Privacy Policy

1.     Personal Data We Collect

We collect personal data from you through your use of the Site and Services. Personal data is information that is linked or reasonably linkable to an identified or identifiable individual We collect the following types of personal data:

Personal Data You Provide

We may collect the following personal data that you voluntarily provide to us in using our Site and Services:

• Reserve a Unit. If you use our reservation feature, we will collect your first and last name, email address, and telephone number. If you use our online leasing feature, we will collect your first and last name, email address, postal address, telephone number, credit card number, military or veteran status, driver’s license number, initials and electronic signature, and insurance policy number or other evidence of insurance if you do not participate in our tenant protection or tenant insurance program.
• Write a Review. If you write a review, you will provide us with your name and anything you choose to provide in your review.
• Pay Bill Online. If you use our Pay a Bill online feature, you will be directed to portal within our website. To create an account, you will provide your phone number and the facility from which you rent a unit.
• Contact Us. If you contact us through the Site, we will collect your name, email address, and telephone number. You also have the option of sending us a message, which may result in you providing additional information.

Personal Data as You Navigate Our Site

We automatically collect certain personal data through your use of the Site and our use of cookies and other tracking technologies, such as the following:

• Usage Information. For example, the pages on the Site that you access, the frequency of access, and what you click on while on the Site.
• Device Information. For example, hardware model, operating system, application version number, and browser.
• Mobile Device Information. Aggregated information about whether the Site is accessed via a mobile device or tablet, the device type, and the carrier.
• Location Information. Location information from Site visitors on a city-regional basis.

To learn more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Policy.

The Site uses cookies to help keep track of items you put into your shopping cart including when you have abandoned your cart and this information is used to determine when to send cart reminder messages via SMS. 

Personal Data We Collect About You from Other Sources

In some cases, we may receive personal data about you from other sources. This includes advertising networks, internet service providers, data analytics providers, and operating systems and platforms.

2.     How We Use Your Personal Data

We use the personal data we collect to provide the Services to you, to improve our Site and Services, and to protect our legal rights. In addition, we may use the personal data we collect to:

• Lock-in your online rate for, or complete, a storage unit rental;
• Help you to find a storage unit near you;
• Update the availability of our storage-unit inventory;
• Contact you regarding our products and services that we feel may be of interest to you. To unsubscribe from our marketing emails, please click the unsubscribe link included in the footer of our emails. You also may submit a request to us at manager@smalltownstorage.com ;
• Communicate with you about our Site or Services or to inform you of any changes to our Site or Services; 
• Review your job application;
• Provide support; 
• Maintain and improve our Site and Services;
• Protect the security and integrity of our Site and Services;
• Investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, or violations of our lease agreement, and to otherwise fulfill our legal obligations;
• Monitor compliance with and enforce this Privacy Policy and any other applicable agreements and policies;
• Acquire and sell self storage facilities and related properties, including identifying and conducting due diligence on such facilities and properties and negotiating transaction agreements
• Defend our legal rights and the rights of others;
• Fulfill any other purposes for which you provide it, or any other purpose we deem necessary or appropriate;
• Efficiently conduct, maintain and operate our business; and
• Comply with applicable law. 

3.     How We Share Your Personal Data

We may share the personal data that we collect about you in the following ways:

• With vendors to allow us to provide our services to, or communicate with, you (such as technology providers that provide software to store and process customer information);
• With vendors who perform data or Site-related services on our behalf (such as email, hosting, maintenance, backup, analysis, etc.);
• With vendors to prepare, deploy and analyze advertising content;
• To the extent that we are required to do so by law;
• With vendors who perform services on our behalf relating to the management and operation of our business;
• With vendors who perform services on our behalf relating to prospective employees;
• In connection with any legal proceedings or prospective legal proceedings;
• To establish, exercise, or defend our or a third party’s legal rights, including providing information to others for the purposes of fraud prevention;
• With any person who we reasonably believe may apply to a court or other competent authority for disclosure of that personal data where, in our reasonable opinion, such court or authority would be reasonably likely to order disclosure of that personal data;
• With any other person or entity as part of any business or asset sale, equity transaction, merger, acquisition, bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, or in preparation for any of these events;
• With any other person or entity where you consent to the disclosure; and
• For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the personal data or for any other purpose we deem necessary, including to protect the health or safety of others.

The above excludes text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information will not be shared with any third parties.

4.     Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms

The Site recognizes the Global Privacy Control (“GPC”) signal. If you are using a browser setting or plug-in that sends an opt-out preference signal to each website you visit, we will treat that as a valid request to opt out. To download and use a browser supporting the GPC browser signal, click here: https://globalprivacycontrol.org/orgs. If you choose to use the GPC signal, you will need to turn it on for each supported browser or browser extension you use.

Some internet browsers incorporate a “Do Not Track” feature that signals to websites you visit that you do not want to have your online activity tracked. Given that there is not a uniform way that browsers communicate the “Do Not Track” signal, the Site does not currently interpret, respond to, or alter its practices when it receives “Do Not Track” signals.

5.     Security

We maintain commercially reasonable security measures to protect the personal data we collect and store from loss, misuse, destruction, or unauthorized access. However, no security measure or modality of data transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. Although we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

6.     Third Party Links

The Site may contain links that will let you leave the Site and access another website. Linked websites are not under our control. We accept no responsibility or liability for these other websites.

7.     Children’s Privacy

The Site and Services are not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect, use, or disclose personal data from children under 13.

8.     Your State Privacy Rights 

Depending on the state in which you reside, you may have certain privacy rights regarding your personal data. If you are a California resident, please see our “Notice to California Residents” Section below. For other state residents, your privacy rights may include (if applicable):

• The right to confirm whether or not we are processing your personal data and to access such personal data and the categories of personal data we are processing or have processed;
• The right to obtain a copy of your personal data that we collected from and/or about you in a portable and, to the extent technically feasible, readily usable format that allows you to transmit the information to another controller without hindrance, where the processing is carried out by automated means;
• The right to delete personal data that we collected from and/or about you, subject to certain exceptions;
• The right to correct inaccurate personal data that we maintain about you, subject to certain exceptions;
• The right, at our option, to obtain a list of specific third parties, other than natural persons, to which we have disclosed your personal data or any personal data;
• The right, if applicable, to opt out of the processing of your personal data for purposes of (1) targeted advertising; (2) the “sale” of your personal data (as that term is defined by applicable law); and (3) profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning you;
• If we are required by applicable law to obtain your consent to process sensitive personal data, the right to withdraw your consent; and
• The right not to receive discriminatory treatment by us for the exercise of your privacy rights.

We use cookies and other tracking technologies to display advertisements about our products to you on nonaffiliated websites, applications, and online services. This is “targeted advertising” under applicable privacy laws. When we engage in those activities, we sell personal data (i.e., information from cookies) to third-party advertisers and analytics companies. We do not use personal data for profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects concerning individuals.

To exercise your rights, please submit a request through our interactive webform available here or by calling us at 503-786-7243. If legally required, we will comply with your request upon verification of your identity and, to the extent applicable, the identity of the individual on whose behalf you are making such request. To do so, we will ask you to verify data points based on information we have in our records. If you are submitting a request on behalf of another individual, please use the same contact methods described above. If we refuse to take action regarding your request, you may appeal our decision through our interactive webform available here or by calling us at 503-786-7243. If you would like to opt out of sales and targeted advertising, you may alter your cookie preferences by clicking on the cookie icon in the lower left-hand corner of the Site.

9.     Notice to California Residents 

The California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (“CCPA”), requires that we provide California residents with a privacy policy that contains a comprehensive description of our online and offline practices regarding the collection, use, sale, sharing, and retention of personal information and of the rights of California residents regarding their personal information. This section of the Privacy Policy is intended solely for, and is applicable only as to, California residents. If you are not a California resident, this section does not apply to you and you should not rely on it.

The CCPA defines “personal information” to mean information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with a particular California resident or household. Personal information does not include publicly available, deidentified or aggregated information or lawfully obtained, truthful information that is a matter of public concern. For purposes of this “Notice to California Residents” section we will refer to this information as “Personal Information.”

If you are California resident and a current or former employee, job applicant, or independent contractor of ours, please see our privacy notice available here; for more information on our collection and use of your Personal Information in that capacity.

Notice at Collection  of Personal Information

We currently collect and, in the 12 months prior to the Last Updated Date of this Privacy Policy, have collected the following categories of Personal Information from individuals in a consumer capacity:

• Identifiers (name, email address, postal address, Internet Protocol address, and driver’s license number and, if storing a vehicle, license plate number)
• Unique personal identifiers (device identifier; cookies, beacons, pixel tags, mobile ad identifiers, or other similar technology; customer number (account ID or tenant ID), unique pseudonym or user alias; telephone numbers, or other forms of persistent or probabilistic identifiers that can be used to identify a particular consumer or device)
• Personal information described in California’s Customer Records statute (California Civil Code § 1798.80(e)) (signature and initials, telephone number, credit and debit card number, bank account number (if a customer pays by check, we hold this information until the check is deposited), other financial information (we collect a copy of a certificate/ evidence of insurance carried if the customer does not participate in our tenant insurance program or tenant protection program; if the customer is storing a vehicle; we also may collect this when we obtain evidence of auto insurance), medical and financial information collected during litigation, as well as the categories listed in the “Identifiers” category above)
• Characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law (age/date of birth (40 and older), military or veteran status)
• Commercial information (records of products purchased)
• Biometric information (imagery of face (driver’s license picture and CCTV))
• Internet or other electronic network activity information (browsing history; search history; and information regarding consumer’s interaction with website, application or advertisement)
• Geolocation data
• Audio and/or video information (CCTV/photographs and recordings of phone calls or voice mail messages)
• Professional or employment related information (including employment history)

We collect Personal Information directly from California residents and from advertising networks, internet service providers, data analytics providers, and operating systems and platforms. We do not collect all categories of Personal Information from each source.

In addition, if we engage in acquisition due diligence with a potential seller or business partner, we may collect renter names (from rent rolls) of California residents from the seller or business partner. We also may collect the following categories of Personal Information about the seller or business partner for purpose of the transaction:

• Identifiers (name, postal address, telephone number, email address, Social Security number or federal employer identification number)
• Personal information described in California’s Customer Records statute (California Civil Code § 1798.80(e)) (signature, financial information (including income and expense statements, bank statements, real estate tax bills and information on any mortgages or loans the seller or business partner may have outstanding, income tax returns, certificates of insurance, insurance loss runs (showing insurance claims history), affidavits confirming that the seller or business partner is not a foreign person), as well as the categories listed in “Identifiers” category above)

In addition to the purposes stated above in the Section “How We Use Your Personal Data,” we currently collect and have collected the above categories of Personal Information for the following business or commercial purposes:

• Auditing related to counting ad impressions to unique visitors, verifying positioning and quality of ad impressions, and auditing compliance with this specification and other standards
• Helping to ensure security and integrity to the extent the use of the consumer’s Personal Information is reasonably necessary and proportionate for these purposes
• Debugging to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality
• Short-term, transient use, including, but not limited to, nonpersonalized advertising shown as part of a consumer’s current interaction with us, provided that the consumer’s Personal Information is not disclosed to another third party and is not used to build a profile about the consumer or otherwise alter the consumer’s experience outside the current interaction with us
• Maintaining or servicing accounts
• Processing or fulfilling orders and transactions
• Providing customer service
• Verifying customer information
• Providing analytic services
• Providing advertising or marketing services (except for cross-context behavioral advertising) to the consumer
• Enabling or effecting, directly or indirectly, a commercial transaction

Sale, Sharing, and Disclosure of Personal Information

The CCPA defines “sale” as the transfer of Personal Information for monetary or other valuable consideration. Although we do not “sell” Personal Information as that term may be commonly interpreted, we engage in online activities that may constitute a sale or a share of Personal Information under California law. This may include showing you advertisements on other websites and providing analytics on our Site.

The following table identifies the categories of Personal Information that we sold or shared to third parties in the 12 months preceding the Last Updated Date of this Privacy Policy and, for each category, the categories of third parties to whom we sold or shared Personal Information:

We sold or shared Personal Information to third parties for the following business or commercial purposes:

• Auditing related to counting ad impressions to unique visitors, verifying positioning and quality of ad impressions, and auditing compliance with this specification and other standards
• Providing advertising or marketing services
• Enabling or effecting, directly or indirectly, a commercial transaction

The following table identifies the categories of Personal Information that we disclosed for a business purpose in the 12 months preceding the Last Updated Date of this Privacy Policy and, for each category, the categories of recipients to whom we disclosed Personal Information: 

* For customers participating in our tenant protection plan, we do not share this customer information with the entity we utilize to provide tenant protection at the time of collection (i.e., when a customer signs up for our tenant protection plan). However, if a customer files a claim as part of our tenant protection program, we will share the customer’s name, telephone numbers, email address, postal address and claim forms with the entity we utilize to provide tenant protection. This is done at the specific direction of the customer making the claim.

We disclosed Personal Information for the following business or commercial purposes:

• Maintaining or servicing accounts
• Processing or fulfilling orders and transactions
• Providing customer service
• Verifying customer information
• Enabling or effecting, directly or indirectly, a commercial transaction
• Acquiring and selling self storage facilities and related properties, including identifying and conducting due diligence on such facilities and properties and negotiating transaction agreements

We do not knowingly collect, sell, or share the Personal Information of minors under 16 years of age. We do not use Sensitive Personal Information for purposes other than those allowed by the CCPA and its regulations.

Retention of Personal Information

We retain your Personal Information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we collect it, such as to provide you with the service you have requested, and for the purpose of satisfying any legal, accounting, contractual, or reporting requirements that apply to us.

Your Rights

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights with respect to your Personal Information:

1. The right to know what Personal Information we have collected about you, including the categories of Personal Information, the categories of sources from which we collected Personal Information, the business or commercial purpose for collecting, selling or sharing Personal Information (if applicable), the categories of third parties to whom we disclose Personal Information (if applicable), and the specific pieces of Personal Information we collected about you;
2. The right to delete Personal Information that we collected from you, subject to certain exceptions;
3. The right to correct inaccurate Personal Information that we maintain about you;
4. If we sell or share Personal Information, the right to opt out of the sale or sharing;
5. If we use or disclose sensitive Personal Information for purposes other than those allowed by the CCPA and its regulations, the right to limit our use or disclosure; and
6. The right not to receive discriminatory treatment by us for the exercise of privacy rights the CCPA confers.

How to Submit a Request to Know, Delete, and/or Correct

You may submit a request to know, delete, and/or correct by completing our webform available here, submitting a form in person at one of our locations, or by calling us at 503-786-7243.

If you are submitting a request on behalf of a California resident, please submit the request through one of the designated methods discussed above. After submitting the request, we will require additional information to verify your authority to act on behalf of the California resident.

Our Process for Verifying a Request to Know, Delete, and/or Correct

We will comply with your request upon verification of your identity and, to the extent applicable, the identity of the California resident on whose behalf you are making such request. We will verify your identity either to a “reasonable degree of certainty” or a “reasonably high degree of certainty” depending on the sensitivity of the Personal Information and the risk of harm to you by unauthorized disclosure, deletion, or correction as applicable. To do so, we will ask you to verify data points based on information we have in our records concerning you.

Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing of Personal Information

You may submit a request to opt out of sales or sharing through our interactive webform available by clicking on the cookie icon in the lower left-hand corner of the Site. If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we will also treat that as a valid request to opt out. Please see the “Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms” section above for more information.

Shine the Light Law

We do not disclose personal information obtained through our Site or Services to third parties for their direct marketing purposes. Accordingly, we have no obligations under California Civil Code § 1798.83.

10.  Accessibility

We are committed to ensuring the Site, including this Privacy Policy, is accessible to individuals with disabilities. To find out more about what we are doing to ensure digital accessibility, please visit our accessibility page. Alternatively, please contact us as described below if you wish to access this Privacy Policy in an alternative format.