PCN Appeal Letter Template – Free Sample
Did a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) land on your doorstep, and you’re not sure how to write an appeal letter?
You’ve come to the right place. Every month, over 130,000 people visit this site to understand their fines and parking tickets.
We’re going to make things clear for you. In this guide, we’ll explain:
- How to write a PCN appeal letter.
- Times when you might not have to pay.
- The appeal process.
Churchill Motor Insurance reported that in 2022, UK councils issued 19,631 parking fines every day – a 12% increase from the previous year.1 So rest assured, you’re not alone.
We’ve walked in your shoes, and we’re here to lend a hand. Let’s get started and clear up those PCN worries!
64% of Appeals Succeed
In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay your 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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*Around 35,000 people dispute their tickets each year with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, and a striking 64% of those appeals are successful. In partnership with Just Answer.
Can you appeal a PCN?
You can appeal a PCN and have the fine wiped.
If you believe the PCN has been wrongfully issued to you, you have the right to contest the PCN within 28 days.
You’ll need to appeal with the body that sent you the PCN, such as the local council or Transport for London.
If the PCN was left on your vehicle, you must first make an informal appeal to your local council – but do it within 14 days.
Just send a letter or check your council’s website for an online form.
If the informal appeal is rejected, you are offered the opportunity to make a formal appeal.
If you got the PCN via post, there’s no informal process. You must make a formal appeal first.
Appeal Process Steps
I’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. |
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.
In partnership with Just Answer.
How can you get out of a Penalty Charge Notice?
The only way to get out of paying a Penalty Charge Notice is to challenge the PCN and have your appeal accepted. I
f this isn’t possible, you should aim to pay the PCN within 14 days to save some money.
» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer
How do you formally challenge a PCN?
You have 28 days to make a formal challenge after receiving notice of your PCN. This formal challenge is called representation.
Your representation letter should include a detailed explanation of why you are challenging the PCN.
It should also include any other evidence to back up your claims. Include your address, your vehicle registration number and the ticket (PCN) number.
To increase your chances of winning, it is recommended that you use a good PCN challenge letter template.
Be aware that the council has 56 days to respond to a formal appeal, or you win by default.
If the formal challenge is rejected, you can either pay the fine or escalate your appeal to an independent appeals tribunal.
How do you write a letter of appeal for PCN?
Your letter to appeal against a PCN should include the following details:
- Your name
- PCN reference number
- Vehicle registration number
- Date you received the PCN
It should then detail the reasons why you are formally requesting the PCN cancelled (grounds for appeal), along with any evidence you have to support your argument.
When writing a PCN appeal letter, it’s important to include all of the necessary details. If you don’t, your appeal will likely fall through.
If possible, your penalty notice appeal letter should include as much evidence as possible.
For example, if you are arguing that the signage was unclear or you were unable to pay, a photograph could be useful.
Collect copies of all necessary pieces of evidence and include them in your penalty charge appeal letter.
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Lost your Penalty Charge Notice letter?
If you have lost your PCN letter, don’t worry. You can still write a penalty notice appeal letter.
You just need to contact the issuer of the ticket and ask them for the necessary details.
You’ll receive a ‘Notice of Appeal’, which allows you to challenge the ticket at an independent tribunal (adjudicator). You need to submit the form within 30 days of receiving it.
Again, include relevant evidence in your submission, as the adjudicator won’t have seen any of what you previously submitted.
Our FREE penalty charge notice appeal letter example
Download our free Penalty Charge Notice appeal letter template.
This penalty charge notice appeal sample letter is carefully written to politely but firmly help make your case. You just need to add your own details and specifics about your appeal to hopefully get your PCN revoked.
This template will help you organise your appeal and save you time.
Check it out now – it’s 100% free!
Why should you use our penalty charge notice appeal letter?
You don’t have to use our Penalty Charge Notice appeal letter template, and you can write your own letter from scratch.
However, many people have had remarkable success using our letter, and it saves you time.
It’s not certain to get your appeal accepted, but it can make the process less stressful for you.
Using our sample appeal letter for penalty charge notice ensures that you hit all of the necessary points to increase your chance of success.
Parking Charge Notice or Penalty Charge Notice?
Before writing a letter to appeal a Penalty Charge Notice, you must be certain that you have been issued a Penalty Charge Notice rather than a Parking Charge Notice.
A Penalty Charge Notice is a fine from a local council or transport authority, whereas a Parking Charge Notice is an invoice from a private company stating that you owe money because you broke the terms and conditions of using their car park.
It’s key that you know the difference between a Parking Charge Notice and a Penalty Charge Notice to know the best way to handle the situation.
If you have received a Parking Charge Notice, you will need to use our parking charge appeal sample letter instead.
You could get a Parking Charge Notice left on your car, or you may receive a Parking Charge Notice letter in the post.
It is also worth noting that there is no formal appeals process for Parking Charge Notices. However, using a parking appeal letter example will likely increase your chances of success.
If unsuccessful, you can further appeal to independent adjudication services such as POPLA (Parking On Private Land Appeals) or the Independent Appeals Service, depending on the parking company’s affiliation.
As for Penalty Charge Notice appeals, if you lose at the independent tribunal, you must pay the penalty within 28 days.
Otherwise, the fine can increase by 50%.
We have other free letter templates!
This Penalty Charge Notice appeal letter template is just one of our many free letter templates. We have created a wide selection of customisable templates for different situations.
Whether you want to ask for your debt to be written off or negotiate a debt repayment plan, we have templates you can download completely free.
Hire a Parking Solicitor for less than a coffee.
If you’re thinking about appealing your parking ticket then getting some professional advice is a good idea.
Getting the support of a Solicitor can make your appeal much more likely to win.
For a £5 trial, Solicitors from JustAnswer can look at your case and help you create an airtight appeal.
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