Is there a time limit that a Private Parking Company can persue you for a penalty notice?

I got a PCN on my car in a Hospital car park (I'm a Service Engineer and was on an Emergency Call out at the time) on the 13th of May 09 and recieved a letter via my car's leasing company and my head office from a Debt Collection Agency stating I had not payed the Notice.

the problem is it had taken them 6 months to send this letter and I have heard nothing in the intervening months.

they want £60 quid off me and my company are going to deduct £17.25 which is the fee from the car leasing company that they are charging just to pass this on.

I did hear from somewhere that they have 3 months to do this or they have no further ground to chase payment. If so is there some legislation that quotes this?

ordinarily I wouldn't be that bothered but I only went to this hospital to cover for another engineer who was off sick and every time I'd been there previously I parked in the same place without any problem, I even had a sign in the car window stating who I was and where I'd be working.

Whether they have a time limit or not is meaningless because they are not entitled to charge you in the first place, and have no means of making you pay. You can, if you wish, simply disregard them and bin their letters. Nothing will happen to you if you do.

The main trouble you have is that you have an intermediate imposing charges on you. Have you checked your contract to see that they can do this to you?

If you can get them to stop, or have any letters go straight to you without their involvement, then you can just ignore anything that comes your way.

If you can't do that, then how many times are you prepared to pay £17.25 to resist a £60 charge? (You haven't been "fined" by the way.)

This is the trouble, all correspondance is going to come via the leasing company and my head office so I can't cut out the middle man and ignore the letters, otherwise I'd let the my company take the 17 quid and say I'd paid the £60 and see what happens, but another few months down the line I expect history would repeat itself.

Why are they not entitled to charge me as a matter of interest?

The leasing company need to name you as the driver and state

that they will not enter into any further communication, then you

can ignore them!

You also need to check

a) the conditions of the vehicle lease, and

b) the conditions that you signed/agreed with your company about deductions from salary relating toi use of the vehicle.

The lease probably allows them to make an admin. charge for providing information relating to NIPs and parking penalties. Your company probably has your agreement to pass these on.

However, what you actually have is nothing more than an invoice from a private company; and unenforceable at that.

Read through some of the threads here to compose a letter to both the leasing company and your employer pointing out the facts of life to them and making it that you view any deduction from your pay relating to this matter as unlawful

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