Privacy Policy - Hackney Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Hackney Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data relating to its customers. It applies to all Hackney Storage customers in the area, including current, former, and prospective customers, as well as individuals who enquire about services, receive quotations, or otherwise interact with us in connection with storage services.

1. Who We Are

Hackney Storage provides storage-related services to individuals and businesses. For the purposes of data protection law, Hackney Storage acts as a data controller when deciding how and why personal data is processed. This means we are responsible for ensuring that personal data is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Information We Collect

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

Identity information, such as name, title, date of birth, and identification details used for verification.
Contact information, such as address, email address, phone number, and billing details.
Account and service information, including storage unit details, booking records, access logs, and correspondence.
Payment information, such as bank details, payment history, and transaction records.
Technical information, such as device identifiers, IP address, and website usage data where relevant.
Security information, including CCTV images, entry records, and incident reports where applicable.
Communication data, including messages, complaints, queries, and records of support requests.

We generally collect data directly from you when you enquire about, register for, or use our services. We may also receive personal data from third parties where this is necessary to provide our services or meet legal obligations, such as payment processors, identity verification services, or public authorities.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To set up and manage customer accounts and storage agreements.
To verify identity and prevent fraud.
To process bookings, payments, and refunds.
To provide access to storage facilities and maintain security.
To communicate with customers about service updates, invoices, notices, and requests.
To monitor and improve service quality, operations, and customer experience.
To comply with legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations.
To handle disputes, enforce agreements, and protect our legal rights.

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so, and we do not use personal data in ways that are incompatible with the purposes for which it was collected.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, Hackney Storage relies on the following lawful bases for processing personal data:

Contract: We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as setting up a storage agreement, administering payments, or providing access to services.
Legal obligation: We may process data where required to comply with laws and regulations, including tax, accounting, anti-fraud, and record-keeping requirements.
Legitimate interests: We may process data where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as protecting property, preventing misuse, improving services, and securing our facilities, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Consent: In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, for example for optional marketing communications or certain non-essential processing activities. Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Where special category data or criminal offence data is processed, we will only do so where permitted by law and subject to appropriate safeguards.

5. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with third parties where necessary for the operation of our services or to comply with legal requirements. These third parties may act as processors or, in some cases, as independent controllers.

Processors We May Use

Payment service providers to process card, bank, or other payment transactions.
IT and cloud service providers that host data, maintain systems, or support secure storage and communications.
Identity verification and fraud prevention providers to confirm identity and reduce risk.
Security and monitoring providers that support site safety, alarm systems, access controls, or CCTV operations.
Professional advisers such as accountants, auditors, insurers, and legal advisers, where needed for business compliance and risk management.

All processors are required to protect personal data, act only on our instructions, and implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures. We do not permit processors to use personal data for their own purposes unless they are acting as separate controllers under applicable law.

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

6. International Transfers

If personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms designed to protect your data to a standard equivalent to that required under UK data protection law.

7. Data Retention

Hackney Storage retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy contractual, legal, accounting, operational, and security requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held.

Customer account and contract data is usually kept for the duration of the agreement and for a reasonable period afterwards to handle queries, claims, or disputes.
Payment and invoicing records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Security records, such as access logs or CCTV footage, are kept only as long as needed for safety, investigation, or prevention purposes.
Enquiry and marketing data is retained only until it is no longer needed or until you withdraw consent, where consent is the lawful basis.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely, anonymise it, or otherwise dispose of it in a safe and lawful manner.

8. Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access to request confirmation of whether we process your data and to receive a copy of it.
Right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Right to erasure to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction to ask us to limit how we process your data.
Right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
Right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern promptly and fairly.

9. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures may include access controls, encryption, secure storage, staff training, monitoring, and incident response procedures. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we aim to maintain a level of protection appropriate to the nature of the data and the risks involved.

10. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a lawful customer relationship and permitted by law. If we become aware that we have collected data inappropriately, we will take steps to delete it or process it lawfully.

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 processing practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published or otherwise made available. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how personal data is handled.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Hackney Storage is committed to processing personal data fairly, lawfully, and transparently. We collect only the data we need, use it for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it only for as long as necessary, and share it only with trusted processors or where required by law. We respect your rights and aim to protect your information at every stage of our service.