Can a Private Parking Ticket Affect Your Credit?

Have you received a private parking fine and are wondering what to do next? This is the right place for you. Every month, over 130,000 people dealing with fines and parking tickets visit our website seeking advice.

In this article, we’ll help you understand:

What a private parking ticket is.
If it’s necessary to pay for a private parking ticket.
How to challenge a private parking ticket.
The effect of a private parking ticket on your credit score.
The process of paying a private parking ticket.

We know that getting a private parking fine can make you feel upset. But don’t worry; you’re not alone. In fact, over 19,000 parking fines are issued each day in the UK.¹

We’ve got plenty of useful tips and examples to guide you through the process.

Most 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.

Chat below to get started with JustAnswer

Ask a question,get an answer ASAP!

*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.

Can a private parking ticket affect your credit score?

Keeping in mind that a credit score is a check of how well you manage your debt, you might think that a parking ticket would have no impact.

Parking tickets, civil judgements and tax liens used to be included in credit reports, but the big companies Experian no longer include them.

So getting a private parking ticket in the first place will not have any impact on your score. That’s not the end of the story, though; how you handle the private parking ticket could make a difference to your score.

If you don’t pay your private parking ticket, will it show up on your credit checks?

If you continue to ignore your parking ticket, the issuing company will likely decide to take action in the form of bailiffs and/or going to court. If you go to the court, and the courts decide that you have to pay the fine, you will have a CCJ.

A county court judgement will show up on your credit file. So while getting a parking ticket in the first place will not show up, by ignoring the fine and letting the case escalate, you might get a CCJ which will impact your credit score.

Appeal Process Steps

As mentioned above, ignoring your parking ticket might lead to some unwanted consequences. So, if you think the ticket wasn’t fair, it’s a good idea to try appealing it.

The table below explains the steps you should take to appeal your parking ticket. If you want to learn more, don’t forget to read 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.

How long will a CCJ from not paying a private parking ticket impact your credit score?

Any CCJ will be on your credit file for 6 years unless you pay the debt in full within 1 month. If you pay the CCJ within 1 month, you can apply to the court to have the entry removed from the register.

Paying your CCJ off after the first month means you can apply for a certificate of satisfaction, and while the CCJ will still appear on your file it will be noted as ‘satisfied’.

You will need to cover the cost of the certificate to show you have paid the debt – but there are reduced fees if you are on a low income.

Can you ignore a private parking fine?

You should never ignore a private parking fine. By ignoring the parking charge, the company that issued the fine can escalate the case, increase the charges, and they may choose to take it to court.

A PCN requires that you either pay it or appeal it.

» TAKE ACTION NOW: Get legal support from JustAnswer

What if you disagree with the private parking ticket?

You have the right to appeal both private and council-issued parking tickets. The parking charge notice should give you a number to call, a website you can visit, or a postal address to which you can send your 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.

For private parking companies that are members of a parking association like the IPC or the BPA, they cannot ask you to pay while your appeal is in process.

They will send a letter or an email to let you know the outcome of the appeal and what action you can take.

Note: if the private parking company is not part of any parking association, they may not volunteer the information to escalate the appeal, so you should ask them for clarification.

How can private parking tickets be enforced?

If you do not pay your parking ticket or do not appeal, there are several actions the private parking company can take, and some of them might impact your credit.

They may continue to ask for the money
They may hand the debt to a debt collectors agency, who may add fees
They may take you to county court to recover the fine

Join thousands of others who got legal help for a £5 trial

Getting the support of a Solicitor can take a huge weight off your mind.

Get started

Reviews shown are for JustAnswer.

What if you can’t afford to pay your private parking ticket?

If you cannot afford to pay your parking ticket, get in touch with the issuing company and explain your situation.

Get detailed advice on what to do if you can’t pay a PCN: I Can’t Afford to Pay my Fixed Penalty Notice – Things You Can Do.

How can you pay for your private parking ticket?

You can find all of the details and instructions you need to pay your parking charge notice within the letter or the notice that was placed on your windshield.

For extra information on private parking ticket companies and how to pay or appeal, check here: Private Parking Fines.

You should be offered a discount of at least 40%, although it is typically 50% if the parking fine is paid within 14 days. Once you have paid, there is no further action taken on either side of the case.

Do not pay the fine if you intend to appeal.