Parking ticket for parking in my own space!!

Jubislegs

The management of our block of flats has decided to enforce parking tickets if cars are not displaying a valid permit, we have a permit which we haven't stuck to our window (as it has where we live on it) so we havd if in a wallet which we place in the window when we've parked in our space, however sometimes we forget!

Anyhow we have had approximately 20 tickets since they have bought this in to operation and now they have decided to follow up the ones from the last 6 months (only 2 or 3) through a credit claiming agency, we have had 2 letters in a week asking us to pay, we are still ignoring!

Has anyone else had this from parking in their own space?

The letter also outlines their litigation process which says a CCJ can be obtained...is this true? We can afford to pay it but won't on principle that they know it's our space!

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

peter_the_piper

You can only get a CCJ if they take you to court (very unlikely) then win(even more very unlikely) and you lose (even more very, very unlikely) and then the judge say pay up and you don't (even more very, very, very unlikely) Not good grammar but you get the drift.

taffy056

Okay do you own the flat, and the parking space? Or are you renting ? Regardless of either there is probably nothing in the lease saying a parking permit is required.

The best advice is to ignore them, there is no loss so they can't possibly win in court, I have yet to see see a private parking company going to court in such cases.

A CCJ can only be obtained if they take you to court, win the case, you refuse to pay within 28 days, then they go back to court to get county court bailiffs to act for them. They can't accomplish all that without your knowledge.

Just ignore them

Stephen_Leak

The only people to suffer when a building management company bring in a private parking company are the residents. I can't wait for mine to make the same mistake. They won't know what hit them.

Write to the building management company, advising them that they are "jointly and severally liable" for the actions of their agents, the private ticketing company, and that any further actions by them would be regarded as harassment under the terms of The Protection from Harassment Act 1997. This ought to make them call off the private ticketing company and, hopefully, realise the potential cost of doing business with a them.

Unless it’s a condition of the lease, you can opt out of any parking scheme.

Half_way

Is this your flat, or do you rent it?
if its yours flat, then check the lease/freehold agreement, does it also state that you own the parking space, or have rights to it?

it probably doesnt say anything about permits etc etc, does it?

If i was you, and it was my own parking space to which i have rights to, and i didnt want to be poart of this permit scheme i would leave the permit behind and then i would start a new hobby, parking ticket collecting seeing just how many its possible to collect.

tospig

Half_way wrote: »

<snip> i would start a new hobby, parking ticket collecting seeing just how many its possible to collect.

This is exactly what I'm doing at my block of flats

Half_way

You could take action for harrasment and the rights to peaceful enjoyment of your property etc etc, but passive ticket collecting ( asuming its your proerty and the lease/freehold says nothing about permits) is much easier and far less confrontational.

If your neighbours are freindly you could - in fact you should inform them about the fake tickets and have a neighbourhood competition to see just who can collect the most, doing this will possibly acheive the following:

Spreading the word about un enforcable tickets/charges such as these
Improving neighbourly relations and instilling a comunity spirit
Keepping the emloyee issuing the tickets busy, he may even get a bonus for the most amount of tickets issued, if such things exist although in my dealings with ppc employees this is unlikely

bazster

Assuming that your leasehold or tenancy confers the right to use your parking space, and that it says nothing about permits, when you write to the management company tell them that you are not obliged to participate in any permit scheme, that you decline to do so.

The_Slithy_Tove

Jubislegs wrote: »

The management of our block of flats has decided to enforce parking tickets ...

On whose initiative, I wonder. Has there been a parking problem, e.g. your spaces being blocked by other cars? Or has the management company been approached by a PPC offering to solve a non-existent problem at no cost to them?

I won't repeat the advice, but all that has been said do far is the correct approach to take.