auditors, and consultants;
Delivery, maintenance, or facility support providers when access to personal data is necessary to deliver a service.

Where processors act on our behalf, they are required to process personal data only under our instructions, to maintain appropriate security, and to comply with data protection law.

We may also disclose personal data to public authorities, law enforcement, courts, or other third parties where required or permitted by law, or where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for legal, accounting, security, and reporting requirements.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing, but generally include:

Contract and account records retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for an additional period after the relationship ends to manage claims, disputes, and compliance obligations;
Financial records retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
Security records such as access logs and CCTV footage retained for a limited period unless needed for investigation, incident response, or legal proceedings;
Correspondence and support records retained as necessary to manage queries, evidence service delivery, or resolve disputes.

When personal data is no longer needed, it will be securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise disposed of in a safe manner.

6. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, system monitoring, and data minimisation practices.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. However, we take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold and to reduce the risk of misuse or unauthorised access.

7. Your Rights

Subject to legal conditions and exemptions, you have the following rights under data protection law:

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 ask us to delete personal data in certain circumstances;
Right to restriction – to request limited processing in specific situations;
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable;
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent;
Right to complain – to raise concerns with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request, and some rights may not apply in all cases. We will respond in accordance with legal time limits and provide clear reasons where a request cannot be fully met.

8. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, Greenwich Storage will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with data protection law. This may include the use of approved contractual protections or transfers to jurisdictions recognised as providing adequate protection.

9. Marketing Communications

Where permitted by law, we may send service-related communications that are necessary for the administration of your account. We will only send marketing communications where we have a lawful basis to do so, and in cases where consent is required, you can withdraw it at any time.

You can object to direct marketing at any time, and we will stop such communications once your request has been handled.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it is made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically so they remain informed about how their personal data is used.

11. General Statement

This Privacy Policy applies to all Greenwich Storage customers in the area and to any personal data processed in connection with our storage services. By using our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood how we collect and use personal data, the lawful bases on which we rely, the third parties that may process data on our behalf, the periods for which data is retained, and the rights available to you under data protection law.

Greenwich Storage is committed to handling personal data responsibly, lawfully, and securely. We aim to ensure that all processing is proportionate, necessary, and limited to what is required for the proper operation of our services and compliance with applicable law.