How Do Private Parking Tickets Affect Your Credit Score?

Have you got a private parking ticket? Are you worried that this might harm your credit score? This is a worry for many people. But don’t be scared. We’re here to tell you all about it.

In this helpful guide, we’ll talk about:

• What private parking tickets are.
• If you must pay for these tickets.
• What might happen if you don’t pay up.
• How these tickets can touch your credit score.
• And, ways to stop this from harming your credit score.

Every month, over 32,000 people come to us for advice on tickets and fines. We know a lot about this and have guided many people in your shoes. We know how you feel, and we’re here to help. Let’s dive in and discuss private parking tickets.

Do you have to pay for private parking tickets?

You don’t have to pay if you want to appeal the private parking fine. Each car park management company will allow you to challenge the PCN, but the processes to make the appeal could differ. 

They often allow you to make an appeal online and submit evidence in the same way. But there is usually an option to put your appeal in a letter and send it off in the post. 

In either situation, our parking fine appeal letter template can help. 

What happens if I don’t pay a private parking ticket?

If you don’t pay a private parking ticket and don’t make an appeal either, you should expect the car park management company to outsource the “debt” collection to a debt collection agency. 

Debt collection agencies are companies that chase people for alleged debts, but they are not the same as bailiffs. The debt collection agency and any of its staff can ask you to pay in various ways, such as letters and calls, but they cannot come to your home to take your money or possessions.

The debt collection agency must abide by strict rules when trying to chase you for payment, such as not harassing you. You can complain about them if you believe they’re breaking the law and escalate a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) if needed.

Can private parking tickets be enforced?

Private parking tickets can only be enforced by a judge. 

Therefore, for the car park management company to make you pay, it will need to make a claim in the county court and get a judge to issue you with a court order that makes you legally responsible to pay the parking ticket. 

This is different to the earlier mentioned Penalty Charge Notices, which can become enforced much easier by the council. Whereas council parking fines are considered legitimate fines, Parking Charge Notices aren’t; they’re considered invoices from the company only, which is why I like to call them parking tickets rather than parking fines. 

Can a private parking ticket affect your credit?

Parking Charge Notices aren’t recorded on your credit file. Receiving a Parking Charge Notice on its own will not affect your credit score. 

Source: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5920743/credit-score-and-parking-tickets 

But this isn’t the full story. Your credit score could still be affected by the private parking fine, depending on what happens after. I’ll explain this further in the section below…

Can not paying a private parking ticket affect your credit?

Yes, ignoring a private parking fine can potentially affect your credit score. Your credit score will be negatively affected if the car park management company takes legal action and a court order is issued against you, namely a County Court Judgment (CCJ). 

If the car park management company outsources the collection process to a debt collection agency only, your credit file will not be affected. 

But if a County Court Judgment is issued after a claim in court, this court order will be recorded on your credit history. Any lender or company that checks your credit file will see you have a CCJ. 

Can you stop a parking ticket CCJ from affecting your credit score?

Yes, it’s possible to stop a parking ticket CCJ from affecting your credit record. 

If you’re issued with a CCJ for an unpaid private parking ticket and pay the debt in full within one calendar month, the CCJ will be removed from your credit file. This means no other lender or company will be aware of the CCJ going forward.

When you pay the debt in full after one calendar month, the CCJ becomes marked as satisfied so lenders know the debt existed but has been repaid. However, the CCJ will still remain on your credit file for six years from the date it was issued, so it’s much better to pay in full within one month. 

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.

How do you get away with private parking tickets?

There are two ways to avoid paying for your private parking ticket. These are:

1. Successfully appeal the parking ticket
2. Ignore the parking ticket and hope you don’t get taken to court

Private parking companies are much more likely to take legal action than they once were. By ignoring the ticket you run the risk of a CCJ, a bigger fine and a lower credit rating. Therefore, it can be wiser to make an appeal instead, but you will need a good reason – and evidence – for your appeal. 

There are lots of good excuses to appeal a parking ticket. My favourite is the lesser-known five-minute rule, which states that car park management companies cannot give you a ticket if you only overstayed by five minutes or fewer.

Is there a time limit on private parking tickets?

Private parking tickets must be enforced in court within six years or they become too old to be subject to court action. You can read more about this in my Do Parking Tickets Expire? blog. 

How do private parking tickets affect your credit score (Quick recap)

Getting a private parking ticket will not affect your credit score because they aren’t added to your credit file. But ignoring the ticket and getting issued a court order to pay can seriously affect your credit score for up to six years.