Private parking firms have more chance than ever of chasing you down for a fine
Almost double the number of driver detail requests have been submitted to the DVLA in the first half of this financial year compared to 2015/16, making it more likely than ever you will be tracked down to pay a fine
PRIVATE parking firms are set to pay a record sum for driver details in order to chase Brits for fines.
Companies are on track to fork out a whopping £16.2million for DVLA licence records in the 2018/19 financial year.
According to Government figures analysed by , some 3.2million sets of driver details were requested by private firms in the first half of the financial year - close to double the number asked for in 2015/16.
Private firms pay the DVLA £2.50 for each driver detail request, suggesting the Agency is set to make over £16million if the same trend continues for the second half of the period.
Drivers are more likely than ever to be chased for a parking fine on private property, with the number of information requests significantly increasing in recent years.
Last financial year, companies paid out £14.2million for records, while in 2015/16 the total was just £9.2million.
The DVLA said it does not sell driver details, but simply charges to cover the cost of providing them.
But even if a firm does retrieve your details, parking tickets issued on private land by independent companies aren't always enforceable.
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE How to challenge unfair private parking tickets – the difference between a penalty charge notice and a parking charge notice
Councils and police are the only bodies with an official right to fine you and they can issue a Penalty Charge Notice, Excess Charge Notice or Fixed Penalty Notice - which you normally have to pay.
If you are given a Parking Charge Notice from a private firm, you don't necessarily have to fork out for it.
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This is because what they issue is an invoice, and all they are doing is sending you a notice for what they deem to be a breach of contract.
In most cases, the only way they can force you to pay is by taking you to the small claims court.
Earlier this year, we revealed how private firms are issuing thousands of unfair tickets, simply because they think motorists won't bother fighting them.