Parking charge notice at my own flat

cactusjaxs

Hi everyone

The other day I received a parking charge notice from a company patrolling my car park. My car was parked in a parking space allocated to my flat. For various reasons my parking permit was not in the car at the time and there are signs saying that this company patrol the car park and will fine/clamp cars parked there without a valid permit. I have also checked the British Parking associations website and this company are listed on their approved operator member scheme.
Having read the information on this site I am guessing they are a private parking company and therefore this is not legally binding and I am best off to ignore it.
Does that sound like the best course of action given that I did not have my permit in the car (despite signs warning of this and we did receive a letter in the past saying it needed to be displayed) but was parked in the space for my flat? I can prove that it is my flat as the car is registered at that address. Or should I just pay it to avoid any future trouble?
Thanks

Trebor16

1. Ignore them, it is your flat and your parking place.

2. Don't pay them under any circumstances.

It would also be worth checking your lease to see what it says about displaying permits, but ultimately, they have suffered no loss by you parking in your own space and they have no power to fine you.

HappyMJ

cactusjaxs wrote: »

Or should I just pay it to avoid any future trouble?

What sort of trouble? Why would you pay a penalty for parking on land that you hold a lease over or have a tenancy for? It's your property either way. Whether for 12 months fixed term assured shorthold or even month to month periodic tenancy or up to 999 leasehold. It's your land.

oldone_2

Do the signs really say they will 'fine' you. Which PPC is this ?

scheming_gypsy

Raise the issue with your building management company. It's all very well people saying to ignore it and not to pay it, but this is your parking space outside your flat where you park your car on a daily basis. If you keep ignoring any letters and they keep patrolling the car park dishing out invoices, they could quite easily change the signs to ones that say you may be clamped. The next time you forget to put your permit in, it falls off or they decide you're going to pay - they could just clamp you.

Obviously ignore parking invoices but I personally wouldn't recommend ignoring them when your own parking spot is patrolled by them. Speak to your building management company and try and get them to have the invoice written off

HO87

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

Speak to your building management company and try and get them to have the invoice written off

Absolutely. Check your lease and then remind them that you are entitled to "peaceful enjoyment" and having to deal with some PPC is hardly that.

FYI - the BPA is simply a boys club for PPC's - nothing more than an old fashioned trade protection society. It is not in any way a regulatory body though they will happily have you believe that they are. Don't be fooled into corresponding with them.

trisontana

HO87 wrote: »

FYI - the BPA is simply a boys club for PPC's - nothing more than an old fashioned trade protection society. It is not in any way a regulatory body though they will happily have you believe that they are. Don't be fooled into corresponding with them.

As somebody over on PePiPoo said today :- "Complaining to the BPA about a private parking company is like complaining to Sinn Fein about the IRA".

The_Slithy_Tove

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

The next time you forget to put your permit in, it falls off or they decide you're going to pay - they could just clamp you.

Which would be an entirely unlawful activity, assuming that your lease has explicit provision for parking space, and there's nothing in it about parking "management". And you'd be within your rights to take an angle grinder to said clamp.

As suggested, check your lease carefully (there are several other threads here concerning this very circumstance), and also have it out with the management company (that YOU pay for) to instruct the clamping company to go nowhere near your parking space - ever.

cactusjaxs

Thanks for all the advice!
When my partner bought the flat (I moved in over a year ago) she did not require a parking permit. This was introduced about a year later. I have had to contact the management company in the past with regards to parking and the reply I got was that they couldnt help as the car park was nothing to do with them.
I guess I just ignore the ticket and see what happens?

Trebor16

If the car park is nothing to do with them who employed the parking company? Someone must have and it is usually the management company. Are they telling porkies?

robredz

Trebor16 wrote: »

If the car park is nothing to do with them who employed the parking company? Someone must have and it is usually the management company. Are they telling porkies?

QAny problems with PPC and management company are your target, especially if they imposed a parking scheme on leaseholders unilaterally without consultation imho