Euro Car Parks Fine – Everything you need to know

Have you received a Euro Car Parks fine and are unsure whether to pay or appeal? You’re not alone. Over 130,000 people visit our website each month for guidance on fines and parking tickets.

In this article, we offer straightforward advice on:

•  Understanding the difference between Private Parking Charge Notice and Penalty Charge Notice
•  Knowing if you must pay Euro Car Parks fines
•  How to appeal a Euro Car Parks fine
•  Understanding the importance of the Grace Period and BPA Code of Practice
•  What happens if you don’t pay a Parking Charge Notice

Which? found that unclear rules and various payment methods in private car parks are partly to blame for an increased number of fines.¹

But don’t worry; we’re here to help you navigate through this confusion and understand your options.

Do you have to pay the fine?

Whether you have to pay a Euro Car Parks fine depends on certain things. Initially, the answer is no because a Parking Charge Notice is not enforceable – to begin with, that is!

However, if Euro Car Parks decides to start proceedings to recover the money owed, it could be.

First, the fine is an invoice, but operators will refer to the penalty as a ‘fine’. They will issue threats when you don’t pay up. That said, you won’t have to pay until you are issued a court order to do so. You’ll have to pay Euro Car Parks their fine/invoice when this happens².

Can you appeal?

Yes, you can! Disputing Euro Car Parks fines is a motorist’s right.

You can file an appeal when you think it’s wrong or unfair. The details on how to do this should be on the parking ticket you were given. You’re in luck because Euro Car Parks is a member of the British Parking Association (BPA)³. It means they must follow a Code of Practice.

This includes allowing you a ‘grace period’, which could be key to avoiding Euro Car Parks fines.

You must follow the right Euro Car Parks Appeal Process when you challenge the fine.

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Appeal Process Steps

We’ve put together this table to help you better understand the appeal process. If you want to learn more about the steps you should take, please read our detailed guide.

Process:	Steps you should take:
When you receive the ticket…	You should gather as much evidence as you can to support your appeal claim and prove that the ticket was unfairly issued.
If you were given the ticket in person/attached to your car…	You must make an informal appeal (sent to the local authority/council that issued the PCN) within 14 days. This should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If it was posted to you…	You will be given 21 days to submit an informal appeal (from the day you received the letter). Your informal appeal should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given.
If the informal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice to Owner and will have 28 days to respond to this with a formal appeal. You can conduct the formal appeal online or via paper form. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal can send you one of these forms.
If the formal appeal is rejected…	You will receive a Notice of Rejection. From here, you are free to challenge the council’s verdict at an independent tribunal.
If the independent tribunal disagrees with your appeal…	You should pay the ticket within 28 days of the tribunal rejecting your appeal. If you don’t, the fine will be increased by 50%. If you don’t have the money to pay the fine, you should contact Citizens Advice or another debt charity.

What is a Grace Period?

As a member of the BPA, Euro Car Parks must give you a 10-minute grace period.⁴

This allows you to get to your car and exit the car park before you are given a parking fine. When you are not allowed this grace period are and given a fine, we suggest you challenge it.

You must have proof though, so check if there are any cameras around and request the CCTV footage of when the parking ticket was issued!

What if you don’t pay the notice?

Despite concerns from the RAC Foundation, there’s still no law to cap parking charges or prevent excessive fines.⁵ This absence of regulation might lead you to consider ignoring a fine you believe was unfairly issued.

However, it’s important to heed the advice of Janine Marsh, our financial expert, who warns against ignoring private parking tickets. Doing so can escalate issues, resulting in constant letters and visits from debt collectors. Instead, if you dispute the ticket, appeal directly to the parking company.

If you don’t pay a Euro Car Parks fine, the company could:

• Send several payment requests
• Add late charges and other fees to an original amount
• Threaten you with legal action
• Refer your details to a debt collection agency

The company cannot visit you at home or threaten to come to your home or repossess any assets.

However, they could choose to take the matter much further which is part of the Euro Car Parks fine enforcement process.

There’s never any guarantee that Euro Car Parks won’t take the matter further. That said, they could get quite aggressive to begin with.

But, they may only be able to recover the original fine and some legal costs if they win the case in court.

In the meantime, you’ll more than likely receive letters from debt collectors threatening legal action.

Don’t be intimidated, but don’t ignore them either.

If you get a court order to pay the amount you owe, pay the amount but ideally, don’t let things get this far!

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Euro Car Parks Contact Details

We’ve listed how to contact Euro Car Parks in the table below.

Address:	30 Dorset Square, London, NW1 6QJ
Phone:	020 7563 3000
Email:	[email protected]
Website:	https://www.eurocarparks.com/

References

1. Which? – The rise of private parking fines
2. Euro Car Parks – Pay a PCN
3. British Parking Association
4. GOV.UK – 10-minute grace period 
5. RACF – Private Parking: Public Concern