PCN letters at my old house for parking in a spot I paid rent for

MancWhite

Hi all, new here. Read the newbies thread on PCNs but I've got some weird technicalities on mine, in that I paid monthly rent to the landlord for the parking space I've been billed for parking on!

Last year I lived in a shared house, always paying rent on time and directly to the landlord including an extra monthly fee for the parking space behind the house. I have in writing (or email) that the rent included the parking space, but she did not specify the individual amounts. I also wasn't required to give her my reg number. The landlord contracted management of the car park to "Defence Systems Ltd." No idea why she felt the need to contract this out, but that's none of my business.

After a year living there, I moved out, quit my job, sold the car, changed my drivers licence to my parents address, left the country for a couple of months, and finally moved into a flat in a different city to go back to uni. This morning, my old housemate messaged me that I had received 3 letters over starting in late September, when I was still out of the country. I made sure to change all of my mailing addresses so this was confusing.

He's told me I've received 3 letters from "Debt Recovery Plus", each more threatening than the last. None of these communique have been direct from the parking management company. The last states I can no longer appeal as the 28 day window has passed. All for an apparent offence from 3 days before I moved out anyway!

What can I do here? I was hoping there'd be some recourse for me, as I have in writing that I paid for the parking space, and that the car itself was registered to the address!

Okell

You need to post on the dedicated parking board:  Parking tickets, fines & parking — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Quickest thing to do would be to copy your post over to there.  Just explain that you mistakenly posted on the wrong board.

(I think you're meant to report your own post here to the site team and ask them to move it.  That avoids duplicate posts but can take a couple of days)

MancWhite

Okell said:

You need to post on the dedicated parking board:  Parking tickets, fines & parking — MoneySavingExpert Forum

Quickest thing to do would be to copy your post over to there.  Just explain that you mistakenly posted on the wrong board.

(I think you're meant to report your own post here to the site team and ask them to move it.  That avoids duplicate posts but can take a couple of days)

Thanks for the info Okell.

MSE_ForumTeam5

We've moved the thread. Please don't create duplicate threads. It's better to stick to a single thread which can be moved as appropriate.

Coupon-mad

MancWhite said:

Hi all, new here. Read the newbies thread on PCNs but I've got some weird technicalities on mine, in that I paid monthly rent to the landlord for the parking space I've been billed for parking on!

Last year I lived in a shared house, always paying rent on time and directly to the landlord including an extra monthly fee for the parking space behind the house. I have in writing (or email) that the rent included the parking space, but she did not specify the individual amounts. I also wasn't required to give her my reg number. The landlord contracted management of the car park to "Defence Systems Ltd." No idea why she felt the need to contract this out, but that's none of my business.

After a year living there, I moved out, quit my job, sold the car, changed my drivers licence to my parents address, left the country for a couple of months, and finally moved into a flat in a different city to go back to uni. This morning, my old housemate messaged me that I had received 3 letters over starting in late September, when I was still out of the country. I made sure to change all of my mailing addresses so this was confusing.

He's told me I've received 3 letters from "Debt Recovery Plus", each more threatening than the last. None of these communique have been direct from the parking management company. The last states I can no longer appeal as the 28 day window has passed. All for an apparent offence from 3 days before I moved out anyway!

What can I do here? I was hoping there'd be some recourse for me, as I have in writing that I paid for the parking space, and that the car itself was registered to the address

Welcome!  This is nothing. Do not phone them. But you need to sort out the address.  Did you change it on your V5C as well as your Driving Licence?

Please read the fourth post of the NEWBIES thread.

However you are going to have to email the DPO at DR Plus and the parking firm, just to change your service address to your new address.  Then you see all the letters in time.

Ignore all £170 debt demands, except the LBC (see 2nd post of the NEWBIES thread which we won't link because it's an Announcement thread at the top of the forum).

Not_A_Hope

However you are going to have to email the DPO at DR Plus and the parking firm, just to change your service address to your new address

Make sure you also tell them to erase your former address. Many PPCs have form for deliberately sending claims to old addresses which can often result in a default CCJ. The unfortunate defendant then has to either pay (but it resides on the record for years) or unpick the mess by getting the CCJ set aside. Either way don’t give them the chance.

Fruitcake

Plan A is always a complaint to the landowner and your MP.

You are too late to appeal now, so other than a landowner cancellation you are now in ignore mode unless you get a Letter of/before Claim or a court claim.

It is essential as advised to send a rectification notice to the PPC and DRP, ensuring you use the word advised by Not_A_Hope.

MancWhite

Thanks everyone. I contacted the landowner yesterday, and she has very kindly instructed the PPC to cancel the charge. However, the PPC in question just replied telling me that as they have passed the debt onto Debt Recovery Plus, it's out of their hands and the best they can do is ask for a settlement price for costs incurred.

If an LBC or CCJ is issued against me, is it likely to come from the debt recovery agency, or the PPC?

To answer some questions, yes I sold the car a couple of days after moving out.

I'm loathe to willingly give my new address to these kinds of company, but it seems the smart thing to do in this case,

After re-reading the advice in the incredibly helpful Newbies thread, I think I'll just leave this to lie now? From what I've gathered, DP+ are powerless, and they'll pass it back to the PPC, who have been instructed by the landowner to write it off?

UncleThomasCobley

Any claim would come from the PPC through their solicitors. DRP can be ignored. However, you absolutely, positively, MUST send the PPC DPO a data rectification notice instructing them to erase you old address and update your address for service to your current one. Also instruct them to tell their agents to do the same.

Come back if/when you receive an LBC/LoC.

Coupon-mad

Email back to the PPC and tell them they are mistaken because it's no-win-no-fee with these debt crawlers and it is embarrassing that they appear to be misleading their client, who legitimately asked for this unfair PCN to be cancelled, which costs nothing.

Copy in the landowner who wanted it cancelled. Expose the lies.

UncleThomasCobley

Proof that DRP use "no-win, no-fee":