Privacy Policy - Vauxhall Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Vauxhall Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to its customers, prospective customers, visitors, and other individuals whose information we process in the course of providing storage services. It applies to all Vauxhall Storage customers in the area and is intended to comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We are committed to handling personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We only collect information that is necessary for legitimate business purposes and we take reasonable steps to keep it secure. This policy should be read alongside any relevant terms and conditions or service agreements that apply to your use of our storage services.

1. Information We Collect

We may collect and process different types of personal data depending on how you interact with us and the services you use. The information we collect may include:

Identity details such as your name, title, date of birth, and proof of identification where required.
Contact details such as your postal address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and booking information such as details of the storage unit you have rented, payment status, booking dates, access arrangements, and account history.
Financial details such as payment records, transaction references, billing information, and limited payment card information processed through secure payment providers.
Security and access data such as CCTV footage, access logs, alarm records, gate entry records, and key or access code usage where applicable.
Communications such as emails, written correspondence, notes of telephone calls, and records of complaints or queries.
Technical information where you use our online systems, including IP address, device information, and usage data collected through security or website tools.

We may also receive personal data from third parties, such as payment processors, credit reference agencies where permitted, business partners, insurers, law enforcement, and public authorities, if this is necessary for the services we provide or for legal compliance.

2. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To register you as a customer and manage your storage agreement.
To verify identity and carry out necessary checks to prevent fraud and misuse.
To process payments, issue invoices, and manage arrears.
To provide access to storage facilities and manage site security.
To communicate with you about your account, unit, service updates, or service-related issues.
To keep records of transactions, access events, and correspondence.
To monitor and improve the safety, security, and operation of our premises and systems.
To comply with legal obligations, regulatory duties, and lawful requests from authorities.
To establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We will only use your data in ways that are compatible with the purpose for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider another lawful basis applies.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

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

Performance of a Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform our storage agreement with you. This includes setting up accounts, managing bookings, providing access, billing, and administering services.

Legitimate Interests

We may process data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include site security, fraud prevention, operational management, debt recovery, and maintaining business records.

Legal Obligation

We may process personal data to meet legal and regulatory requirements, such as accounting, tax, consumer protection, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional marketing communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital Interests

In rare situations, we may process personal data to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

4. Sharing Your Data and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary to operate our business and provide services. These third parties act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers.

Our processors may include:

Payment service providers that process card or bank payments securely.
IT and cloud service providers that host systems, store records, or support communications.
Security providers that manage CCTV, alarms, monitoring, or access systems.
Accountancy and administration providers that support bookkeeping, invoicing, and reporting.
Customer support and communication tools that help manage correspondence and service notifications.
Legal, insurance, and debt recovery professionals where needed to protect our rights or enforce agreements.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to keep data secure, and to comply with relevant data protection obligations. We do not sell your personal data.

We may also disclose personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, court orders, regulatory requests, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Vauxhall Storage, our customers, staff, or others.

5. Retention of Personal Data

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, tax, and security requirements. The retention period depends on the type of information and the reason it was collected.

Customer account and contract records are generally retained for the duration of the relationship and for a period after the account ends to manage queries or legal claims.
Financial and tax records are retained in line with statutory accounting and tax obligations.
Access logs and security records are retained only for as long as necessary for security, incident investigation, or legal purposes.
CCTV footage is typically retained for a limited period unless it is needed for an incident, investigation, or legal matter.
Correspondence and complaints are kept for a period appropriate to the issue and its resolution.

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

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure storage, staff training, and limited data access on a need-to-know basis.

While no system can be guaranteed 100% secure, we continuously review our safeguards to reduce risk and protect the confidentiality of your data.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. Subject to certain conditions and exemptions, these may include:

Right of access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restrict processing – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain situations.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests, and to object at any time 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 we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, we may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law unless an extension is permitted. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data has not been handled lawfully.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business customers. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is necessary in the context of a lawful customer arrangement or legal obligation.

9. 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 to customers.

By using Vauxhall Storage services, you acknowledge that your personal data will be processed as described in this Privacy Policy and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.