Storage Fortis Green Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how Storage Fortis Green collects, uses, and protects personal data relating to our customers and prospective customers within the Storage Fortis Green service area. It is intended to be transparent and compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. By using our storage services or contacting us about them, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Scope of this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to all Storage Fortis Green customers and individuals who enquire about, use, or have used our storage services in the Storage Fortis Green catchment area. It covers personal data collected in person at our premises, over the phone, via online forms, and through any other direct communication with us. It does not apply to third party websites or services that may be mentioned in our materials but are operated independently of Storage Fortis Green.
Personal Data We Collect
We collect only the personal data that is necessary for us to provide secure storage services, manage our business operations, and meet legal obligations. The types of personal data we may collect include:
Identification data such as full name, title, date of birth and identification document details where required for security or legal reasons. Contact details such as correspondence address, billing address, and general location information within the Storage Fortis Green area. Account and service data such as unit number, contract details, move-in and move-out dates, payment history, communications with us, and details of any issues or complaints. Financial and transaction data such as payment records and limited payment card details processed through secure payment providers. We do not store full card details on our own systems. Security and access data such as visitor logs, access control records, and where in use, CCTV images recorded on or around our premises for safety and security. Technical data such as IP address, device information, and basic usage information relating to any online portals or tools we operate.
We do not intentionally collect special category data such as health information, racial or ethnic origin, or biometric data, unless this is clearly necessary and you have been informed of the reasons in advance.
Lawful Basis for Processing Your Data
We rely on several lawful bases under the UK GDPR for processing your personal data, depending on the context.
Contractual necessity. We process your personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes setting up and managing your storage agreement, handling billing and payments, providing customer support, and notifying you of important changes to your contract or services.
Legitimate interests. We process certain data where it is necessary for our legitimate business interests, and these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include maintaining the security of our premises through access control and CCTV, improving our services, managing our business records, and handling routine enquiries.
Legal obligations. We process personal data where we are required to do so by law, for example to meet accounting, taxation, anti money laundering or law enforcement requirements, or to respond to lawful requests from public authorities.
Consent. In some cases we may rely on your consent, particularly for optional communications such as certain marketing messages. Where we rely on consent, you are free to withdraw it at any time, and this will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before your withdrawal.
How We Use Your Personal Data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes. To provide and manage storage services, including establishing your account, allocating units, administering access, processing payments, and communicating with you about your contract and services. To ensure safety and security, including verifying identity where appropriate, managing access to the premises, and operating CCTV systems for crime prevention and incident investigation. To manage our business, including accounting, audits, dispute resolution, handling complaints, staff training, service improvement, and maintaining accurate records. To comply with legal and regulatory duties, including responding to lawful requests from authorities, fulfilling record keeping obligations, and managing insurance or legal claims. With your consent where required, to send you information about services, offers or updates that may be relevant to you as a Storage Fortis Green customer or prospective customer.
Data Retention and Storage Periods
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet our legal, accounting, or reporting obligations.
Customer account and contract records are generally retained for a period after your contract ends, to allow us to respond to queries, manage any disputes, and comply with tax and accounting requirements. Security and access records, including CCTV footage, are kept for a shorter period, typically only as long as required for security monitoring and incident investigation unless a longer retention is legally required or justified by an ongoing matter. Marketing and enquiry data relating to prospective customers is retained for a limited period, proportionate to our need to follow up on your enquiry or interest, or until you opt out or request deletion where applicable.
When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted, anonymised, or otherwise removed from our systems in a way that protects your privacy.
Data Processors and Third Parties
We may share your personal data with carefully selected third parties who act as data processors on our behalf. These processors are engaged only to the extent necessary to support our services and are required by contract to protect your data and use it solely according to our instructions.
Categories of data processors may include payment processing providers for handling card or online payments, IT and cloud service providers who support our business systems, email, and data storage, security and maintenance providers involved in access systems or CCTV operation, and professional advisers such as accountants or legal advisers where reasonably necessary for our business operations.
In limited circumstances we may also share data with other independent controllers, for example insurers, law enforcement bodies, regulatory authorities, or debt collection agencies where required by law or where necessary to protect our rights or the rights of others. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
International Data Transfers
Where any of our processors or business service providers are located outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, or store data in such locations, we take appropriate steps to ensure that your personal data remains subject to a level of protection essentially equivalent to that under UK data protection law. This may include using standard contractual clauses or relying on other approved safeguards.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data held by Storage Fortis Green, subject to certain conditions and exemptions.
Right of access. You can request confirmation that we process your personal data and obtain a copy of that data, along with information about how we use it. Right to rectification. You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data that we hold about you. Right to erasure. In some circumstances you can request that we delete your personal data, for example where it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected, or where you withdraw consent and there is no other lawful basis for processing.
Right to restriction of processing. You can request that we restrict the use of your data in certain situations, such as while we are verifying its accuracy or assessing an objection. Right to object. You can object to processing based on our legitimate interests, including profiling based on those interests, and we will stop processing unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue. You always have the right to object to direct marketing. Right to data portability. Where processing is based on consent or contract and carried out by automated means, you may request that we provide your data in a structured, commonly used, machine readable format, or that it is transmitted directly to another controller where technically feasible.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your data has been processed unlawfully. We encourage you to contact us first so that we can try to resolve your concerns.
Security of Your Personal Data
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include access controls, staff training, secure storage systems, and regular review of our procedures. While we cannot guarantee absolute security, we are committed to maintaining a level of protection appropriate to the risks associated with the data we handle.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements, or data processing practices. Any significant changes will be communicated through an updated version of this document. The most recent version will always apply to the processing of your personal data by Storage Fortis Green.
