Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This privacy policy explains how EWS Corporate Ltd (company number 08430146), trading as Secure Car Storage, collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you use our website at https://thesecurecarstorage.co.uk and our vehicle storage and valeting services.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

For the purposes of data protection law, the data controller is:

2. What Personal Data We Collect

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

Information you provide directly

• Contact enquiry form: name, email address, phone number, vehicle type, storage duration preference, and your message.
• Valet booking form: full name, email address, phone number, vehicle make and model, vehicle registration number, service level, preferred date and time, and any special instructions.
• Phone and email correspondence: any information you provide when you contact us directly by phone or email.

Information collected automatically

• Technical data: your IP address, browser type and version, operating system, and device type. This data is collected automatically by our hosting provider (Netlify) for the purposes of delivering the website.
• Cookie data: information about your cookie preferences. See our Cookie Policy for full details.

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data through the following means:

• When you complete a contact enquiry form on our website
• When you complete a valet booking form on our website
• When you contact us by phone, email, or in person
• When you visit our facility for a viewing or vehicle drop-off/collection
• Automatically through your use of our website (technical data and cookies)

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. We rely on the following legal bases:

5. How We Use Your Data

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiries and provide quotes
• To process and manage valet bookings
• To administer vehicle storage agreements, including condition reports and vehicle health checks
• To communicate with you regarding your vehicle, booking, or enquiry
• To maintain the security of our facility (including CCTV and access logs)
• To comply with legal and regulatory obligations
• To improve our website and services

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling.

6. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes. We may share your data with the following categories of recipients where necessary:

• Form processing services: when you submit a form on our website, your data is transmitted securely to our workflow automation platform for processing and notification. This provider acts as a data processor on our behalf.
• Hosting provider: our website is hosted by Netlify, Inc., which processes technical data necessary to serve the website to you.
• Insurance providers: where necessary for the administration of vehicle storage insurance cover.
• Professional advisers: including accountants and legal advisers, where reasonably necessary.
• Law enforcement or regulatory bodies: where we are required to do so by law, or to protect our legal rights.

7. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers (such as our hosting provider and form processing platform) may process data outside of the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR, including:

• Transfers to countries that the UK government has determined provide an adequate level of data protection
• Transfers subject to appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or the International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA)

8. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our retention periods are as follows:

• Contact enquiries: retained for up to 12 months from the date of your enquiry, unless a storage agreement is entered into.
• Valet bookings: retained for up to 12 months from the date of the service.
• Storage agreements and related records: retained for the duration of the agreement and for up to 6 years afterwards, in accordance with HMRC requirements and limitation periods.
• CCTV footage: retained for up to 30 days, unless required for longer in connection with a security incident or legal proceedings.
• Website technical logs: retained by our hosting provider in accordance with their own retention policy.

When personal data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

9. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction, or damage. These measures include:

• Encryption of data in transit via HTTPS/TLS
• Server-side validation and sanitisation of all form submissions
• Security headers including Content Security Policy, HSTS, and X-Frame-Options
• Restricted access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
• Physical security measures at our facility including 24/7 CCTV, alarm systems, and restricted access

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access — you have the right to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a “subject access request”).
• Right to rectification — you have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure — you have the right to request that we delete your personal data, subject to certain legal exceptions.
• Right to restrict processing — you have the right to request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability — you have the right to receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• Right to object — you have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out prior to withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at storage@ews.uk.com or call us on 07912 309 924. We will respond to your request within one month.

There is no fee for making a request, unless the request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, in which case we may charge a reasonable administrative fee.

11. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. For detailed information about the cookies we use, their purpose, and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.

12. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (such as Google Maps). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website you visit.

13. Children's Data

Our services are not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us immediately and we will take steps to delete it.

14. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's supervisory authority for data protection:

We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you contact the ICO, so please reach out to us first at storage@ews.uk.com.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “last updated” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us: