Privacy Policy - Teddington Storage

Effective Date: This Privacy Policy applies to all Teddington Storage customers in the area and explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect personal data in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Introduction

Teddington Storage is committed to respecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep it, which third parties may process it on our behalf, and the rights you have over your information. We aim to keep our practices transparent, fair, and limited to what is necessary for running our storage services.

2. Information We Collect

We collect and process personal data that is necessary to provide storage services, manage accounts, protect our facilities, and meet legal obligations. The data we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name, date of birth, and title.
Contact details such as your billing address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and booking information such as storage unit details, access dates, payment status, tenancy dates, and communication history.
Payment information such as card or bank payment details, transaction records, and invoice data.
Verification information such as copies of identification documents where required for security or fraud prevention.
Security information such as CCTV footage, access logs, gate entries, alarm records, and incident reports.
Correspondence including emails, phone notes, complaint records, and requests you make to us.

We may also collect limited technical data when you interact with our systems, such as device or usage details if those systems generate logs for security or operational purposes. We do not collect more data than is needed for the purposes described in this policy.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data to operate our services and maintain the safety and integrity of our premises. This includes:

setting up and managing customer accounts;
processing payments and issuing invoices;
verifying identity and preventing fraud;
granting and managing unit access;
communicating about bookings, charges, renewals, and policy updates;
handling enquiries, complaints, and claims;
protecting customers, staff, property, and facilities through security measures;
meeting tax, accounting, insurance, and legal requirements;
resolving disputes and enforcing contractual terms where necessary.

Where we use CCTV or access systems, this is primarily for safety, crime prevention, and protection of property. We use personal data only where it is relevant, necessary, and proportionate to these purposes.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for each type of processing. Teddington Storage relies on the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes managing your storage agreement, billing, access arrangements, and customer service connected to your tenancy.

Legal Obligation

We process certain data where required to comply with laws and regulations, including accounting, tax, fraud prevention, security requirements, and lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include facility security, monitoring access, preventing misuse, improving services, maintaining records, and handling disputes.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example where you choose to receive optional marketing communications or agree to certain uses of data that are not required for contract performance. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We do not sell your personal data. However, we may share it with trusted third parties who help us deliver our services. These parties act as processors or independent controllers depending on the context.

Our processors may include:

Payment service providers who handle card or bank transactions securely.
Accounting and invoicing providers who help manage billing, records, and tax compliance.
IT and cloud service providers who host systems, store records, or support communications.
Security service providers who assist with CCTV, alarms, access control, and incident response.
Maintenance and facility management contractors who may access limited data to perform their work.
Professional advisers such as insurers, auditors, lawyers, or compliance advisers where necessary.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, protect your data appropriately, and comply with data protection law. Where personal data is shared with independent controllers, such as law enforcement or regulators, they will process it under their own legal responsibilities.

In some cases, data may be transferred outside the UK. Where this happens, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations or approved transfer mechanisms.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or for as long as the law requires. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose of processing.

Customer account and contract records are generally retained for the duration of the storage relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards in case of disputes or legal claims.
Payment and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
CCTV footage and access logs are usually kept for a short period unless needed for an investigation, incident, insurance claim, or legal process.
Correspondence and complaints may be retained for as long as needed to resolve the issue and document outcomes.

When data is no longer required, we securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it. We do not keep personal data indefinitely without a lawful reason.

7. Security of Your Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, password controls, secure storage, monitoring systems, encryption where appropriate, staff training, and confidentiality obligations. While we work hard to protect your information, no system can be completely secure, and we encourage customers to keep their own account information safe.

8. Your Rights

As a data subject under the UK GDPR, you have several rights regarding your personal data. These include:

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in some cases, you may request deletion of your data.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request that data be provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests, including certain types of profiling where relevant.
Right to withdraw consent – where we rely on consent, you can 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 has been handled unlawfully or unfairly. We encourage you to raise concerns with us first so that we can try to resolve the issue promptly.

9. Children’s Data

Our storage services are intended for adults, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to a customer relationship and legally permissible. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data without an appropriate basis, we will take steps to delete it securely.

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 is published or otherwise communicated. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically so that you remain informed about how we process your data.

11. Summary of Our Approach

Teddington Storage handles personal data with care, fairness, and accountability. We collect only what we need, use it for clear and lawful purposes, retain it for appropriate periods, and share it only with processors or other parties when necessary. Our aim is to protect your privacy while providing secure, reliable storage services to all customers in the area.