Do I have to pay a private parking ticket and who can issue them?
AN estimated 22,000 parking fines are issued daily by private firms in the UK to often unsuspecting motorists.
These charges will be capped at £50 for minor infringements in new government plans.
Do I have to pay a private parking ticket?
Unfortunately for your bank account, you do have to pay the private parking ticket or you could go to civil court.
Also known as a Parking Charge Notice (PCN) these are issued if you overstay your welcome on private land.
They are not police fines so you won't be looking at jail time but rather a breach of contract.
New rules will cap the cost of these at £50 for minor infringements, although it could go up to £70 or £100 for more serious breaches.
If you pay within 14 days you can get a discount of 50% off the charge.
There are other new limitations for the private firms to keep the cost down and make things fairer for motorists.
Limitations include the banning of excessive late fees have been banned and instructions that all signage must be clearer.
There will also be a grace period of 10 minutes before the late fine can be given.
Private firms will also have to give 5 minutes for the motorist to change their minds about parking there.
Who can issue a private parking ticket?
Any private land offering space to park can issue a PCN.
This includes supermarkets, who will usually give shoppers a 2 to 3 hour slot to park.
Go over this period and you can be hit with fines, although some will let you off if you're a first time offender and regular customer.
Controversial hospital parking fees are also included in this private fine category.
Minister for Levelling Up Neil O'Brien said: "Private firms issue roughly 22,000 parking tickets every day, often adopting a system of misleading and confusing signage, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees designed to extort money from motorists.
"[Our] new Code Of Practice will set out a clear vision with the interests of safe motorists at its heart, while cracking down on the worst offenders."
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Can I appeal a private parking ticket?
You can appeal all parking tickets but you must act quickly.
The government have also said they are aiming to make it easier to challenge a ticket.
For example, if you bought a ticket but failed to display it correctly, under current rules this would not be enough to dismiss the notice.
Look at the facts and circumstances surrounding your fine and ask yourself if you have broken the rules.
If so it might be better to pay the fine quickly and get the discount rather than fighting in court - most private firms assume this is the route motorists will take.
Instructions to appeal will come with the notice and if you think signage was unclear or misleading you could fight the notice.
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Make your case clearly, including pictures if possible, sometimes sending a cheque to cover the cost of parking can be a helpful goodwill gesture.
Whether you pay or appeal just make sure you respond or you could end up in court.