If you’ve had a PCN and don’t believe that you should pay it, then you’re probably wondering how you can go about appealing it. Whether it was left on your car or came through the post, you have a right to appeal it! But where do you start? Don’t worry, you’re in the right place! So many people have been exactly where you are now, so that’s why we’ve put together a PCN appeal template for you to use, along with some other really useful information we gathered along the way.
What’s the difference between a Penalty Charge Notice and a Parking Charge Notice?
The first thing you should make sure you’re clear on is whether you’ve been issued a penalty charge notice or a parking charge notice because there is actually a difference between the two. It can be confusing because the acronym for both is “PCN”. Don’t worry, here’s the difference between the two:
A Penalty Charge Notice will come from the local council where you park your vehicle or the transport authority. You’ll receive a penalty charge notice either on your car or through the post if they believe you’ve broken local parking rules (for example, parking in a restricted area). You can appeal a penalty charge notice using our appeal template, but if you lose, you will need to pay the fine within 28 days or it may be increased by up to 50%.
A Parking Charge Notice will come from a private parking company because you’ve not paid to park on their land or broken one of their other terms and conditions for parking on their property. It’s important to know that a parking charge notice is essentially an invoice from a private parking company, and there’s not actually a formal appeal process for them. However, if you use our PCN appeal template, you’re more likely to be successful with your appeal.
And, if you’re unsuccessful with your appeal, you can also appeal to independent adjudication services like the Independent Appeals Service or POPLA (Parking On Private Land Appeals). This will depend on who the private parking company are affiliated with.
Is it possible to appeal a PCN?
Yes, you can appeal a PCN! If you believe your PCN has been wrongly issued, you can appeal against it to have the fine wiped completely. You’ll need to do this within 28 days of the date on the PCN.
You’ll need to get in touch with the local council that issued the PCN. That means that if you’ve received a PCN outside of where you live, you’ll need to appeal to that local authority instead of your own.
There’s a few other things to keep in mind too!
If your PCN came through the post, you’ll need to make a formal appeal to the local council that issued it. This must be done within 28 days of the date on the PCN.
If the PCN was left on your car, you can make an informal appeal to the local council, but this must be done within 14 days of the date that the PCN was placed on your vehicle. You can do this by finding more information on your council’s website or you can send them a direct letter. From there, if your informal appeal isn’t accepted, you can then make a formal appeal.
Can you get out of paying a Penalty Charge Notice?
Yes, it is possible to get out of paying a penalty charge notice. But, there is only one way of going about it. You’ll need to provide a sufficient reason or evidence supporting your appeal to challenge the PCN. If your evidence is accepted, you’ll be notified that you no longer are obligated to pay it.
However, if your appeal isn’t accepted, I’d recommend paying the PCN within 14 days because with most local councils, the fine is reduced and you can save yourself some money.
How can I challenge my PCN?
It’s not actually as complicated as it may seem. Essentially, you have 28 days to make a formal challenge after you’ve received your PCN. It can often seem confusing because it’s known as representation. However, all you’ll need is to write a letter that includes all of the details as to why you’re appealing the PCN you’ve received.
This representation letter should also have all of the evidence you’ve collected (such as misleading signage or unclear road markings) as well as your address, your number plate, and the number on the PCN itself. There are lots of good reasons not to pay a PCN, so make sure you know your rights!
Source: Money Saving Expert
It’s totally possible to do this by simply writing a letter, but we’d recommend using a PCN appeal template to make sure you’re not missing off any valuable information.
You might be wondering about the PCN appeal response time. One thing to keep in mind is that you might not hear back for a while about your PCN appeal. The local council you’re appealing to has 56 days to respond to your formal appeal.
You might also be wondering if your PCN appeal has no response from the local council. If they don’t you win by default and are not liable to pay the fine.
However, if they do respond within the 56 days and your PCN appeal has been rejected, you have a few options;
- Pay the fine
- Appeal to an independent adjudication service
How to write a PCN appeal letter
There are some key details to make sure you have on your PCN appeal letter, such as:
- The PCN reference number
- Your vehicle’s number plate
- Your name
- Your address
- The date you received the PCN (it will be on the PCN itself).
You’ll then need to clearly explain the reason(s) why you’re appealing to have the PCN cancelled as well as any evidence you’ve collected to support your appeal. This might be pictures taken of misleading signage or any other reason you feel are grounds for an appeal.
If you are including images to back up your appeal, make sure you keep copies for your records too. When taking photos using a mobile phone or other similar device, make sure you provide details of when the photo was taken (you can usually do this by clicking on details of the photo in your gallery).
Don’t shy away from packing your PCN appeal letter full of evidence because the more evidence you can provide, the more chance you have of successfully appealing your PCN.
How long do I have to make a PCN appeal?
In short, 28 days.
You can make an informal appeal if the PCN was left on the windshield of your vehicle by writing the local council a letter or finding out more information on their website. However, if this is rejected, you’ll have the option to either pay the fine or make a formal appeal.
If your PCN came through the post, you don’t have the option to make an informal appeal. If you want to appeal the PCN, you’ll need to go through the formal process and write a representation letter including all of the details of your PCN, such as:
- Your name
- Your address
- Your vehicle’s registration number
- The date your PCN was issued
- The reference number on the PCN itself.
If your PCN came through the post, you will still have 28 days to appeal the fine.
What happens if I get no response to my PCN appeal?
By law, the PCN appeal response time the local council you’re appealing to is 56 days. If they do not respond to your appeal within that time, you no longer have to pay the PCN and automatically win your appeal.
How to Win Your PCN Appeal – Free Letter Template!
Now is the moment you’ve been waiting for! Simply copy this letter template and fill in the relevant information. There’s easy to read information on how to edit the PCN letter template within the document!
