Have you had a private parking ticket and are wondering what to do next or what this means for you? Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK get parking tickets each month and are in the exact same position as you are.
Receiving a private parking ticket can be scary, but dealing with it isn’t as daunting as you might think! That’s why we’ve put together this guide on appealing a private parking ticket as well as a free and easy parking ticket appeal letter template for you to download and use!
What is a Private Parking Ticket?
Private parking tickets, otherwise known as parking charge notices or PCNs, are issued to drivers when they park on a private car park and breach the conditions of using the land. The landowner or the company that manages the private car park will issue you a parking charge notice in a few different ways:
- Hand the PCN to you.
- Place the parking charge notice on your windshield.
There is one other way they can contact you, but that’s only if they are a member of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA). Being a member of an ATA gives them permission to contact the DVLA to request your address to send the PCN to.
A parking charge notice isn’t like a penalty charge notice. It’s essentially an invoice from the landowner or parking management company asking you to pay for the rule you broke when parking on their land. This means that unlike a penalty charge notice, it’s not enforceable unless they decide to take legal action against you.
How can I appeal a Private Parking Ticket?
If you feel that your private parking ticket (PCN) was issued unfairly to you, then you have the right to appeal to the landowner or private parking company that issued the ticket. If you’re successful, your fine will be wiped and you no longer have to worry about anyone hassling you for payment.
However, you’ll need to open your dispute within 28 days of the parking charge notice being issued. You may have the chance to get a little bit of extra time if you’ve had extreme circumstances that prevented you from making an appeal, like being in hospital, for example.
Unlike a penalty charge notice, a parking charge notice has a different appeals process. To start, you’ll need to contact the landowner or parking management company and give your reasons for appealing the fine along with any evidence. This is what’s known as an informal appeal.
The landowner or parking management company then have 56 days to review, consider, and give you a decision to your appeal. But, if they don’t respond within those 56 days, you automatically win the case!
However, if they reject your informal appeal, the process doesn’t end there!
Can I appeal against their decision?
If your appeal is rejected, don’t worry! If you want to appeal your case further, this is where a formal appeal comes into play. You’ll need to ask an independent tribunal to look at your case. There are two independent groups you can use:
- Independent Appeals Service (IAS)
- Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA)
The independent group you end up using will depend which ATA the private parking company is a member of:
- You’ll use the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) if the company is a member of the International Parking Community.
- You’ll use Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) if the company is a member of the British Parking Association.
What are some good excuses for appealing a Private Parking Ticket?
There are many valid reasons for appealing a private parking ticket that you might not even know about! Take a look at these to see if any of them apply to you. Remember that you’ll need to provide sufficient evidence wherever possible.
- The signage on the car park wasn’t clear.
- You weren’t driving the vehicle when the PCN was issued.
- You couldn’t get back to your vehicle for a valid reason, such as being in hospital.
- Your vehicle was broken down.
- Your vehicle was parked correctly.
- You weren’t given a grace period (you should be given a 10 minute grace period to leave)
- The ticket machine was broken.
Source: Money Saving Expert
How long do I have to appeal a Private Parking Ticket?
You have 28 days to appeal your parking charge notice from the date is was issued to you. It might be tempting to ignore the private parking ticket, but it won’t make the problem go away. As mentioned earlier, if the parking management company is a member of an ATA, they can and will contact you at your home address. And, if you don’t pay, they may even take the matter to court, which could leave you with a court order demanding you pay the fine.
Your best bet is to either pay for the fine, or begin an appeals process. The sooner you take action, the sooner the problem will go away!
Free & Easy Parking Ticket Appeal Template
If you don’t think your parking charge notice was fairly issued, then now is the time to write an appeals letter! Remember, you’ll need to provide evidence supporting your appeal such as:
- Payment receipts or mobile app receipts
- Repair notes if your vehicle broke down
- Photos of unclear signage
- GPS location logs (this can help prove you left before they stated)
- Time stamped videos
- Hospital release forms stating when exactly you were in hospital
Our free and easy parking ticket appeal letter template will help give you that peace of mind knowing you’ve included everything you need to appeal your parking charge notice.
Remember that even if the landowner or parking management company reject your appeal, you don’t have to stop there! You can appeal to POPLA or the IAS and have them take a look at the decision. If you truly believe you didn’t do anything wrong, don’t just pay the fine – appeal it!