ES Parking Enforcement - Should I Pay or Appeal?

Have you got a private parking fine from ES Parking Enforcement and are unsure about what to do next? You’re at the right place. Each month, over 130,000 people visit our website seeking advice on fines and parking tickets, which comes as no surprise, as over 19,000 parking fines are issued each day in the UK.¹

This article will give you simple and helpful information on:

Who ES Parking Enforcement Ltd are
The meaning of an ES Parking Enforcement parking charge notice (PCN)
Whether you must pay ES Parking Enforcement fines
How to appeal against an ES Parking Enforcement parking fine
What could happen if you don’t pay ES Parking Enforcement Ltd

We know that dealing with a parking fine can feel like a big task. But don’t worry; we’ll help you understand your choices and decide the best thing to do.

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.

Get my free appeal template

Free editable parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.

Do You Have to Pay?

In many circumstances, you could appeal your ES Parking Enforcement fine.

It’s a bit sneaky, but last time I had a parking fine I paid £5 for a trial to chat with an online solicitor called JustAnswer.

Not only did I save £50 on solicitor fees, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.

Click here to get the trial offer with JustAnswer.

Should I pay them?

You should pay ES Parking Enforcement if you want to guarantee that you won’t be taken to court to pay. However, Parking Charge Notices aren’t considered real fines, so you don’t have to pay until a court order tells you to do so.

Parking Charge Notices are more like an invoice from the car park management company. They are within their rights to send a parking ticket when you don’t pay or break other terms and conditions of using the car park.

You may hear advice online telling you to ignore private parking tickets. Indeed, some people ignore them and are never taken to court, so they never pay. But this is somewhat risky and you might be taken to court.

I was recently featured in The Sun about parking tickets, where I encouraged everyone to check whether the ticket was issued by a member of a trade association. If they aren’t, then they probably can’t get your details from the DVLA to pursue you. So, instead of just ignoring the ticket, my advice would be to make sure it can be linked to you.

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.

Get my free appeal template

Free parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.

What happens if you don’t pay?

You’re given 28 days to pay or appeal your ES Parking fine. If you do neither, the firm is likely to contact you and ask you to pay and add late fees. There are rules about what fees they can and cannot add.

You’re also likely to receive a Letter Before Action. This is a letter that tells you they’re considering taking legal action if you don’t pay. It can be a scary letter to receive, but sometimes they’re only sent to scare you into paying. It’s impossible to know whether they are willing to take you to court or not.

You may also receive the above letter from a debt collection agency. Sometimes a car park management company will outsource the recovery process to these companies. But be aware that these debt collection businesses aren’t bailiffs and should not come to your home.

If you are taken to court and lose the case, the judge will order you to pay. At this point, you should pay the fine to avoid having to deal with real bailiffs (and their expensive fees!).

Parking tickets are becoming an increasing issue, as the RAC found that the number of parking tickets being issued is up by nearly 30%! The report also found that misleading and deliberately confusing signage in private car parks is part of the problem.²

Consider appealing your PCN instead

Instead of weighing up the options of paying and ignoring the ticket, you could consider appealing it when relevant.

You have 28 days to appeal the parking ticket in writing. Your appeal can be sent in a letter or it could be uploaded to the appeal portal on ES Parking Enforcement’s website.

Your letter should include the reason you think the parking ticket is unfair or incorrect. And you might need to support your claims with evidence.

For example, you might state that you were late back to your vehicle because you were a witness to an incident and had to speak to the police. You’d then probably need to provide ES Parking Enforcement with the police incident reference number.

The Process

Typically there’s a standard process that must be followed to appeal a parking ticket. To better understand it and the steps that go along with it, please check out the table below.

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.

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.

Get my free appeal template

Free parking appeal letter template from MoneyNerd.

How do you write a letter to challenge it?

To write a professional PCN appeal letter, the letter should include:

Your contact details
Your vehicle registration number
Your PCN reference number
A full explanation of the events of the day
Your argument(s) against the ticket
Supporting evidence

Make sure your letter is clear and polite. Even if you’re angry or frustrated, try not to make this the overwhelming message of the letter. The letter should be written to make your case only.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

What is the best excuse to appeal a ticket?

The best excuses to appeal a parking ticket are that they have made an error and you did pay, or that you only overstayed by less than 10 minutes. Private car park companies must give you a 10-minute grace period to get in your car and exit the car park.

Online reviews

Like many parking management companies, ES Parking Enforcement has bad online reviews. Some of their recent reviews suggest the company has a lack of empathy. See here:

“These guys are ridiculous. I have a bowel disease and needed to use the bathroom urgently so I had to stop on the side of a road and use the bathroom in the restaurant and they gave me a ticket for it. Showed them my disabled badge too but they literally didn’t even care.”