Privacy Policy - Bow Storage

This Privacy Policy explains how Bow Storage collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our storage services. It applies to all Bow Storage customers in area, including individuals, business customers, and any authorised representatives who interact with us on their behalf. We are committed to processing personal data in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and to handling information in a fair, transparent, and secure manner.

1. Information We Collect

Bow Storage may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

Identity information such as your name, date of birth, title, and identification details where required for verification purposes.
Contact information such as billing address, correspondence address, email address, and telephone number.
Account and contract information such as storage unit references, tenancy dates, payment records, service preferences, and communication history.
Payment information such as payment method details, transaction records, and refund information. We do not normally store full card details where payments are processed through secure third-party payment providers.
Access and security information such as entry logs, CCTV footage, key or access credentials, incident records, and security reports.
Correspondence and support information including complaints, enquiries, claims, and other communications you send to us.
Technical information where relevant, such as device identifiers, cookies, and usage data relating to digital services or online forms.

In some cases, Bow Storage may also receive information from third parties, such as payment providers, debt recovery services, insurers, contractors, or public authorities, where this is necessary and lawful.

2. How We Use Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

to set up and manage your storage account;
to provide storage services and administer your contract;
to process payments, deposits, invoices, and refunds;
to verify your identity and prevent fraud;
to communicate with you about your account, service changes, or operational matters;
to maintain site safety and security;
to resolve disputes, handle claims, and manage complaints;
to comply with legal and regulatory obligations;
to enforce our terms and protect our rights, property, and customers;
to improve our services, systems, and customer experience;
to keep appropriate business and financial records.

Where we use CCTV or access logs, this is generally for security, crime prevention, and incident investigation. We apply appropriate safeguards to ensure such monitoring is proportionate and limited to legitimate purposes.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, Bow Storage must have a lawful basis to process personal data. Depending on the context, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Contract

We process personal data when it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, including creating your account, managing your storage unit, processing payments, and providing customer support related to your agreement.

Legal Obligation

We process personal data where required to comply with applicable laws, regulations, tax requirements, accounting obligations, or lawful requests from authorities.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of a third party, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include preventing fraud, protecting premises, maintaining security, improving services, and enforcing our contractual terms. Where we rely on legitimate interests, we assess the impact on your privacy and apply safeguards.

Consent

In limited situations, we may rely on your consent, for example for certain optional marketing activities or non-essential cookies where required by law. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Sharing and Processors

Bow Storage may share personal data with trusted third parties who act as processors or independent controllers, only where necessary and lawful. These may include:

Payment processors to handle card and electronic payments securely;
IT and cloud service providers that support our systems, data storage, and communications;
Security providers such as CCTV maintenance, alarm monitoring, and site security contractors;
Professional advisers including accountants, insurers, auditors, legal advisers, and consultants;
Debt recovery or credit-related service providers where accounts are overdue and lawful recovery action is required;
Maintenance and facilities contractors where access to information is necessary to perform services safely;
Public authorities, law enforcement, and regulators where disclosure is required by law or necessary to protect rights, safety, or property.

We require processors to handle personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with data protection law. Where an external party acts as an independent controller, its own privacy notice will apply to its use of your data.

5. International Transfers

If any personal data is transferred outside the UK, Bow Storage will ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place. These may include adequacy regulations, standard contractual clauses, or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms. We take reasonable steps to ensure your information remains protected to a standard consistent with UK data protection law.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, insurance, and dispute-resolution requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held.

Contract and account records are typically retained for the duration of the customer relationship and for a reasonable period afterwards.
Payment and financial records are generally retained for the period required by tax and accounting law.
Security records such as access logs and CCTV footage are retained only for as long as needed for security, investigation, or compliance purposes.
Complaints and correspondence may be kept for the time needed to resolve issues and manage legal risk.

When personal data is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it where appropriate. Retention is always limited to what is reasonably necessary for the intended purpose.

7. Your Rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights under data protection law, subject to certain conditions and exceptions:

Right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you may ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – in some cases, you may request deletion of your personal data.
Right to restriction – you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
Right to object – you may object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing.
Right to data portability – where applicable, you may request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

If you exercise any of these rights, Bow Storage may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law and explain any refusal or limitation where applicable.

8. Security of Personal Data

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures may include access controls, encryption, secure storage, staff training, and restricted permissions. While no system can be completely secure, we work to maintain a level of protection that is appropriate to the risk.

9. Automated Decision-Making

Bow Storage does not normally use fully automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects. If this changes, we will inform you and explain the logic involved, the significance and consequences of the processing, and your available rights.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or our data handling practices. Any revised version will apply from the date it is published. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how Bow Storage protects personal data.

Bow Storage is committed to lawful, fair, and transparent data processing. We aim to use only the personal data we need, keep it secure, and respect your privacy rights at every stage of the customer relationship.