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    • the claimant in their WS can refer to whatever previous CC judgements they like, as we do in our WS's, but CC judgements do not set a legal precedence. however, they do often refer to judgements like Bevis, those cases do created a precedence as they were court of appeal rulings. as for if the defendant, prior to the raising of a claim, dobbed themselves in as the driver in writing during any appeal to the PPC, i don't think we've seen one case whereby the claimant referred to such in their WS.. ?? but they certainly typically include said appeal letters in their exhibits. i certainly dont think it's a good idea to 'remind' them of such at the defence stage, even if the defendant did admit such in a written appeal. i would further go as far to say, that could be even more damaging to the whole case than a judge admonishing a defendant for not appealing to the PPC in the 1st place. it sort of blows the defendant out the water before the judge reads anything else. dx  
    • Hi LFI, Your knowledge in this area is greater than I could possibly hope to have and as such I appreciate your feedback. I'm not sure that I agree the reason why a barrister would say that, only to get new customers, I'm sure he must have had professional experience in this area that qualifies him to make that point. 🙂 In your point 1 you mention: 1] there is a real danger that some part of the appeal will point out that the person appealing [the keeper ] is also the driver. I understand the point you are making but I was referring to when the keeper is also the driver and admits it later and only in this circumstance, but I understand what you are saying. I take on board the issues you raise in point 2. Is it possible that a PPC (claimant) could refer back to the case above as proof that the motorist should have appealed, like they refer back to other cases? Thanks once again for the feedback.
    • Well barristers would say that in the hope that motorists would go to them for advice -obviously paid advice.  The problem with appealing is at least twofold. 1] there is a real danger that some part of the appeal will point out that the person appealing [the keeper ] is also the driver.  And in a lot of cases the last thing the keeper wants when they are also the driver is that the parking company knows that. It makes it so much easier for them as the majority  of Judges do not accept that the keeper and the driver are the same person for obvious reasons. Often they are not the same person especially when it is a family car where the husband, wife and children are all insured to drive the same car. On top of that  just about every person who has a valid insurance policy is able to drive another person's vehicle. So there are many possibilities and it should be up to the parking company to prove it to some extent.  Most parking company's do not accept appeals under virtually any circumstances. But insist that you carry on and appeal to their so called impartial jury who are often anything but impartial. By turning down that second appeal, many motorists pay up because they don't know enough about PoFA to argue with those decisions which brings us to the second problem. 2] the major parking companies are mostly unscrupulous, lying cheating scrotes. So when you appeal and your reasons look as if they would have merit in Court, they then go about  concocting a Witness Statement to debunk that challenge. We feel that by leaving what we think are the strongest arguments to our Member's Witness Statements, it leaves insufficient time to be thwarted with their lies etc. And when the motorists defence is good enough to win, it should win regardless of when it is first produced.   
    • S13 (2)The creditor may not exercise the right under paragraph 4 to recover from the keeper any unpaid parking charges specified in the notice to keeper if, within the period of 28 days beginning with the day after that on which that notice was given, the creditor is given— (a)a statement signed by or on behalf of the vehicle-hire firm to the effect that at the material time the vehicle was hired to a named person under a hire agreement; (b)a copy of the hire agreement; and (c)a copy of a statement of liability signed by the hirer under that hire agreement. As  Arval has complied with the above they cannot be pursued by EC----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- S14 [1]   the creditor may recover those charges (so far as they remain unpaid) from the hirer. (2)The conditions are that— (a)the creditor has within the relevant period given the hirer a notice in accordance with sub-paragraph (5) (a “notice to hirer”), together with a copy of the documents mentioned in paragraph 13(2) and the notice to keeper; (b)a period of 21 days beginning with the day on which the notice to hirer was given has elapsed;  As ECP did not send copies of the documents to your company and they have given 28 days instead of 21 days they have failed to comply with  the Act so you and your Company are absolved from paying. That is not to say that they won't continue asking to be paid as they do not have the faintest idea how PoFA works. 
    • Euro have got a lot wrong and have failed to comply with the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 Schedule 4.  According to Section 13 after ECP have written to Arval they should then send a NTH to the Hirer  which they have done.This eliminates Arval from any further pursuit by ECP. When they wrote to your company they should have sent copies of everything that they asked Arval for. This is to prove that your company agree what happened on the day of the breach. If ECP then comply with the Act they are allowed to pursue the hirer. If they fail, to comply they cannot make the hirer pay. They can pursue until they are blue in the face but the Hirer is not lawfully required to pay them and if it went to Court ECP would lose. Your company could say who was driving but the only person that can be pursued is the Hirer, there does not appear to be an extension for a driver to be pursued. Even if there was, because ECP have failed miserably to comply with the Act  they still have no chance of winning in Court. Here are the relevant Hire sections from the Act below.
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PPC charge on a hired vehicle **Appeal upheld**


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Hi all,

 

Thanks to the contributions from this forum I am successful PPC ignorer when I've been incorrectly charged by these people. However today there was a twist!

 

I own a flat in a leasehold development patrolled by UKPC. There are numbered spaces and the lease allows access to the paved area in front of the main door for the purposes of loading and unloading. I hired a van today to move a load of stuff out, and whilst parked in the "loading area" I received a comedy parking charge from UKPC. The area is not marked as a space but is regularly used by residents when stuff needs moving, in accordance with the lease. I very much doubt that these clowns know anything about the lease...

 

Normally, of course, I'd ignore this charge and move on, however, the vehicle I was in was hired and I am concerned about the response from the rental company. I asked in the office when I returned the vehicle about the procedure for this kind of event and the chap implied there would be various admin charges from the company if they have to forward the nonsense from the PPC to me. I haven't yet found out the cost of these admin charges, but if they are less than the cost of the fine, I'll just pay the rental company and let the fine go away as usual. However, I suspect it'll cost me more.

 

Should I pay up and then seek to reclaim the money including charges for my time and expenses? I need to get the rental company out of the picture ASAP as far as I can see.

 

Thanks for your ideas!

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Hi,

I assume there was a windscreen ticket?

 

If so, you need to remove the rental company from this equation and the only way to do it is to admit you were the driver. I don't think it will do any harm as it is in the lease what the space is for so UKPC cannot make any claim.

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Would it be best to write to UKPC with an appeal admitting I was the driver? I'm concerned that they will unilaterally decide to chase the rental company nonetheless, incurring further charges for me.

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Once identified as the driver, you include that in the appeal. They cannot go after the keeper as you have admitted to being the driver.

 

In all likelihood they will reject your appeal but then they should issue the POPLA code to appeal further.

If you are asked to deal with any matter via private message, PLEASE report it.

Everything I say is opinion only. If you are unsure on any comment made, you should see a qualified solicitor

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Ok thanks for that. I assume by giving them my details they'll have no need to pursue the rental company. It's been a while since I've had to appeal a parking charge so I'll spot up on the latest advice from the forum and keep my fingers crossed. POPLA route still waiting to be tested by me!

 

Regards.

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Just as a heads up, is the current protocol still to ignore these clowns? Clearly the charge is punitive (£60 or £100 if after blah number of days) so I guess it's unlikely they'll chase me if they choose to deny my appeal. I'll be handing over my name and address to these people!

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correct, they wont even ned to use the DVLA lookup so if they do they are in breach of the regulations under which they can access ther database.

Will be easy to kill this one.

Just use what you have said, your lease allows loading and therefore you have supremacy of contract and UKPC have committed an act of trespas against you by putting the ticket on the van. Tell them that if they dont cancel the charge then you will consider any further demands as harassment and treat them as the same.

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Just as a heads up, is the current protocol still to ignore these clowns? Clearly the charge is punitive (£60 or £100 if after blah number of days) so I guess it's unlikely they'll chase me if they choose to deny my appeal. I'll be handing over my name and address to these people!

 

 

You respond to the NTD and state that you were the driver of the vehicle at the time of the event, giving your name and address to UKPC.

This releases the rental company from any potential liability for the charge and takes them ' out of the loop '.

 

 

Then add the details about your lease allowing loading etc. and that you expect the charge to be cancelled, or a valid code for the independent appeals service POPLA to be issued to you.

 

 

And always get proof of postage with every letter sent to any PPC.

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UKPC should have received my appeal yesterday so here's a rundown of what I went for. Firstly I admitted being the driver thus taking the rental company out of the loop with all this. I hit them with:

 

1. Lease states "...vehicles delivering or collecting goods may be parked temporarily on the Private Accessway or vacant Visitor Parking Spaces." (Enclosed coopy of the relevant page)

2. The £60 (or £100) cannot constitute a GPEOL and asked for evidence that it is.

3. Quoted District Enforcement Ltd v Gary Husdon from a different thread on CAG in which the judge stated "I can completely understand that where there are marked bays anyone parking across the lines and taking up two bays would be causing a problem. But for that to apply there must be a marked bay and all down that area there are no marked bays. There are no double yellow lines or hatched areas to indicate no parking. The claim is dismissed."

 

Was also going to ask for a copy of the contract with the landowner (I am pretty sure one does not exist!) but wanted to keep the letter to one side of A4 so as to not waste a penny more than I have to on these fools! Maybe I'll leave that one for POPLA.

 

Thanks again everyone I'll let you know how it develops.

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  • 5 weeks later...

UPDATE:

 

Received two replies from UKPC with the same date. One of them rejects my appeal and the other one invites me to send a copy of my lease to their appeals department. The lease weighs a ton so I'm clearly not going to do that but fortunately the rejection letter includes a POPLA reference number.

 

Allegedly, UKPC have contacted the land owners and ascertained that the area I parked in is not included as an area suitable for loading and unloading. There is no mention of the pre-estimate of loss, and their summation of the issue about parking outside the bay is that the signage clearly states that it isn't to be done (although the private accessway - which can be used for loading according to the lease - has no marked spaces on it!)

 

Should I just ignore these people now and head straight for POPLA? Any help in constructing an appeal would be much appreciated. Not been through the process before having successfully ignored these invoices before. In order not to complicate things with POPLA, would it be best to leave out the "private accessway" issue altogether and go straight for a cast-iron defence? What if I lose at POPLA? Do I then just ignore them anyway? Lots of threats for court judgements etc but as far as I'm aware the law stands on their ability to chase me through the courts and go after a CCJ.

 

Thanks for your help once again!

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I would go for the POPLA route.

 

Include the facts you know GPEoL, lease etc.) but then put UKPC on the spot by asking for a copy of the letter where they have contacted the landowner.

 

As it stands, UKPC take very few cases to court and I suspect they won't even bother with this one as it is too complicated for them to get their minds around.

 

Ericsbrother is quite good at formulating appeals but I would rather see your efforts first. You don't need psuedo legal speak, just common english.

 

If you do a draft appeal and post it up here minus the personal details we can the ridicule your efforts. No Sorry, offer constructive critiscism :razz:

If you are asked to deal with any matter via private message, PLEASE report it.

Everything I say is opinion only. If you are unsure on any comment made, you should see a qualified solicitor

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Hi all,

 

I'd appreciate any feedback relating to my POPLA appeal against UKPC:

 

Dear Sir / Madam,

 

On the 26th February 2015 I received PCN number xxxxxxxxx from UKPC whilst parked in a private residents car park that belongs to an apartment block in which I own an apartment. Following an unsuccessful appeal to UKPC, I am writing to you to appeal the PCN for the following reasons:

 

1.Charge is not a genuine pre-estimate of loss

 

The demand for a payment of £60 is punitive, unreasonable, exceeds an appropriate amount and has no relationship to any loss that would have been suffered to the Landowner. The reduced sum of £60 rises to £100 if not paid within 35 days of the date of their appeal rejection letter and therefore indicates that the initial sum is a blanket sum and not proportional to any actual costs incurred as a direct result of the alleged parking infringement. To date, UKPC have not provided me with a complete break-down of how this “charge” was calculated in the form of specific evidence relating to this car park and this alleged incident.

 

In the BPA code of practice, paragraph 19.5 states:

 

“If the parking charge that the driver is being asked to pay is for a breach of contract or act of trespass, this charge must be based on the genuine pre-estimate of loss that you suffer.”

 

And paragraph 19.6 states:

 

“If your parking charge is based upon a contractually agreed sum, that charge cannot be punitive or unreasonable.”

 

I am aware of previous POPLA adjudications in which day to day running costs of the business (staff uniforms, signage, maintenance etc.) would have been incurred whether the alleged breach had occurred or not therefore these may not be included as a pre-estimate of loss. There is no machine for paying for parking on the site (it is a private, residential car park), and there was no loss or damage arising from the incident. The Office of Fair Trading has stated to the BPA that a “parking charge” is not automatically recoverable simply because it is stated to be a parking charge, as it cannot be used to state a loss where none exists. And the BPA Code of Practice states that a charge for breach must wholly represent a genuine pre-estimate of loss flowing from the parking event.

 

I therefore respectfully request that my appeal is upheld and the charge dismissed.

 

2.No standing or authority to pursue charges nor form contracts with drivers

 

As a leaseholder of the land in question, I believe that UKPC have no propriety interest in the land nor the authority to form contracts with drivers on the land, nor pursue charges for breach in their own name. UKPC have not stated any assignment of rights from the Landowner in their rejection letter and have not provided any evidence that they are lawfully entitled to demand money from a driver or keeper. I demand that UKPC produce to POPLA the contemporaneous and unredacted contract between the landowner and UKPC. It has also been widely reported that some parking companies have provided “witness statements” instead of the relevant contract. There is no proof whatsoever that the alleged signatory on behalf of the landowner has ever seen the relevant contract or, indeed, is even an employee of the landowner. I contend, if such a witness statement is submitted instead of the landowner contract itself, that this should be disregarded as unreliable, not proving full BPA compliance and is not sufficient to prove UKPC have the necessary legal standing at this location to bring a claim in their own name nor to form any contractual relationship between UKPC and motorists. I clarify that this should be an actual copy of the contract between UKPC and the Landowner and not just a document that claims a contract/agreement exists.

 

I therefore respectfully request that my appeal is upheld and the charge dismissed.

 

3.Breach of BPA code of practice regarding grace periods.

 

Section 13.2 of the BPA code of practice states:

 

“You should allow the driver a reasonable ‘grace period’ in which to decide if they are going to stay or go. If the driver is on your land without permission you should still allow them a grace period to read your signs and leave before you take enforcement action.”

 

The PCN issued to me states the “time first seen” as 14:23 on the 26/02/15 and the charge “issue time” as 14:23 on the 26/02/15. It is clear that no grace period was afforded to me as recommended in the BPA code of practice. Section 13.3 states:

 

“You should be prepared to tell us the specific grace period at a site if our compliance team or our agents ask what it is.”

 

I put it to UKPC to specify their exact grace period and how it relates to the charge issued to me. I strongly suggest that no such grace period was afforded to me and that UKPC has breached best practice set out by their regulatory authority.

 

I therefore respectfully request that my appeal is upheld and the charge dismissed.

 

4.PCN issued in contravention of allowable use of parking areas as defined in the lease.

 

Section 2.12, Third Schedule, of the lease for the site states:

 

“vehicles delivering or collecting goods may be parked temporarily on the Private Accessway or vacant Visitor Parking Spaces.”

 

I have enclosed a copy of the relevant page of the lease. Since the lease allows loading in the area in which I was parked, I have supremacy of contract and UKPC has committed an act of trespass against me by issuing a parking charge notice on my vehicle. In their appeal rejection letter the operator states that communications with the Landowner have confirmed that the area in question does not form part of the “private accessway” as stated by the lease. I demand that UKPC produce evidence that such communication took place and ask under what legal standing has the change of use of the land been enacted. As a leaseholder I have not been made aware of any such changes to the lease.

 

I therefore respectfully request that my appeal is upheld and the charge dismissed.

 

5.Invalid reason for issue of the notice.

 

The Parking Charge Notice states that specific breach that is alleged to have occurred is:

 

“Not parked within the markings of the bay or space”

 

The photographic evidence supplied by UKPC does not show the vehicle to have been parked inappropriately relating to a space or bay since it was parked in an area where no bays are marked. Therefore, the alleged infringement cannot have occurred. In District Enforcement Ltd v Gary Hudson of 17 November 2014 Deputy District Judge Evans dismissed District Enforcement Ltd’s claim on such a matter stating “…I can completely understand that where there are marked bays anyone parking across the lines and taking up two bays would be causing a problem. But for that to apply there must be a marked bay and all down that area there are no marked bays. There are no double yellow lines or hatched areas to indicate no parking. The claim is dismissed.”

 

This concludes my appeal. I respectfully request that my appeal be upheld and the charge be dismissed if UKPC fail to address and provide the necessary evidence as requested in the points highlighted above.

 

Thanks again for your help everyone! Generally, is it best to write to POPLA or submit via their online appeal form? I have to attach the relevant section of the lease and a copy of the PCN (unless they have one already of course...).

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That'll do it I reckon! No evidence from UKPC I suspect...

 

The POPLA website is fine but keep attachments small. You can always email as well with all attachments attached just to be safe. Always make sure the POPLA code is heading any email.

 

Seems appeals are taking just over a month at the moment.

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I quite like that.

 

Couple of points. the OFT no longer exists so you will need to adapt that bit to say 'the OFT originally said' and don't forget to head the letter with the appeal number.

 

Even if they already have the documents, it would be wise to send copies, especially the copy of the ticket showing that no grace period was given.

 

I don't even think they will get as far as your last point as you should win on GPEoL although it would be nice if the mentioned your supremacy of contract.

 

one minor thing. I feel it is a little long. If you cannot shorten it by much then send as is.

 

I would do it by post and get a receipt or send it signed fro delivery

If you are asked to deal with any matter via private message, PLEASE report it.

Everything I say is opinion only. If you are unsure on any comment made, you should see a qualified solicitor

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I don't think UKPC are going to know what's hit them. That's excellent toast.gif

 

Use their web form and back it up with an email (repeating your appeal, and) attaching your further evidence thumbup.gif

Please note that my posts are my opinion only and should not be taken as any kind of legal advice.
In fact, they're probably just waffling and can be quite safely and completely ignored as you wish.

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Thanks for your feedback folks! Really appreciate it. I've altered the text to include the (former OFT) advice and will send via e-mail and post accordingly. The contributions from the site and others around the web have been very useful and I'll update as and when I hear anything. I'll post it tomorrow morning so if there is anything else that crops up overnight I'd be delighted to hear it. :-)

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  • 1 month later...

Good news from POPLA today!

 

"The Appellant appealed against liability for the parking charge. The Assessor has considered the evidence of both parties and has determined that the appeal be allowed.

The Assessor’s reasons are as set out.

The Operator should now cancel the parking charge notice forthwith.

 

Reasons for the Assessor’s Determination

 

It is the Appellant’s case that the parking charge notice was issued incorrectly.

 

The Operator has not produced a copy of the parking charge notice, nor any evidence to show a breach of the conditions of parking occurred, nor any evidence that shows what the conditions of parking, in fact, were.

 

Accordingly I have no option but to allow the appeal.

 

Shehla Pirwany

 

Assessor"

 

So UKPC didn't even bother trying tor reply to my case. Great news. Another success for everyone on the forum. Thanks for your help!

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Excellent news. A win for you (and another for CAG) :whoo:

 

I will amend the thread title to show your success.

If you are asked to deal with any matter via private message, PLEASE report it.

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well done, UKPC bottled it again when caught out.

 

Brilliant isn't it! Thanks to you and all our friends here for the excellent and bullet-proof advice!!

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