Secure Parking Solutions PCN Appeal – Do I have to Pay?

Did you find a parking ticket from Secure Parking Solutions on your car? You’re not alone. Each month, over 32,000 people visit this site for advice on tickets and fines.

In this article, we’ll help you understand:

•  Who Secure Parking Solutions are.
•  How to appeal and maybe not pay your parking ticket.
•  What happens if you don’t pay a ticket on private land.
•  When it’s okay not to pay a parking ticket.
•  Where to find more help if you need it.

Getting a parking ticket can be a bit scary — you might be worried about what happens if you don’t pay or if you can fight the ticket. We know how you feel, and we are here to help you figure out what to do about your parking ticket.

Do I have to pay a PCN on private land?

A parking ticket on private land is not backed up by UK law. Why? Because an operator like Secure Parking Solutions raises an ‘invoice’ against you for breaching a contract for not following their ‘rules’ when parking on a site.

Do you have to pay for a parking ticket on private land?

Not straight away. As mentioned a Parking Charge Notice is not immediately enforceable. It’s a civil matter between yourself and the operator.

The first thing you should do is check whether the parking ticket was issued correctly and that all the details are correct.

If you deserved the parking ticket and refused to pay, you could face court proceedings. The operator could file a case against you in a small claims court and you’d end with a CCJ if they win the case.

What happens when you ignore a parking ticket on private land?

You may believe that a parking ticket on private land is not enforceable. Therefore, you could bin the ticket and forget about it.

However, the operator will chase you for payment. You’ll receive threatening letters demanding payment and court action.

There’s a good chance the operator will follow through on their threat and could even instruct a debt collector to recover the outstanding parking ticket.

So, as you can see, it’s not a good idea to ignore a parking ticket on private land. Instead, you should challenge it by making an informal appeal to the operator. 

Not only does appealing the ticket gain you a little time, but it also prevents Secure Parking Solutions from taking the matter any further.

How do you appeal a Secure Parking Solutions ticket?

There’s a process to follow when you appeal a Secure Parking Solutions ticket. You must make your appeal online within 28 days of receiving it.

However, I suggest you file the appeal sooner just in case you run out of time!

You’ll be asked to provide the following information with your online appeal:

• The Parking Charge Notice number
• Your vehicle registration number or VRN
• Why you’re appealing the parking ticket
• Proof to support your appeal which could include witness statements if you have any

You can also file a complaint if you’re unhappy with the way Secure Parking Solutions handles your appeal.

What’s a valid excuse for appealing a Parking Charge Notice?

Secure Parking Solutions are known to issue tickets to motorists for minor parking infringements. It’s your right to challenge the ticket if you feel it was issued unfairly.

Moreover, the operator must deal with your appeal before they can escalate the matter any further.

I’ve listed some acceptable and therefore, valid reasons for appealing a parking ticket on private land below:

• You received the ticket in the post more than 14 days offer you allegedly committed a parking infringement on the operator’s site
• You didn’t break their T&Cs because you paid the correct fee and parked correctly
• The car park signage was unclear, missing or hidden. Plus the road markings were not clearly visible
• The Parking Charge Notice you received was an excessive amount
• Another person was driving your vehicle when the parking ticket was issued
• You have a valid excuse for not getting back to your vehicle in time. For example, you had a medical emergency
• You were broken down and had to wait for a recovery truck to arrive
• The parking ticket was issued without allowing you the mandatory 10-minute grace period
• The parking ticket arrived in the mail, yet there was no signage indicating that CCTV or ANPR was being used on the site.

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Do private operators have to allow a grace period?

Yes. All private car park management companies that sign on to the Approved Operators Scheme must allow motorists a grace period. The ten minutes start from the moment the time you paid for expires.

For example, if you paid to park till 2pm and you get back to your car at 2:05 pm, the operator should not issue a parking ticket.

However, the 10-minute grace period does not apply if you were badly parked or when you failed to pay to park!

Can you escalate your appeal if Secure Parking Solutions rejects it?

Yes. You can take your appeal to the Parking on Private Land Association (POPLA) if the operator rejects it.

POPLA will investigate your appeal and could rule in your favour or they could uphold the operator’s decision to reject it!

That said, appealing Parking Charge Notices costs nothing. You don’t have to pay to challenge the ticket with the operator. And you don’t have to pay to escalate your appeal to POPLA.

Moreover, Secure Parking Solutions must put everything on hold until POPLA decides whether to uphold your appeal or not!

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Can you get a CCJ for a Parking Charge Notice?

You could get a County Court Judgement for non-payment of a Parking Charge Notice if the issuer wins a case in a small claims court. It’s far better to appeal the ticket if you think it’s incorrect or unfair.

Or you could opt to pay the Parking Charge Notice within 14 days so you pay the lesser amount!

That said, the operator is responsible for their legal costs whether they win the case or not! It can deter them from taking you to court in the first place.

What law covers the recovery of Parking Charge Notices?

An operator only has to do the following to recover a Parking Charge Notice under paragraphs 2 to 12 of Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012:

• Send/give ‘notice’ to the Registered Keeper of a vehicle
• Inform the driver,
• Send/give ‘notice’ to the driver

How do you contact Secure Parking Solutions?

I’ve listed Secure Parking Solutions’ contact details in the table below:     

Secure Parking Solutions PCN appeal, do you have to pay?

You may not have to pay a Parking Charge Notice if you can show it was incorrectly issued. For example, it’s your right to appeal a parking ticket if the operator didn’t follow the Code of Practice!

You should only pay a Parking Charge Notice when you know the ticket is deserved. Plus when you pay within 14 days, you get to pay a lesser amount!

That said, don’t ignore a parking ticket on private land because it could end up being a costly decision.

Thanks for reading this post about Secure Parking Solutions. I hope the information in the post helps you when it comes to paying or appealing a Parking Charge Notice.