Privacy Policy - Belvedere Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Belvedere Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our storage services. It applies to all Belvedere Storage customers in area, including prospective customers, current customers, visitors, and any individuals who communicate with us or whose data is provided to us in relation to a storage agreement.

We are committed to handling personal data in a lawful, fair, and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, where applicable. This policy sets out the main categories of information we process, the reasons we process it, the lawful bases we rely on, how long we keep it, the types of processors we may use, and the rights available to individuals.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process personal data directly from you, from your authorised representatives, from third parties involved in providing services to you, and from systems used to manage our operations. The categories of data we may collect include:

Identity information such as your name, date of birth, and identity verification details.
Contact information such as address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and contract information such as storage unit references, customer number, service history, payment status, and correspondence relating to your storage agreement.
Payment information such as bank details, card-related data processed through secure payment systems, billing records, and transaction history.
Access and security information such as gate access logs, CCTV records, visit times, and incident reports.
Communications such as emails, written messages, call notes, complaints, claims, and any other communications you send to us.
Technical information where applicable, such as device identifiers, IP address, and system logs used to secure and maintain our services.

We do not seek to collect more personal data than is necessary for the purposes described in this policy. Where you choose not to provide certain information, we may be unable to enter into or perform a contract with you, or we may be unable to comply with legal obligations.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To register and manage customer accounts.
To provide storage services and administer storage units.
To process payments, fees, deposits, and refunds.
To verify identity, prevent fraud, and maintain security.
To manage site access, monitor premises, and protect property.
To communicate with customers about their accounts, contracts, and service updates.
To handle complaints, disputes, insurance matters, and claims.
To comply with legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory requirements.
To improve our operations, service quality, and security controls.

We may also use data in connection with the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims. Where required, we will only use personal data in ways that are consistent with the purposes for which it was collected, or for compatible purposes permitted by law.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the situation, our lawful bases may include:

Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes setting up your account, managing your storage unit, processing payments, and providing customer support.

Legal obligation

We may process personal data where required to comply with legal or regulatory obligations, such as accounting, tax, anti-fraud, recordkeeping, and lawful disclosure requirements.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This includes protecting our premises, preventing misuse, maintaining secure systems, managing service operations, and defending legal claims. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider the impact on individuals and apply appropriate safeguards.

Consent

In limited circumstances, we may rely on your consent, for example where it is required for a particular optional processing activity. When we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Vital interests and public task

These bases are unlikely to apply in most storage-related circumstances, but we may process data on these grounds if necessary in an emergency or where required by law.

4. Sharing Personal Data and Processors

We may share personal data with carefully selected third parties who help us operate our business. These parties may act as processors or independent controllers depending on the service they provide.

Examples of processors and service providers may include:

Payment processing providers.
IT hosting, cloud storage, and software support providers.
Customer management and accounting service providers.
Security, access control, and CCTV system providers.
Document storage and administrative support providers.
Professional advisers such as lawyers, auditors, insurers, and accountants.

We require processors to act only on our instructions, to keep personal data secure, and to use it only for the agreed purpose. We may also share data with public authorities, courts, or law enforcement agencies where required by law or where necessary to protect our rights, property, customers, or the public.

If personal data is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, reporting, and dispute-resolution purposes. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reasons for holding it.

Contract and account records are generally retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a period afterward where necessary to deal with claims or legal obligations.
Payment and accounting records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Security and access logs may be retained for a shorter period unless they are needed for incident investigation, fraud prevention, or legal proceedings.
Complaints and correspondence are retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and for a reasonable period thereafter.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it, anonymise it, or securely archive it in accordance with our retention practices and applicable law. In some cases, we may retain data longer where necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against accidental loss, unauthorised access, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, encryption, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of security practices.

Although we take reasonable steps to safeguard personal data, no system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We therefore encourage customers to take care when sharing information and to notify us promptly if they believe their data may have been compromised.

7. Your Rights

Subject to certain legal conditions and exceptions, you may have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

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 data.
Right to erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Right to restriction – to request limited processing in certain cases.
Right to data portability – to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing, where applicable.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent.
Right to complain – to raise concerns with the relevant data protection supervisory authority.

To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. We aim to respond within the time limits set by applicable data protection law. Exercising your rights is generally free of charge, although we may charge a reasonable fee or refuse to act on requests that are manifestly unfounded or excessive, where permitted by law.

8. Special Categories and Sensitive Information

We do not normally seek to collect special category data such as information about health, race, religion, political opinions, or trade union membership. If such information is provided to us incidentally, for example in correspondence or supporting documents, we will process it only where a lawful basis exists and additional conditions under data protection law are met.

9. Children

Our storage services are intended for adults and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children unless it is necessary in connection with a customer account and provided by an authorised adult or guardian. If we become aware that we have collected children’s data inappropriately, we will take appropriate steps to delete it.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in law, technology, business practice, or our services. Any revised policy will apply from the date it is published or otherwise communicated. We encourage customers to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we process personal data.

11. Summary of Key Principles

In summary, Belvedere Storage processes personal data fairly, securely, and only when necessary. We collect information to provide and manage storage services, to meet legal obligations, and to protect our business and customers. We limit retention to what is required, we use processors under contractual safeguards, and we respect the rights available to individuals under data protection law.

By using Belvedere Storage services, you acknowledge that personal data may be processed as described in this Privacy Policy, subject to applicable law and your statutory rights.