FAQ's

  • I attempted to pay for parking but the machine is out of order. Who should I contact?

    If the payment machine is out of order, there may be another one located on site that’s working. Some of our sites also offer the facility to make payment via phone/app which you can use if you are facing difficulties with the machine/s. Please review the signage in the car park to find out if this option is available and the instructions of how to make a payment.

    If you would like to report the issue please please contact us by filling out this form..

    Please note: Any appeals or complaints sent to this email address will not be responded to.

  • I would like to make a payment, but I am having trouble locating the correct reference number

    Should you wish to make payment to Parkingeye, either via our website or through our payment line, you will be required to provide your 12 digit Parking Charge reference number. This reference can be located on all correspondence that has been issued to you and is also present on documents from debt recovery agencies, as well as within the ‘particulars of claim’ (if legal action has been taken).

    Please note: If you are making a payment via our automated telephone line the forward slash (/) in the middle of the Parking Charge reference should be replaced with an asterisk (*) on your telephone keypad.

    Example: 123456/123456 will become 123456*123456

  • I have received documents from the county court/a debt recovery agency and would like to make payment but I am having trouble locating the correct reference number

    Should you wish to make payment to Parkingeye, either via our website or through our payment line, you will be required to provide your 12 digit Parking Charge reference number; e.g. xxxxxx/xxxxxx. This reference can be found on all correspondence that has been issued to you and is also present on documents from debt recovery agencies, as well as within the ‘particulars of claim’ where legal action has been taken.

    Please note: the / character within your reference should be substituted with the * button when using our payment line.

  • What will happen if I ignore the Parking Charge?

    If the Parking Charge is ignored and no payment is received, then further action could be taken which may include a referral to a Credit Reference Agency, the instruction of solicitors to secure immediate payment, a referral to debt recovery, or the issuance of court proceedings, all of which will incur further costs.

    If you wish to appeal a Parking Charge, we recommend you lodge an appeal as soon as you receive the Parking Charge.

  • Is the Parking Charge enforceable, is it a penalty?

    Parkingeye does not issue or collect Penalty Charges, fines or excess charges, which are only enforced by police, traffic wardens or civil enforcement officers under the Traffic Management Act 2004 or the Road Traffic Acts. However, Parkingeye does have the authority to issue and enforce Parking Charges for contractual breaches on private land. This was confirmed by the Supreme Court in the precedent setting case of ParkingEye v Beavis (2015) UKSC 67.

    For more information concerning this judgment, please visit here.

  • Are Parking Charges enforceable in Scotland?

    In the recent Scottish court case of Vehicles Control Services v Mackie [2017] A7/15 the Sheriff found the Defender, as the driver of the vehicle, to be in breach of contract and liable for the agreed sum of £24,500. The Defender, who had received multiple Parking Charges, disputed the claim on the basis that they believed Parking Charges to be illegal and unenforceable in Scotland. It was established that the Defender had ignored all of the Parking Charges received out of principle.

    It should be noted that the Sheriff considered the Supreme Court’s Judgment in Parkingeye v Beavis [2015] UKSC 67 and commented that:

    “The charges are nothing more than a legitimate mechanism to create a potential revenue stream to meet costs that would otherwise be borne by the proprietors themselves and without which those services were unlikely to be viable. The Supreme Court touched on this in the “Parkingeye” case (Parkingeye Limited (Respondent) v Beavis (Appellant) UKSC 2015/0116 ) where Lords Neuberger and Sumption referred to the objectives of owners protecting parking amenity and funding it through user charges thus: “These two objectives appear to us to be perfectly reasonable in themselves”. I respectfully agree.”

  • Why have I received a Parking Charge?

    The car parks managed by Parkingeye have clear terms and conditions of parking, as detailed on the signage within the car park. If the terms and conditions are breached (e.g. overstaying a free period or not paying for your parking), then a Parking Charge will be issued.

    You can also find further information outlining why the charge was incurred displayed within the Parking Charge.

  • Appealing a Parking Charge?

    To appeal against a Parking Charge, either complete the online appeals form by clicking here or write to Parkingeye at:

    PO Box 117,
    Blyth,
    NE24 9EJ

    Please give the reasons for the appeal and enclosing any supporting information, i.e. a receipt to prove expenditure at the location, a parking ticket etc. or alternatively click here to pay.

  • Is the Parking Charge fair and reasonable?

    In terms of the amount of the Parking Charge, the Supreme Court judgment, along with the British Parking Association Code of Practice at paragraph 19.5, supports the level of Charge issued by Parkingeye. Within this judgment, Lord Neuberger and Lord Sumption note that,

    “The charge is less than the maximum above which members of the BPA must justify their charges under their code of practice” and Lord Hodge finds that, “…local authority practice, the BPA guidance, and also the evidence that it is common practice in the United Kingdom to allow motorists to stay for two hours in such private car parks and then to impose a charge of £85, support the view that such a charge was not manifestly excessive […] the fact that motorists entering the car park were given ample warning of both the time limit of their licence and the amount of the charge also supports the view that the parking charge was not unconscionable.”

  • I have received a Parking Charge and would like to make payment, but I have lost the letter/do not know my reference number.

    If you are unable to locate your Parking Charge Reference, please contact us by filling in this form. Please include your full name, vehicle registration, date of the parking event and the location where the charge was incurred.

    Please note: any appeals or complaints sent to this email address will not be responded to.

  • How was a contract formed with the driver?

    The Parking Charges issued are levied on the basis of a contract with the motorist, which is set out via the signage at the site. The signage sets out the terms and conditions under which a motorist is authorised to park, be that by payment of the appropriate paid parking tariff or by parking within a limited stay period or similar, and that a Parking Charge will be payable if the conditions are not met.

    We ensure signage is ample, clear, visible and in line with the BPA (British Parking Association) Code of Practice, so as to ensure that the motorist is bound by the terms and conditions when they enter and remain at a site. All users of the site are obliged to follow these rules.

  • Does Parkingeye have the authority to issue Parking Charges?

    Parkingeye is authorised by our clients to install signage setting out the terms and conditions of parking, issue Parking Charges for a breach of those terms and conditions, and to recover and retain these Parking Charges.

    Please note that Parkingeye is presented as the contracting party on the signage and the creditor within any correspondence sent to motorists.

  • I am a blue badge holder, surely my vehicle is exempt from private parking rules?

    The Department for Transport's Blue Badge scheme for the disabled driver allows for blue badge holders to park in certain restricted areas for up to three hours (areas and times may vary depending upon the local authority). This concession applies to the public highway only and is not relevant on private land.

    In this regard, whilst some landlords provide preferential parking for blue badge holders, this is generally subject to the same terms and conditions found elsewhere in the car park, including any tariff payments that apply to users of the car park and/or any maximum stay period.

    To avoid confusion, you should always check the terms and conditions displayed on the signage on site.

  • How can the charge be enforceable if there is a reduction for early payment?

    The offer to reduce the amount of the Parking Charge for the first 14 days is not indicative of the fact that it should be considered a penalty and Parkingeye properly offers a 40% discount for 14 days, as per the British Parking Association (BPA) code of practice.

    In addition, as a matter of practicality, there are many commercial situations where a discount is offered for the early settlement of a contractual claim. HHJ Hegarty QC in the case of ParkingEye v Somerfield Stores (2011) stated that this was the case.

  • Is it possible to get a receipt when parking in one of Parkingeye’s car parks?

    Should you park in one of Parkingeye’s paid parking car parks, you should receive a ticket from the machine when purchasing time to park. This should display the amount of parking time that you have paid for. Alternatively, you may be required to make payment via the business that the car park serves; e.g at the hotel reception.

    If this is the case, we would recommend requesting an invoice or receipt from the site at the point of sale. If you have paid by phone, you may be able to obtain a receipt by logging into your PaybyPhone account.

  • What is POPLA?

    Parking Charges issued in England and Wales are underpinned by The Protection of Freedoms Act (POFA) 2012 and the Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) Service. The Act introduced the concept of ‘keeper liability’ for vehicles parked on private land, however, there had to be an independent appeals service to sit alongside the same, which is provided for by funding from the parking industry.

    That independent service is known as Parking on Private Land Appeals or POPLA. Assessors at POPLA determine appeals from those who have been issued with Parking Charges when parked on private land in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. To be able to lodge an appeal with POPLA, motorists must first lodge an appeal with the operator who issued the Parking Charge and be provided with a POPLA verification code, which issued when the appeal is rejected. POPLA is independent of all parties to appeals, including the operator and the British Parking Association, as are the Assessors who make the determinations.

  • My appeal has been rejected and I would like to appeal to POPLA, how do I do this?

    When an appeal is rejected by Parkingeye, the motorist is provided with the opportunity to appeal to POPLA. All information regarding how to lodge an appeal with POPLA (including the 10-digit verification code) is contained within the correspondence informing you that your appeal had been unsuccessful.

  • Will the Parking Charge increase if I lose my appeal with POPLA?

    Should an appeal be lodged with POPLA, then you will have already lost your right to the early payment discount offered by Parkingeye. Should your appeal then be refused by POPLA, and in order to avoid any further action, you should pay the full outstanding Parking Charge amount within 14 days.

    Please note that payment should not be sent to POPLA.

  • I wasn’t the driver, therefore I will not be paying the Parking Charge. What will happen?

    Pursuant to Paragraph 9(2)(b) of Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012:

    The operator must inform the registered keeper that the driver of the vehicle is required to pay the Parking Charge in full. In addition, as the operator does not know who was driving the vehicle on the date of the parking event, the Act states that the registered keeper, if they were not the driver at the time, should inform the operator of the name and current postal address of the driver and pass the notice to them. The Act then goes on to state that if the parking charge has not been paid in full after 29 days, and the operator has not been provided with both the name and current address of the driver, then they have the right to recover any unpaid part of the parking charge from the registered keeper.

    This warning is given under Paragraph 9(2)(f) of Schedule 4 and is subject to the operator complying with the applicable conditions under Schedule 4 of that Act.

    Please note: The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 is only applicable to Parking Charges issued in England & Wales.

  • I regularly park on a car park managed by Parkingeye, is it possible to obtain contract parking or a season ticket for parking?

    Should it be possible to purchase either contract parking or a season pass within a car park managed by Parkingeye then all relevant information, including instructions about the necessary next steps, will be present on the signage within the car park.

  • I attempted to pay for parking and did not receive a ticket from the machine, is this a problem?

    A large number of car parks that Parkingeye manage are monitored using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. It is not a requirement to display a ticket within your vehicle unless the signage states otherwise. Our systems link your transaction from the payment machine to your vehicle registration.

    With this in mind, you should always ensure that you enter your full and correct vehicle registration into the payment machine when purchasing a ticket. If you do not receive a ticket from one of our parking machines, it may be that your transaction was not completed correctly and as a result, your payment may not have been successful. In all cases we would advise that you read the terms and conditions of parking carefully as these can vary from one car park to another.

  • Why is car park management required?

    Parkingeye manages car parks for landholders to ensure that motorists are adhering to the terms and conditions of parking. Maximum stay periods are commonly used by retailers to ensure that there is a regular turnover of spaces and so spaces are available for genuine customers.

    Similarly, car park management is required at paid parking sites to ensure that motorists are making full payment for parking in every instance. Parkingeye ensures that the car park terms and conditions are adhered to and that parking spaces are used correctly.

    Car park abuse is detrimental to landholders and Parkingeye provides a service that ensures the efficient and regulated use of car parks. The Supreme Court also found in ParkingEye v. Beavis (2015) UKSC67 that there was a clear commercial justification for the issue and enforcement of Parking Charges on private land.

  • Why have the DVLA provided Parkingeye with registered keeper details?

    As a member of the British Parking Association and the Approved Operator Scheme, Parkingeye is able to obtain the details for the registered keeper of a vehicle from the DVLA where that vehicle has been found to be in breach of the terms and conditions of parking in operation on site.

  • Does Parkingeye have a fair appeals process?

    Parkingeye has gained a vast amount of experience over many years of handling parking related appeals and the Parkingeye team lead the industry in this regard. Each appeal is individually assessed by a trained appeals assessor, who will review not only the site rules, but will apply a common sense approach.

  • I have submitted an appeal and have not heard back. How long will it take for my appeal to be dealt with?

    Parkingeye endeavour to deal with appeals as swiftly as possible. In periods of high volumes, this can take up to 28 days. Once Parkingeye is in receipt of an appeal, the charge will be placed on hold and the charge value will remain at the level it was when the appeal was received until an appeals resolution is issued.