Private Parking Fine Appeal Letter

This is a letter that can be used to appeal any private parking fine, also known as a Parking Charge Notice (PCN), imposed by a private parking operator or management company in England and Wales for alleged parking infringements on private land. Where the fine has been issued by a local government body (ie. the council) a different document should be used to challenge this fine.

The first stage of challenging a PCN is to make an informal appeal to the parking operator/management company, using their internal system. For example, a person will write to the organisation advising that they do not agree with the basis of the PCN and will explain why this is the case.

A PCN may be sent directly to the registered keeper of the vehicle by the parking company, for example where the driver does not respond to the PCN or where the parking contravention has been detected via CCTV monitoring. The parking company must follow strict rules in those circumstances and any alleged failure to adhere to those rules can be raised within this letter.

This letter is designed for use within an internal appeals system of a parking company, as the first step in challenging the PCN. There are different grounds that can be used to challenge a private parking fine and this letter can be easily adapted to include a number of typical grounds of appeal as well as any additional grounds relevant to the specific case.

Where the challenge using the informal system is not successful, a formal appeal can be made through an independent appeals process. At the present time, this will be possible if the parking company is a member of an Accredited Trade Organisation. If the company is a member of the British Parking Association, a formal appeal can be made through Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) and if the company is a member of the International Parking Community, then a formal appeal can be made through the Independent Appeals Service.

How to use this document

Once the document has been completed simply sign it and post it to the private parking company that issued the relevant fine, and wait for them to respond.

Where the desired outcome is not reached, the option of a formal appeal can be explored as described above.

Relevant law

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 is relevant to the process applicable to the issuing of private parking fines.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 came into force in March 2019. As a result of this act, a new Code of Practice will be drafted in due course. It is anticipated this will create a single standard setting body and single appeals service to govern parking disputes.

Help from a lawyer

You can choose to consult a lawyer if you need help.

The lawyer can answer your questions or help you through the process. You will be offered this option when you complete the document.

How to modify the template

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.