Appealing Parking charges on private property
Landowners can sub-contract their parking facilities to private parking companies, who can charge for parking. If you use private parking you need to follow the rules of the car park. If you think that the charge has been issued incorrectly, you can challenge this payment.
Private Parking Charges
Parking charges issued on private land are technically not 'fines'.
Private parking companies can issue a ticket called a ‘Parking Charge Notice (PCN)’, which is technically an invoice, for what they deem to be a breach of their parking contract.
In Northern Ireland it is the driver of the car, not the registered keeper, whom is liable.
The PCN will be sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle, these details will have been obtained from DVLA.
It is the responsibility of the private parking company to prove that the registered keeper of the vehicle was driving the vehicle on the date the infringement occurred.
You should not ignore PCNs that you receive.
Some companies clamp vehicles that have numerous outstanding PCNs. If you get clamped, you will have to pay to have the clamp released and the vehicle could be clamped again if the outstanding charges are not paid.
Challenging a Parking Charge Notice
If you have received a PCN, the Consumer Council have resources on their website that can help. This includes factsheets on PCNs and letter templates you can use to appeal.
Visit the Consumer Council website for more information.
You can also contact the Parking On Private Land Appeals (POPLA) service. Once the appeal has been rejected, the operator will provide you with a verification number. The driver must be able to provide credible evidence for the appeal.
From May 2019, POPLA have been taking appeals from Northern Ireland motorists. Since then they have received 190 appeals, 40% of which have been successful.
Submit an appeal online:
www.popla.co.uk
Submit an appeal in writing:
POPLA
PO Box 1270
Warrington
WA4 9RL