Please don’t ignore it, if the charge remains unpaid after 28 days, then further charges may be added which can be up to £70. If the charge still remains unpaid then you could be liable for enforcement through the courts which means further costs will be added.

You can pay the charge at the reduced rate. The discounted rate is available if the parking company receives payment within 14 days of the charge being issued - or you can make an appeal to the parking company if you feel that you have received the parking Charge incorrectly.

A discounted rate for the parking charge is offered if payment is received within 14 days of the parking charge being issued. If the parking charge remains unpaid after 28 days, additional amounts can be added to cover debt recovery.

If you want to appeal the parking charge you must send your appeal to the company within 21 days, beginning with the day after you received the parking charge.

You should receive the decision from the parking company about your appeal within 28 days of your appeal being received.

If you want to appeal to the IAS you have to make your appeal within 21 days from when your appeal to the parking company was rejected.

The charge should have all the information on how to make the early discounted payment, don’t forget to include the parking charge number and your vehicle registration number so the parking company can correctly allocate payment so they can stop the case escalating.

Make an appeal to the parking company - all the details will be on the charge.  Your appeals must be received by the parking company within 21 days beginning with the day after that you were issued the charge.  When appealing the charge, you will need to provide:

Full name and address 

Vehicle registration number

Parking charge reference number (usually at the top of the ticket)

Full reasons for why you are making the appeal, include as much evidence as possible, use photographs if helpful to explain your appeal.

It depends on which term or condition you are alleged to have breached. Taking photographs might provide useful evidence to appeal certain types of breach.

If, for example, you overstayed the stated time limit because of a medical emergency, this is a possible mitigating factor that you will need to back up with solid evidence like a medical certificate from a suitably qualified medical professional.

It is important to remember that while mitigating factors may have led you to breach the stated terms and conditions, mitigation does not extinguish your legal liability. It is purely at the discretion of the parking company whether or not to accept mitigation as a reason to cancel a parking ticket.

You should receive the decision from the parking company about your appeal within 28 days of your appeal being received by them.

The parking company will provide you with details how to lodge an appeal to the Independent Appeals Service IAS. This is a free service when using the standard appeals route, there is a small charge to use the Non-Standard appeal process, further details can be found on the IAS website

You have 21 days from the date the parking company rejects your appeal.  The IAS should reach a decision within 21 days. 

Have a look at the frequently asked questions on the IAS site 

Click on the following www.theIAS.org where you can submit your appeal online. You can appeal by entering the parking charge reference number and the vehicle registration number into the IAS online portal.

If your details are not accepted, contact the parking company as they will have the information to help you.

You can appeal by post for full details click here 

The result is not binding on you if you have used the standard appeal route. However, If you don’t make payment, you may incur additional costs that the parking company incur trying to recover the amount you owe them.

If you appeal the parking charge it is likely that the parking company will not allow you to pay the reduced rate as the time for making payment at the reduced rate will have passed.  

The IAS is a certified Alternative Dispute Resolution entity. You may use this service if you have been advised by the parking company that they will engage with it. If you think that you should be able to use the service but are unable to; please contact the parking company that issued the parking charge to you, and they will be able to advise you.

You can still appeal the decision made by the parking company, however you will need to appeal to Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA)

AOS – Accredited Operator Scheme or Approved Operator Scheme: 

The Accredited Operator Scheme is run by the IPC.

The Approved Operator Scheme is run by the BPA.

For example, a parking operator who is an IPC Accredited Operator Scheme (AOS) member must abide by The IPC’s Code of Practice and agree to be bound by decisions of the Independent Appeals Service (IAS) in cases where a motorist wishes to appeal a parking charge.

ANPR - Automatic Number Plate Recognition: 

ANPR is digital camera technology designed to automatically read and record vehicle number plates.

ATA - Accredited Trade Association: 

An ATA is a parking trade association that has been accredited by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). For a parking operator to obtain keeper details or DVLA data, they must belong to a DVLA Accredited Trade Association (ATA) and abide by the ATA’s Code of Practice. There are currently two ATAs serving the UK parking industry, The International Parking Community (IPC) and the British Parking Association (BPA).

BPA - British Parking Association: 

The BPA is one of only two DVLA Accredited Trade Associations presiding over the UK parking industry.

CCTV - Closed Circuit Television: 

CCTV technology is commonly used to help monitor car park facilities, manage private land along with many other security monitoring applications. 

CEA – Civil Enforcement Area:

Most local authorities in the UK will also be Civil Enforcement Areas (CEA). Mandated by the Traffic Management Act 2004, a local authority’s enforcement powers will be enhanced if they are also a Civil Enforcement Area. This means that they can also enforce parking infractions on roadways like double parking and loading restrictions.

Consideration Period: 

A Consideration Period is a non-contractually binding period of time given to a motorist to read the terms and conditions on car park signage so that the motorist can make an informed choice about whether they wish to use a particular parking facility and, by so doing, agree to be bound by those terms and conditions.

A Consideration Period does not apply in certain situations like “No Stopping” zones and must never be inferred to be a period of free parking to nip to the shops or drop off a passenger.

DVLA - Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: 

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is a government body that administers driver and vehicle licensing records in the UK.

GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation: 

Implemented on the 25th of May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is EU data protection legislation designed to further protect the privacy of all EU citizens and stiffen sanctions for data breaches.

Grace Period:

A Grace Period is a short period of time for a motorist to exit a car park without incurring a parking charge after the expiry of a parking time limit. Grace Periods will only be observed if the motorist has complied with all other terms and conditions.

Under The IPC Code of Practice, the precise duration of a Grace Period is 10 minutes. BPA AOS members and local authority parking operators also observe a 10-minute Grace Period.

IAS – Independent Appeals Service:

The Independent Appeals Service (IAS) is a free service for motorists seeking redress where a parking ticket has been issued by a parking operator who is a member of The IPC's Accredited Operator Scheme (AOS). The IAS is the UK parking industry’s only appeals service mandated by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). 

All IAS adjudicators are independent qualified legal professionals - solicitors or barristers. Since its inception, The IAS has always had jurisdiction throughout the UK.

IPC – The International Parking Community:

The IPC is one of only two DVLA Accredited Trade Associations (ATA) presiding over the UK parking industry.

Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019:  

The Parking Act 2019 is primary legislation which allows for the creation of a single code of practice to unify the UK private parking industry under one code of practice.

London Tribunals:

London Tribunals is an appellate body which considers parking appeals from motorists who have been issued with a Penalty Charge Notice issued by a London Local Authority or by Transport for London. 

London Tribunals was previously known as the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS) which also supports the Environment and Traffic Adjudicators and the Road User Charging Adjudicators as well as parking violations.

POPLA – Parking on Private Land Appeals:

POPLA is a parking adjudication body for motorists seeking redress where a parking ticket has been issued by a private parking operator who is a member of the BPA's Approved Operator Scheme.

TPT - Traffic Penalty Tribunal: 

The TPT is an appellate body which considers parking appeals from motorists who have been issued with a Penalty Charge Notice administered by a local authority in England and Wales but outside London.

Yes you can. However, complaints must be lodged with the parking operator in the first instance.  When lodging your complaint with the parking company remember to ask for the complaint reference number and anything that will make it easier for the IPC to investigate if the matter is not resolved satisfactory with the parking company.

Before you complain to the IPC you must first complain to the parking operator following their documented process. Once you have received a response and if you remain unhappy you can complain further to the IPC.

To complain to the IPC simply click on the following link https://portal.theipc.info/login/complaints, you will first need to create a user account then you can select the ‘submit complaint’ option.

Within this section you will be prompted to select the parking operator that your complaint relates to, the parking charge number, the subject and the basis of your complaint. Once you press submit, this will be sent to the complaints department at the IPC. All complaints will be acknowledged within 10 working days and concluded within 20 working days, unless extra time is needed and as such you will be updated.

If you have not received the initial Parking Charge Notice but received a demand, you should contact the parking operator directly to discuss this. The details of how to contact the parking operator will be detailed within the notice that you have received. Parking Charge Notices are sent to the address that has been provided. This is often and address provided by the DVLA, however, it could be the registered keeper or a vehicle hire firm who has provided your details. It is important the registered keeper of the vehicle keeps there address up to date. It is a legal requirement and failure to update the DVLA could result in a fine. If you have not updated you’re address with the DVLA then contact them and update it as soon as possible.

Once you have appealed to the parking operator, they have 28 days to respond to you. If you do not receive a response within this time frame then you should contact the Parking Operator directly for an update. Bear in mind that if you submitted your appeal online or via email, the response will be returned in the same format, and you may wish to check your junk/spam folder.

The IAS can only process an appeal where you have first appealed to the parking operator who issued the charge and this appeal has been rejected. If you have not had your initial appeal rejected, you need to follow the appeal process detailed on the notice that you have received. If you have had your appeal rejected then you need to contact the parking operator to enquire as to why the details have not been added to the IAS. You have 21 days to appeal to the IAS and if you have not appealed in that timeframe then you will have lost your ability to appeal unless there are exceptional circumstances for the appeal not being lodged intime.

The  reduced payment amount is offered to those motorists who wish to admit liability of the charge and pay within 14 days, or settle the charge following an internal appeal to the parking operator which was submitted within 14 days. Should a motorist chose to appeal the charge further it is highly unlikely that the parking operator will still accept the reduced amount.

The option to submit further evidence has passed once the appeal has been sent to an adjudicator. The appeal process gives both sides the opportunity to respond to any points raised and provide supporting evidence. When you responded to your appeal you will have seen a message which asked you to confirm that you have added the evidence you wished you, you will then have been presented with two options, one to proceed and the other to go back and upload further evidence. You will now been notified via email once a decision has been made.

Once you have begun an appeal with the IAS, you will receive a notification via email each time there is a status update. You can also view the status of your appeal at any stage by logging in via the website, the select the my appeals tab,  the first box at the top of the appeal will state ‘appeal status’ if you expand this box it will provide you with further information as to the status of your appeal.

No. This is a common misconception. The parking charge is always enforceable against the driver of a vehicle. The 14-day rule only applies where the operator does not know who the driver is and a notice was not placed on the vehicle or handed to the driver at the time of parking. If the notice was not sent to the keeper within 14 days then the operator is not able to transfer the liability from the driver to the keeper. However, the operator is still able to pursue the parking charge against the driver of the vehicle. 

The IAS is a certified Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider accredited by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute. The relevant legislation is The Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015.

All appeals are considered by an independent lawyer and are overseen by a Lead Adjudicator's. The Lead Adjudicators role is to oversee the independence and integrity of the service and to assume collective responsibility for all adjudications within the IAS. You can view the Lead Adjudicator's profile here: https://www.theias.org/Lead-Adjudicator.

All other Adjudicators are required to be practicing solicitors or barristers and hold a current practising certificate. This is to guarantee their own independence. Adjudicators are not identified to either party. This helps ensure independence and prevent their decisions being effected in anyway. 

All appeals under the Standard Appeals Service must be lodged to the IAS within 21 days of the operator rejecting your appeal. Appeals outside this time-frame can only be accepted where exceptional circumstances are present.

If you consider there to be exceptional circumstances which prevented you from having the proper ability to appeal then please provide proof of this via the IAS online enquiries portal, www.theias.org. Your case for exceptional circumstances will then be reviewed.

Please note that we cannot consider the validity of your appeal at this stage without the reason why you were unable to complete the appeal within the usual 21 day time-frame.

If there was a large gap between the date of your appeal rejection letter and the date you received it, please reply providing a copy of the letter, along with the envelope showing the post mark if available.

In the event that you are not able to establish exceptional circumstances, it may be that the parking operator will engage with the IAS' Non-Standard Appeal Service. Further details can be found at www.theIAS.org.