Have you received a private parking fine from PCM Parking and are unsure whether to pay or appeal? You’ve come to the right place. Every month, over 130,000 people visit our website for guidance on fines and parking tickets.
In this piece, we will provide easy-to.understand information on:
- PCM Parking and their role in parking management.
- Whether you are required to pay PCM Parking fines.
- How to appeal a PCM Parking fine.
- How much a PCN from PCM Parking could cost.
- Useful tips to avoid getting a parking ticket in the future.
The DVLA report that over 11 million parking tickets were issued last year, which is up by 29% year on year!1. So you’re not alone in this situation.
Don’t worry, though; we’re here to provide clear advice and practical steps to help you navigate this situation.
Not sure what to write in your parking appeal?
You don’t need to start with a blank page.
We’ve created a free parking ticket appeal letter template that gives you a clear structure to follow.
Free editable parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.
Do you have to pay Parking Control Management?
Parking Control Management is allowed to serve parking tickets to motorists who breach the Terms and Conditions of car parks they manage, as per their signage.
You should pay if you’re guilty of the alleged parking contravention, but things aren’t so straightforward. Parking Charge Notices are not real fines. They are service fees or could be considered an invoice.Therefore, the money only has to be paid when PCM UK Ltd has a court order telling you to pay.
For this, they would need to take you to court and win the case.
The legal implications of not paying parking fines on private land could be far-reaching.
Make sure you familiarise yourself with the steps to take when you receive a PCM parking ticket and seek advice if needed.
I’ve included a message a motorist posted about a PCM Parking fine they received even though no signs were evident where they parked.
Source: Moneysavingexpert
» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer
Should you pay or appeal?
Whether you pay or appeal can only be decided based on the circumstances of your case.
If you have a good reason with evidence to back it up, there’s no reason not to appeal. If you’ve decided to pay to avoid all possibility of court action, do so within 14 days to pay the discounted rate.
Appeal Process Steps
Instead of paying or ignoring the fine, you might be able to lodge a Parking Charge Notice appeal.
Janine, our financial expert, advises to formally appeal a parking ticket within 28 days of receipt, providing evidence such as a photo of your car’s registration number if the PCN is incorrect.
You might state that:
- Your car broke down and show them the invoice from the mechanic
- A medical emergency prevented you from returning to your vehicle on time
Although they might still reject such an appeal. To help you better understand the appeal process, I’ve put together this table. If you want to learn more about the steps involved, don’t forget to read our complete guide.
| When | Action |
|---|---|
| On receiving a council PCN | Read the notice, keep it, gather evidence and note all payment and challenge deadlines. |
| Windscreen or handed-to-driver PCN | An informal challenge may be available before the Notice to Owner. Early challenge can preserve a discount under the authority’s policy; 14 days is not a universal final appeal deadline. |
| Postal PCN or Notice to Owner | Normally make formal representations within 28 days as stated on the notice. Do not assume there is an extra informal stage. |
| Representations rejected | The Notice of Rejection explains how to appeal to the appropriate independent tribunal, normally within 28 days. |
| Appeal unsuccessful | Pay by the deadline given in the decision or obtain advice on any available review. Further statutory charges can follow if you do neither. |
| Other ticket type | Private parking charges and FPNs use different procedures; follow the actual notice. |
Further guidance: Traffic Penalty Tribunal; Citizens Advice.
What’s Included in the Free Appeal Template
A clear structure
The template gives you a simple framework for putting your parking appeal together, so you don’t have to work out what to write from scratch.
What you’ll add
- Your parking charge details
- Why you’re appealing
- Any relevant evidence
- What you want the parking company to do
Easy to adapt
Just replace the sections in [square brackets] with the details of your own situation and edit the wording where needed.
You’ll get the template by email so you can save it, edit it and use it when you’re ready.
Free parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.
What is the best excuse to appeal a Parking Control Management parking ticket?
One of the best excuses to appeal a parking ticket is that you overstayed by fewer than ten minutes.
The reason this is one of the best is that the law states that a grace period of ten minutes must be given and it can easily be proved by the company’s camera evidence.
Note, you have ten minutes to leave the car park – not just get to your car.
PCM appeal rejected – what now?
If your appeal is rejected you can escalate the appeal to the Independent Appeals Service. You can appeal for free here because PCM Parking is a member of the IPC.
More information about this service can be found here.
Will PCM take you to court?
PCM Parking might take you to court if you don’t pay the parking ticket within 28 days.But this isn’t certain.
Sometimes they will make legal threats or get a debt collection agency to make these threats for them. But they could be empty threats sent to scare you and make you cough up. There’s no way of knowing for certain.
So if you want to guarantee you won’t be taken to court, you will have to pay. Of course, if they don’t ever take you to court you’ll get away without paying.
This is why you hear advice on online forums telling you to ignore PCNs. In my experience, it’s best to either pay the fine early (if you deserve it) or appeal the ticket.
Feel more confident before you send your appeal
Writing a parking appeal can be difficult when you’re not sure what to include or how to structure it.
Our free template gives you a clear starting point, helping you:
- Set out what happened clearly
- Explain why you’re disputing the charge
- Include the important details
- Avoid starting from a blank page
Simply adapt the template to your own circumstances before sending it.
Free parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.
Parking Control Management Ltd reviews
Private parking management companies often have negative online reviews.
And the same can be said about this company. Here are two recent online reviews, suggesting that PCM Parking doesn’t have any decency:
“How this company operate is completely disgraceful. I hold a valid permit and have a resident space where they opportunistically like common criminals noticed my permit had slipped out of view. Despite appealing for a scrap of human decency where I provided clear evidence I had the right to park in my own parking space, they showed they have absolutely none.”
- Laura T (Google review)
“Paid £60 for using my own, underground parking space where remote is required to enter. Just because I forgot to display my permit once! Appeal rejected. Should I pay a fine if I would forget to turn the light off in my flat? Dumb company, dump policy.”
- Dawid N (Google review)
How do you get a permit?
You can order a PCM permit on their sister website at www.permitorder.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can call 01753 512603 on weekdays between 9am and 3pm.
Ready to appeal your parking ticket?
Don’t start with a blank page.
Get our free parking ticket appeal letter template and use it as the starting point for your response.
Add the details of your parking charge, explain why you’re appealing and adapt the wording to your circumstances.
We’ll send the template straight to your email.
Free parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.
References
