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dcbl Direct Collection Baliffs Ltd

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Garfield01
Garfield01 Posts: 2 Newbie
First Post
I have received a letter for Notice of recovery of £170 regarding an alleged outstanding parking charge which occurred in September 2023.   I live in Scotland.  As I understand it, the bayliffs have no standing in Scotland.  If I am wrong, can someone please offer any advice.

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  • CliveOfIndia
    CliveOfIndia Posts: 2,501 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    To start with, head on over to the Parking sub-forum on the Motoring board and read the sticky threads at the top.
    But the first question is, was the car park managed by a private parking company or a local council.  If the former, then you can just ignore any correspondence as long as you haven't named the driver.  If the latter then you are free to contest the charge, but you cannot simply ignore it.
  • This was manage by a private company.  
  • CliveOfIndia
    CliveOfIndia Posts: 2,501 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper
    edited 22 January at 3:59PM
    OK, so what's the timeline here?  Did you reply to any of the correspondence you initially received back in 2023?  How many letters have you received from them in total?
    As a general rule of thumb, as long as you haven't identified the driver then you can safely ignore pretty much everything you get from private parking companies.  Eventually they give up and go away.  (Obviously this applies to Scotland only).
    Oh, and don't be frightened by the word Bailiffs - a bailiff can only be appointed by a court.  These are just debt collectors who, in parking cases such as this, are pretty much toothless.
    If, however, you've named the driver at any point then you need to tread a little more carefully - again, all the information you need is over on the Parking forum.
  • Fruitcake
    Fruitcake Posts: 59,462 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    This thread is now on the Parking Forum.

    As per the excellent advice already given by @CliveOfIndia, you are pretty safe in Scotland (at the moment) even if you have blabbed about the driver's identity.

    In Scotland (and NI), a vehicle keeper cannot be held liable for a parking charge notice from an unregulated private parking company. This is why the current advice is not to reveal the driver's identity anywhere in the UK.

    The driver can be held liable, but an unregulated private parking company will not take this to court in Scotland because they cannot claim expenses for anything less than £300. It is not economically viable for a PPC to take a motorist to court in Scotland for an individual ticket because they would lose money.

    Plan A is always a complaint from the keeper to the landowner and the keeper's MP. In Scotland, Plan B is to ignore.

    Do be warned that that this will change soon, probably this year, when keeper liability will be introduced as a result of action by the former Scottish Dear Leader. Despite saying she wanted independence from the rest of the UK, she introduced a law from south of the border that will allow a person who was not in the vehicle at the time of an alleged parking event to be held liable.

    Please sign the petition below to get the mandatory parking code of practice introduced to support the 2019 parking bill, and ask all your friends and family to do the same.
    Getting MPs involved is the only way the unregulated private parking industry will ever be brought under control.

    Parked in a disabled Bay, no ticket - Page 3 — MoneySavingExpert Forum

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