Parkmaven Appeal - Should you Pay?

Are you unsure about a private parking fine from Parkmaven? Do you want to know if you should pay or make an appeal?

You’re at the right place. Each month, over 130,000 people visit our website seeking advice on fines and parking tickets.

In this easy-to-understand article, we’ll cover:

Who Parkmaven is and what they do.
The role of the British Parking Association.
Reasons you might get a Parking Charge Notice (PCN).
Whether a PCN is enforceable.
Steps to appeal a Parkmaven parking fine.

Which? found that, despite 78% of members deeming private parking fines unfair, many don’t contest due to low confidence in appeal success.¹ However, we have lots of useful tips and examples to guide you through the process.

Let’s dive in!

56% of Ticket Appeals Succeed

In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay your parking fine.

It’s a bit sneaky, but the last time I needed legal advice, I paid £5 for a trial to chat with an online solicitor called JustAnswer.

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

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*According to Martin Lewis, 56% of people who try to appeal their ticket are successful and get the charge overturned, so it’s well worth a try. In partnership with Just Answer.

Why would you get a Parking Charge Notice?

You could get a Parkmaven PCN for several reasons which we’ve listed here:

You failed to pay the correct fee to park
Your vehicle was badly parked
You overstayed an allotted free time
You left your vehicle in a bay reserved for disabled drivers
You parked in a bay reserved for vehicles with younger families

If you did any of the above, the operator could issue you with a Parking Charge Notice.

Parkmaven Appeal – should you pay?

You should only pay when you are completely satisfied the Parking Charge Notice is justified and correctly issued.

We recommend you:

Establish the fine is yours and not someone else’s
That it was issued correctly by the operator
The ticket was not issued before the 10-minute grace period was up

Remember, appeal or pay but never ignore a Parking Charge Notice!

Janine Marsh, our financial expert, says not to ignore private parking tickets as it leads to escalating issues like constant letters and debt collectors’ visits. If you dispute the ticket, appeal directly to the parking company.

Appeal Process Steps

You must have good reason to appeal a Parkmaven fine.

First, determine whether the penalty was deserved and issued correctly. If you feel it was not, you should contact the operator and file an appeal in writing.

You could contest a Parking Charge Notice if:

You got the fine through the post over 14 days after you used the car park
Your vehicle was parked correctly, and you paid the correct fee
The signage in the car park was unclear and not easy to read
The fine is over the capped limit
Ticket machines were not working
You had a valid reason for not returning to your car on time
Your vehicle broke down, and you were waiting for assistance
You got back to the car under 10 minutes later than your allotted time (a 10-minute grace period was not given)
There were no surveillance in operation signs in the car park, yet you got a ticket through the post

This table explains the steps you should take to appeal your PCN. For more information, be sure to check out our complete 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.

Successful Appeal Case Study

Situation

Initial Fine	£100
Additional Fees	£171
Total Fine	£271

The Appeal Process

Scott used JustAnswer, online legal service to enhance his appeal. The trial of this cost him just £5.

Total Fine	£271
Cost of legal advice	£5

JustAnswer helped Scott craft the best appeal possible and he was able to win his case.

Scott’s fine was cancelled and he only paid £5 for the legal help.

Get started

In partnership with Just Answer.

Is a Parking Charge Notice enforceable?

No, operators cannot legally demand you pay private parking fines they issue.

However, it would be a mistake to ignore the fine because things will get expensive.

A Parking Charge Notice becomes enforceable when there’s a court order to pay it. In short, the operator must take you to court to recover the amount you owe. Unlike Penalty Charge Notices, which are covered by the Road Traffic Act and therefore enforceable, a Parking Charge Notice is an invoice.

The operator raises the invoice because they deem you broke the T&Cs of using a car park.

It would be a mistake to assume the fine was issued correctly because, all too often, they are not.

Plus, it costs you nothing to appeal the fine, which also stops the operator from taking the matter further. Until an appeal is resolved! In short, if your appeal with the operator fails, you can contact an independent appeals service. In this instance, it will be POPLA.

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How long do you have to appeal a parking charge notice?

You must appeal a Parkmaven Parking Charge Notice within 28 days of receiving it.

We suggest you appeal sooner rather than later once you have enough supporting evidence.

How long does a Parkmaven appeal take?

You should get an answer relatively quickly if the operator upholds your appeal. However, when they reject it, and you do nothing, they could start legal proceedings.

So we suggest you not ignore things but rather contact POPLA to make another appeal against the fine.

What happens when you win an appeal?

When you win an appeal against a Parkmaven fine, the operator will cancel the ticket and should do so relatively quickly.

Note: Do not pay a fine when you appeal it because this would automatically cancel the appeal!

What happens when an appeal is rejected?

If Parkmaven rejects your appeal, they must inform you.

Plus, the operator must provide information on how to take your appeal to POPLA, the independent appeals service. When the operator fails to explain the appeal’s process once they reject it, your case against them could be stronger.

The parking appeals process after an initial one is rejected means escalating it to POPLA.

An appeal to POPLA takes longer to settle. It can take as long as 2 to 3 months for the service to reach a decision.

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What happens if your POPLA appeal fails?

You’ll have to pay the fine if your appeal to POPLA is unsuccessful.

Plus, you’ll have missed out on the reduced amount payable, which means you’ll have to pay the initial fine amount. Alternatively, fighting a parking ticket in court is also an option albeit an expensive one. Especially if you seek legal advice for parking tickets from a solicitor.

More About POPLA

POPLA is an independent body that decides the outcome of a Parking Charge appeal.

Their ruling is binding, and an operator must abide by it.

POPLA parking appeals provide a free service to motorists. However, operators are charged a fee for each appeal the service considers.

Should you ignore the Parking Charge Notice?

No, you should appeal the fine or pay it but never ignore it.

The operator will send you threatening letters, including sending your details to a debt collector.

They could take you to court, and if they win, you’ll be ordered to pay the fine. In which case, you’ll have no choice but to pay. We recommend you don’t let things go this far. Either appeal or pay the fine once you’ve established it was correctly issued.

Also, the sooner a matter is resolved, the less expensive it is. In short, if you pay the fine within 14 days, the fine amount is significantly less.

What proof do you need when you appeal a parking charge notice?

The more evidence to support an appeal against the fine, the better the outcome could be.

We suggest you gather the following before you appeal the fine:

Correspondence you got from the operator and your replies
Photos of the car park, payment machine, signs, road markings, parking ticket and time you returned to your vehicle
Receipts from a car recovery firm and other relevant documentation
Statements from witnesses who can corroborate what happened

As mentioned, the more parking ticket evidence you have to cancel the charge, the better your chances are of beating it. Operators have the right to issue Parking Charge Notices, but they must do so correctly. When a fine is not given correctly, Parkmaven should cancel it.

Remember, you have rights as a motorist.