Receiving a parking fine is one of those annoying things in life. You’ve had a great evening then you return to your car, only to find a yellow sticker on the windscreen. Sometimes you accept it’s happened then pay the fee instantly. But in some cases, not paying the charge immediately could lead to a more expensive penalty down the line.
One of the most common tickets is the Parking Charge Notice (PCN). These aren’t backed by the law and work more like invoices. The site explained the private fines require “legal backing to enforce payment”. If the ticket comes from the police or council, you need to pay.
It said: “Private company-issued tickets are a different beast – they’re essentially invoices for perceived contract breaches. “Ignoring them isn’t wise, as they can escalate to a small claims court.” Fortunately there are options for challenging a private parking ticket. MoneySuperMarket claimed to “first check if the company is a member of a trade body like the BPA or IPC”.
It continued: “If so, follow their official appeals process, which usually starts with an appeal to the firm itself. If that fails, you can take it to the trade body’s appeals service.” Also if you receive a private parking fine from a company which isn’t affiliated with a trade body then you should “proceed with caution”. You can avoid tickets altogether, according to the experts.
First steer clear of parking on double yellow lines or clearways. Always display your parking ticket or permit clearly and make sure you familiarise yourself with local restrictions.
