Letter from Gladstones after ignoring all previous letters

[Deleted User]

Hi all,

I live in a block of flats (Copper Quarter Swansea) that had its parking controlled by Millennium Parking Group. I have my own numbered allocated parking bay. Back in January I received a ticket for not displaying a valid permit, I think it must have been blown off of the dashboard when closing the door behind me.

Since then I've ignored all letters from Millennium and debt collectors, but today I've received a LBC letter from Gladstones Solicitors, requiring me to pay the full amount (£150) within 14 days.

Obviously ​in this instance no loss has been suffered by the claimant as a result of me parking in my own bay, so what should I do?

Also, does it make a difference that nowhere on the MPG signs posted all over the site does it say that there is a £150 parking fine? It only states that there is a £100 fine, or £60 if paid within a certain time. also also, MPG no longer control the parking in the area, but they did at the time of the issued penalty.

Thanks in advance!

Umkomaas

Are you the owner, leaseholder or tenant of the flat?

What do your legal documents say about parking - please scan or copy verbatim and post here? If posting a link to a scan/photo, host on a free hosting site (tinypic, photobucket, Dropbox or the like), copy the URL and paste into the forum reply box below, but change http to read hxxp. Newbies have to get a few posts under their belt before getting uploading privileges. A regular will do the conversion.

Have you read the NEWBIES FAQ sticky? Have you tried a forum search here using 'Gladstones LBC' or 'Gladstones Millennium', they should bring up oodles of similar threads all currently being advised by this forum - and there's even more to read over on PePiPoo.

The more you understand about this stuff the more likely it is that you'll be able to easily deal with it and achieve a successful outcome.

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?act=SF&s=&f=60

Coupon-mad

Same advice as this one:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5550686

And there are more if you search the forum for 'Copper Quarter'.

Also search 'Gladstones LBCCC' for general examples of how to reply to this letter.

Expect court papers but expect to win. Here's a pepipoo thread with a defence example re a flat:

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=109329

You will see that the added costs (£50) are part of what the defence will attack (but mainly the fact you have rights that supersede the signs). No poster here so far has even had a hearing (cases have gone quiet) and so no-one has lost, or expects to lose here, against G's claims. THey are awful.

To give yourself a laugh Google search Parking Prankster Gladstones bungled' and read the months of blogs about the hearings that have taken place that G's have messed up.

[Deleted User]

I'm currently renting the flat. I have no legal documents about parking, I was only given a parking permit to display on my dashboard.

I've done a few searches on the forum and other places on the internet but I haven't found any results describe a situation similar to mine!

[Deleted User]

Cheers for the quick responses as well guys, will check out the links as well!

Umkomaas

Deleted_User wrote: »

I'm currently renting the flat. I have no legal documents about parking, I was only given a parking permit to display on my dashboard.

I've done a few searches on the forum and other places on the internet but I haven't found any results describe a situation similar to mine!

Did you not get a tenancy agreement to sign?

[Deleted User]

I had an agreement to sign yes but there is no mention of parking in it at all.

Umkomaas

Deleted_User wrote: »

I had an agreement to sign yes but there is no mention of parking in it at all.

So how do you know that the bay you park in is 'yours'?

You will need to go back to your landlord and ask what the parking conditions are for the flat. You'll need a copy of the relevant paragraphs should this get to a court stage.

[Deleted User]

All the parking bays are numbered, which match the flat number. E.g. parking bay 28 belongs to flat 28.

Umkomaas

See what your landlord comes up with.

The_Deep

The full amount is £100, £150 is £50 more than allowed. Complain to the SRA

http://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor.page

that they are trying to charge you monies to which they are not entitlerd and for which they are bering investigated.

There have been several cases in court recently where PPCs have lost claim where residents have parked without permits etc. It is therefore unlikely imo that the PPC will take this to court.

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com.es/2016/11/link-parking-lose-in-wrexham-flat-owner_2.html

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com.es/2016/11/tenancy-agreement-not-overruled-by.html

http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/milton-keynes-woman-secures-landmark-victory-for-flat-tenants-in-parking-dispute-1-7459066