Privacy Policy - Belmont Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Belmont Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Belmont Storage customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, former customers, website visitors, and anyone who interacts with our services.

1. Introduction

Belmont Storage is committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We only process personal information where we have a valid legal basis and we take appropriate steps to protect the information entrusted to us.

This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who we share it with, and what rights individuals have in relation to their data. By using Belmont Storage services, you acknowledge the practices described in this policy.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the information that is necessary to provide our storage services, manage our customer relationships, maintain the security of our premises, and comply with legal obligations.

2.1 Information you provide directly

We may collect the following personal data when you enquire about, sign up for, or use our services:

Identity details such as your name and title.
Contact details including address, telephone number, and email address.
Account and contract information such as customer references, rental dates, unit allocation, and payment records.
Verification details where needed for security, identity checks, or fraud prevention.
Correspondence including enquiries, complaints, notices, and service-related communications.
Payment information such as billing details and transaction records. Payment card data may be handled by secure payment providers rather than stored directly by us.

2.2 Information collected automatically

When you access our services or visit our premises, we may collect limited information automatically, such as:

Access records relating to entry to the site or storage areas.
Technical information such as device type, browser type, or basic log data if you interact with our online systems.
CCTV images where surveillance is used for security, crime prevention, and safety purposes.

2.3 Information from third parties

We may also receive personal data from third parties where appropriate, for example from payment processors, identity verification providers, insurers, legal advisers, or public authorities. We only collect such data when it is relevant to our services and permitted by law.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data only for specified, explicit, and legitimate purposes. These include:

setting up and managing storage agreements;
processing payments and managing billing;
verifying identity and preventing fraud;
communicating about your account, access, or service updates;
protecting the security of our premises, staff, customers, and stored items;
handling queries, complaints, claims, and disputes;
meeting legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations;
improving our services, systems, and customer experience where permitted.

We do not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with those listed above.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Belmont Storage relies on the following bases depending on the context:

4.1 Performance of a contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a storage agreement, manage your account, provide access to your storage unit, and take payment for services.

4.2 Legal obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with laws and regulations, including tax, accounting, fraud prevention, health and safety, and lawful requests from authorities.

4.3 Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Legitimate interests may include site security, prevention of theft or misuse, service improvement, business administration, and record keeping.

4.4 Consent

Where we rely on consent, such as for certain optional communications or specific types of processing, you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect processing carried out before it was withdrawn.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as data processors or independent controllers, but only when necessary and subject to appropriate safeguards.

5.1 Processors

Our processors may include:

Payment service providers that process card or bank payments securely.
IT and cloud service providers that support our systems, data storage, and security tools.
Security providers that assist with CCTV, alarm systems, or access control.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, or legal advisers when needed.
Maintenance and service contractors who may access limited information to carry out their duties.

All processors are required to handle personal data securely and only in accordance with our instructions and applicable law.

5.2 Other disclosures

We may also disclose personal data to law enforcement, courts, regulators, or other public bodies where required or permitted by law. In the event of a merger, sale, restructuring, or transfer of assets, personal data may be disclosed to relevant parties subject to legal safeguards.

6. International Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or equivalent legal protections to ensure your data remains protected.

7. Data Retention

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

Retention periods depend on the type of information and the context in which it is used. For example:

Customer account and contract records are retained for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards to deal with claims, disputes, and legal obligations.
Payment and invoicing records are retained in line with tax and accounting rules.
CCTV and access records are retained for a limited period unless needed for an investigation, security incident, or legal claim.
Enquiry records may be retained for a shorter period if no contract is formed.

When personal data is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.

8. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unlawful access, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access restrictions, password controls, secure storage, staff training, and monitoring of relevant systems.

Although no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we work to reduce risk and protect information as effectively as possible.

9. Your Rights

Depending on the legal basis and the circumstances of processing, you may 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 correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure to request deletion of your personal data in certain situations.
Right to restriction to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to data portability to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format where applicable.
Right 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 the relevant data protection authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

We will respond to valid rights requests within the time limits set by law, and we may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are intended for adults and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is required for a specific lawful purpose and appropriate safeguards are in place.

11. 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 protection practices. Any updates will take effect when published. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

12. Summary of Our Commitments

In summary, Belmont Storage will:

collect only the personal data needed to provide and secure our services;
process data fairly and lawfully under an identified legal basis;
share information only with trusted processors or where required by law;
keep personal data only for as long as necessary;
respect and support your data protection rights.

We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of all Belmont Storage customers in the area and to maintaining trust through responsible data handling.