BW Legal - £1020 for 6 PCNs at Student Accommodation - Please Help

tango_alpha_charlie

Hi everyone,

I’m really sorry for creating a new thread - I’ve looked through the Newbies thread but couldn’t quite find advice that matches my situation.

My case is a bit unusual. I was living in university halls and my tenancy there ended on 29th June 2024. I then moved into a private student accommodation from 27th June to 3rd August (just over a month for the summer break), before returning to university halls after that.

During my stay at the private accommodation, I parked where the other cars in the attached photos are - directly in front of the student block. There were no marked bays, no visible signs at the entrance, and the only signs inside said “No unauthorised parking.” I genuinely believed I was authorised to park there since I was a resident and accessing my accommodation.

I even checked with the accommodation reception and they told me I could park there. They did mention that I might get a notice, but that I should ignore it. I trusted their advice. The more detailed signs (with charges etc.) were across the road near another property, not on the student accommodation side.

Unfortunately, when I returned to university halls (where my car is registered), I found a number of PCNs from Premier Park in my mailbox. At that point, the £50 discounted rate had expired, and I had no idea how many PCNs were still to come. Eventually, letters started arriving from Debt Recovery Plus, and based on advice here, I ignored them.

Now things have escalated. I've received two letters from BW Legal, one being a Letter of Claim under the Pre-Action Protocol. They are claiming £1020 for 6 PCNs, each listed as £170.

This is beyond stressful. I'm a student - that figure is more than the value of my car, and I also need to pay for rent, food, and living expenses. They’ve offered to set up a payment plan at £75/month, but even then, £1020 feels like a complete scam for simply parking outside the building I lived in, without proper signage or warning.

To make matters worse, two of the PCNs were likely from the day I was moving in and out, with my belongings in the car.

I've attached the photos and would really appreciate your guidance:

• Should I set up the payment plan just to get some peace?

• Or is there any point in defending this in court, considering the poor signage and misleading advice from the building reception?

• Could I argue that the signs were inadequate or that I believed I had reasonable authority to park as a resident?

Thank you all so much in advance - I’m genuinely overwhelmed and could really use your help navigating this.

Warm regards(Image removed by Forum Team)
(Image removed by Forum Team)

Coupon-mad

To answer your questions:

No!
Yes!
Yes!

Send the usual reply for LBC stage.

Come back when you get a claim form. Are all the letters now going to your correct address? You can't risk missing the Claim form, which will be dead easy to defend.

tango_alpha_charlie

Coupon-mad said:

To answer your questions:

No!
Yes!
Yes!

Send the usual reply for LBC stage.

Come back when you get a claim form. Are all the letters now going to your correct address? You can't risk missing the Claim form, which will be dead easy to defend.

Thank you so much for your comment - I really appreciate it. I’m honestly quite scared about the exaggerated £1020 they're asking for. I’m still receiving mail at my current address, but I’ll be moving out by the end of June, so if it’s not resolved by then, should I send BW Legal an update with my new address via email or by post?

Also, just to double-check - the LBC stage you mentioned, is it the one described in the Newbies thread where it says “DO NOT SEND A LETTER.” I am not sure if it means I shouldn't, but if I should is it this one:

"Dear Sirs,
Your Ref. ############
Proposed Legal Proceedings
Claimant: xxxxxx xxxxxxxx Ltd

I refer to your your letter of claim.
I confirm that my address for service for the time being - assuming you don't faff about and delay any claim - is as follows, and any older address must be erased from your records:
[Correct address here]
The alleged debt is disputed and any court proceedings will be vigorously defended.
I am sourcing and seeking independent debt advice and as such, I formally request that this matter be put on hold for an additional 30 days, in accordance with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims 2017 ('the PAP').
I note that the amount being claimed has increased by a hugely exaggerated amount which the Government called "extorting money from motorists".
Don't send me your usual blather about that.
I have two questions, and under the PAP I am entitled to specific answers:
1. Am I to understand that the additional £70 represents what you lot dress up as a 'Debt Recovery' fee, and if so, is this nett or inclusive of VAT? If the latter, would you kindly explain why I am being asked to pay the operator’s VAT?
2. With regard to the principal alleged PCN sum: Is this damages, or will it be pleaded as consideration for parking?
Yours faithfully"

I was a bit unsure about that wording - should I stick with the strong tone exactly as it is, or is it better to make it a bit more respectful and less confrontational? Also, it says I refer to your letter of claim, but I haven't received one and they have given me time until 30th of April. 

Lastly, I really hope you'll be able to guide me when the claim form arrives, if it does. I'm nervous because £1020 is a huge amount for me - more than my car is even worth - and I just hope a judge would see this for what it is. It feels like I’m being financially punished for living in student accommodation with unclear signage and bad advice from reception.

Thanks again for your support. It honestly helps so much 🙏

Coupon-mad

is it better to make it a bit more respectful and less confrontational?

Absolutely not. Scam industry.

Yes email that but change it to say that the current address is only a student address and will not be good for service after May 2025.

DO NOT MOVE HOUSE WITHOUT TELLING THEM.

...and yes we will help you defend.

tango_alpha_charlie

Coupon-mad said:

is it better to make it a bit more respectful and less confrontational?

Absolutely not. Scam industry.

Yes email that but change it to say that the current address is only a student address and will not be good for service after May 2025.

DO NOT MOVE HOUSE WITHOUT TELLING THEM.

...and yes we will help you defend.

Quick follow-up - I sent my PAP response to disputeresolution@bwlegal.co.uk (no bounce-back so far), but I’ve noticed they now say all correspondence has to go through their Customer Contact Portal.

Has anyone here recently had success just emailing them? Or should I re-submit everything via the portal to be on the safe side? Just want to make sure they can’t claim I didn’t respond properly under the PAP.

Grateful for any advice - cheers!

Coupon-mad

Either or both is fine.

ChirpyChicken

It doesn't matter if you reply or not. Makes no difference in cases of this nature
Do you know the address your moving out to(ie parents) if so update the address on the portal. Or do it on live chat and then check the portal. Sometimes they ask for proof via the portal but don't via live chat
It ***wont*** be resolved without a court claim. Which could take up to around 6 months depending on where you live

Coupon-mad

Yep the vital thing is to have the claim form come to your correct address and to tell your parents NOT TO PAY IT IN A PANIC.

NOBODY in your household must pay it (literally ban them) but if you have Summer holiday booked you must get your post opened EVERY WEEK by a trusted person who won't be a wally and will simply email you a copy of any Claim Form.

You are going to defend it. Dead easy. No CCJ is risked by doing what we do every day.

tango_alpha_charlie

@Coupon-mad @ChirpyChicken

Hey both,

Just wanted to say thank you again to all of you for your support and advice so far - it really has meant a lot.

Looking back at the LoC (photos above), I’m honestly ashamed to say I didn’t follow through in time. The 30-day deadline from April 30th has passed, and with everything going on - exams, stress, just life - I missed it. I know I should’ve acted sooner, and I can’t believe I let it slip.

Right now, I feel defeated. I'm thinking of just giving in to their bullying and starting the installments. I know it’s what they want, but the thought of fighting this any further is exhausting. I feel like I’ve already lost.

I’m also an international student, and the fear of what a CCJ could mean for my future - jobs, visas, everything - is honestly paralysing. £1,020 feels like such a huge weight for something that never felt wrong at the time. It feels like I’m being punished for just being a student trying to get by.

I know this world isn’t always fair - but this feels deeply unfair. I just wanted to ask, one last time, if there’s still any point holding on - or if I should just pay and let go.

Thank you all again for being here. It means more than I can say.

QrizB

tango_alpha_charlie said:

Looking back at the LoC (photos above), I’m honestly ashamed to say I didn’t follow through in time. The 30-day deadline from April 30th has passed, and with everything going on - exams, stress, just life - I missed it. I know I should’ve acted sooner, and I can’t believe I let it slip.

Do not pay them. You want them to take you to court.

tango_alpha_charlie said:

I’m also an international student, and the fear of what a CCJ could mean for my future - jobs, visas, everything - is honestly paralysing. £1,020 feels like such a huge weight for something that never felt wrong at the time. It feels like I’m being punished for just being a student trying to get by.

If they take you to court, so long as you defend your case the absolute worst case outcome is that you pay them much less than £1020.

Quite possibly you won't have to pay them a penny.

tango_alpha_charlie said:

I just wanted to ask, one last time, if there’s still any point holding on - or if I should just pay and let go.

I'm not Chirpy Chicken or Coupon Mad (they're probably in bed asleep, or out smashing ANPR cameras, or something) but yes there's everything to gain by holding on. This forum is full of excellent examples of people who have won their cases (and there's an entire thread of cases that never even got to court because the legal firms gave up).

Don't pay!

pustit

Why have you come to a Money Saving Expert forum, received expert advice, and now plan to pay.