Privacy Policy - Newsouthgate Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Newsouthgate Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data. It applies to all Newsouthgate Storage customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, former customers, and any individuals who interact with us in connection with storage services, account management, billing, or site access. We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

For the purposes of data protection law, Newsouthgate Storage acts as the data controller in relation to the personal data we collect and use for our own business purposes. This means we decide why and how your personal data is processed. In some cases, third-party service providers may process data on our behalf as processors, and they are only permitted to do so under our instructions and within the scope of applicable data protection law.

2. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide storage services, manage our operations, meet legal obligations, and protect our premises, staff, customers, and property. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity data such as your name, date of birth, and identification details where needed for verification.
Contact data such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and contract data such as tenancy or storage agreement details, customer reference information, payment status, and records of services provided.
Financial data such as billing details, payment history, and limited payment-related records.
Usage data such as site entry logs, access records, booking activity, and service interactions.
Security data such as CCTV images, access control records, incident reports, and evidence gathered for safety or security purposes.
Communication data such as correspondence, complaints, enquiries, and notes from support interactions.

We generally do not seek to collect special category data. However, if such information is provided to us accidentally or becomes necessary for a specific legal reason, we will process it only where a lawful condition applies and appropriate safeguards are in place.

3. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for a range of purposes connected with our storage services and business responsibilities. These include:

Setting up and managing storage agreements.
Verifying identity and preventing fraud.
Processing bookings, payments, invoices, refunds, and arrears management.
Providing customer service and responding to queries.
Maintaining security, monitoring site access, and investigating incidents.
Complying with legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory requirements.
Improving service quality, operational efficiency, and customer experience.
Defending legal claims, enforcing agreements, and protecting our rights and property.

We will not use personal data for purposes that are incompatible with the original reason it was collected unless we have a lawful basis to do so and have considered the impact on your rights.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where a lawful basis under UK GDPR applies. Depending on the activity, the lawful bases we rely on may include:

Contract: where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a storage agreement with you.
Legal obligation: where we must process data to comply with law, including tax, accounting, or regulatory duties.
Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include securing our premises, preventing fraud, and managing customer accounts.
Consent: in limited situations where we ask for your clear permission, for example for certain optional communications. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the potential impact on individuals and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. Where we rely on consent, it will be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous.

5. Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy. These third parties may act as processors or, in some cases, independent controllers. We only share data where it is lawful and appropriate to do so.

Examples of processors may include:

Payment service providers that process card or bank payments on our behalf.
IT and cloud service providers that host systems, emails, storage platforms, or backups.
Security providers that support monitoring, alarms, access control, or CCTV systems.
Administrative or customer management suppliers that help maintain records, communications, and operational systems.

All processors are required to protect your personal data, follow our instructions, and implement suitable technical and organisational security measures. We do not allow processors to use your data for their own purposes unless they are acting as an independent controller under a separate lawful basis.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, court order, regulatory request, or to protect the rights, property, safety, or security of Newsouthgate Storage, our customers, staff, or the public.

6. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or another lawful transfer mechanism recognised under data protection law. We will take steps to ensure that your data remains protected to a standard consistent with UK GDPR.

7. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, insurance, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the reason for processing.

Customer agreement and account records are kept for the duration of the relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Financial and tax records are retained for the period required by law.
Security records, including CCTV, are retained only for as long as necessary for safety, incident handling, or investigation purposes.
Enquiry and correspondence records are retained for as long as needed to manage the communication and any follow-up matters.

When data is no longer required, we will delete it securely, anonymise it, or otherwise ensure it is no longer identifiable.

8. Data Security

We apply appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, restricted permissions, staff training, and monitoring of systems and premises. While no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, we take data protection seriously and regularly review our safeguards.

9. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These may include:

The right of access to obtain a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
The right to rectification to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
The right to erasure in certain circumstances, often known as the right to be forgotten.
The right to restrict processing in certain situations.
The right to data portability for data you provided to us where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means.
The right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing where applicable.
Rights relating to automated decision-making, where such processing is used.

You also have the right to withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a rights request. Some rights are subject to legal exceptions and may not apply in every case. We will explain any limitation if we are unable to fully comply with a request.

10. Children

Our storage services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children in the ordinary course of business. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without appropriate authority or lawful basis, we will take reasonable steps to delete it or handle it in accordance with applicable law.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data processing practices. When we make significant changes, we will take reasonable steps to inform affected individuals. The most current version of the policy will apply from the date it is issued.

12. Summary of Our Commitment

Newsouthgate Storage is committed to processing personal data lawfully, fairly, and transparently. We collect only the information needed to provide and protect our services, use it only for clear and legitimate purposes, keep it only for as long as necessary, and work with processors who are contractually required to safeguard it. We also recognise and respect your privacy rights under UK GDPR.

This policy applies to all Newsouthgate Storage customers in area.