Privacy Policy - Farringdon Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Farringdon Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to its customers, prospective customers, and other individuals whose information it processes. It applies to all Farringdon Storage customers in the area, as well as anyone who interacts with us in connection with our storage services, enquiries, account management, payments, access arrangements, or related administrative matters.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent way in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy is intended to explain what information we collect, why we collect it, the legal bases we rely on, how long we keep it, who may process it on our behalf, and what rights individuals have in relation to their data.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the data we need to provide our services, manage customer relationships, fulfil legal obligations, and run our business effectively. Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect the following categories of personal data:

Identity data such as your name, title, and identifying information provided in connection with an account or enquiry.
Contact data such as your address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and service data including storage unit details, access records, booking history, billing arrangements, and correspondence.
Payment data such as payment method details, transaction references, invoices, receipts, and records of amounts paid.
Verification data where needed to confirm identity, prevent fraud, or comply with legal and security obligations.
Technical data including limited device, browser, or access-system information if you use digital services connected with our operations.
Communications data such as enquiries, complaints, feedback, and records of interactions with our team.

In most cases, we collect personal data directly from you when you complete forms, sign agreements, make payments, request services, or contact us. We may also receive information from third parties where necessary to provide services, verify details, resolve payment issues, or comply with law.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To provide storage services and manage customer accounts.
To process bookings, payments, invoices, and refunds where applicable.
To communicate with customers about their accounts, service changes, access, or administrative issues.
To maintain site security, control access, and protect property and people.
To detect and prevent fraud, misuse, or unlawful activity.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, including accounting and record-keeping requirements.
To handle complaints, disputes, and customer support queries.
To improve our services, systems, and operational efficiency.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons it was collected, unless we have a lawful basis to do so and we have informed you where required.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each processing activity. Depending on the context, Farringdon Storage may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes setting up accounts, providing storage services, handling payments, and administering your relationship with us.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information where required to comply with legal obligations, including tax, accounting, fraud prevention, safety, and record-keeping requirements.

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. Examples include managing security, improving services, preventing misuse, and maintaining business records.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where specific optional communications or marketing activities require it. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who help us operate our business. These parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share the minimum data necessary and require appropriate safeguards to protect it.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers handling card or online payments.
IT and cloud service providers supporting data storage, business systems, and communications.
Security and access-control providers managing entry systems or monitoring services.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, or legal advisers.
Administrative service providers assisting with customer records, billing, or support.

We may also disclose information where required by law, court order, regulatory authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Farringdon Storage, our customers, or others.

Where a third party processes personal data on our behalf, we take steps to ensure they are bound by written agreements and only act in accordance with our instructions. We expect all processors to use appropriate technical and organisational measures to secure data.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, tax, security, and operational requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason for processing.

In general:

Customer account and contract records are kept for the duration of the service relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and transaction records are retained for the period required by law and standard accounting practice.
Security-related records may be kept for a shorter or longer period depending on risk, investigation, or legal requirements.
Enquiry and correspondence records are retained for as long as necessary to manage the matter and maintain business records.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will securely delete, anonymise, or archive it in accordance with our retention practices. We aim to ensure retention is proportionate and not excessive.

6. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, staff training, secure storage, password protection, and supplier due diligence. While no system can be guaranteed completely secure, we review our safeguards periodically and apply improvements where appropriate.

7. Your Rights

Individuals whose personal data we process have rights under data protection law. These rights may be subject to conditions and exemptions, depending on the circumstances.

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 information.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of personal data in certain situations.
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and in some cases to direct marketing.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we will respond in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in a specific lawful context and with appropriate safeguards. If we become aware that we have collected data unlawfully, we will take steps to delete it where required.

9. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it, such as adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms. We will only transfer data where necessary and where adequate protection can be maintained.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any updated version will apply from the date it takes effect. We encourage customers to review the policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

11. Summary of Our Commitment

Farringdon Storage is committed to processing personal data responsibly, securely, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to deliver and manage our services, rely on lawful bases for processing, keep data only as long as necessary, use trusted processors under proper agreements, and respect the rights of all individuals whose data we hold. This policy applies to all Farringdon Storage customers in the area and forms part of our wider commitment to data protection and privacy compliance.