DCB legal, claim form, NS1SDT

LewisLitt

Hi everyone, I received the DCB legal claim form, the claimant being GBP management. The claim is for supposedly not displaying a permit in a residential car park, at my sisters address in 2022. I can’t quite recall the specifics. On viewing all the threads regarding this I believe the steps are to: 1) do an AOS. 2) Then a defence later on.

My issue date was the 9th September 2025, which I think I have till midnight today to complete. I have tried to log onto the MCOL websites, using the details on the letter, it is not recognising it. I have searched the claim, its not coming up. I also set up a government gateway. 

What would be the correct steps to take so that I don’t cause any further delays or suffer any negative consequences, any help would be greatly appreciated. 

Gr1pr

Try to log in to the government gateway account,  navigate to MCOL,  put I'm the claim reference number and carefully study the password and input it correctly,  checking characters like 1 and l etc, capitals as well, it's often a character problem where an I or l or 1 are mistaken 

If you cannot manage it, download the AOS form, fill it in and email it to the AOS email address before 8am tomorrow,  marked URGENT  - CLAIM REFERENCE ABC123DEF456 for example 

Le_Kirk

With an issue date of 09/09/25 and providing you complete the AoS after 14/09/25 and before 28/09/25

your defence deadline date is 4.00 p.m. on 13/10/25

As @Gr1pr writes, there is often confusion between lower case (L) l and upper case (i) I and 0 the number and O the letter

LewisLitt

Thank you so much, I've managed to log in, it was the uppercase I. If I don't recall the event due to the length of time it apparently happened, am I meant to tick defend all of this claim, and then use the template when I send my defence. Thanks 

Gr1pr

AOS guidance is in the 2 announcements near the top of the forum,  newbies sticky thread post 2, and defence template thread first post,  please read them 

Yes, you defend all

Then start drafting your defence based on the template defence,  adapting paragraphs 2 & 3 to start with,  then post your altered paragraphs below for critique   ( so no rushing  )

Coupon-mad

LewisLitt said:

Thank you so much, I've managed to log in, it was the uppercase I. If I don't recall the event due to the length of time it apparently happened, am I meant to tick defend all of this claim, and then use the template when I send my defence. Thanks 

Yes but it looks like you've missed the Mazur case thread. Read that and the Bay Sentry thread that has some extra wording to add.

LewisLitt

Hi Guys, I wanted to get a head start with my defence, I was looking through the examples on other threads, to see how for paragraph 2&3  I could adapt it to my situation. I don't recall ever parking at my sisters apartment car park. It would have been to load shopping or heavy loads in and out of the building, as she lives in the city centre on a one way road, with rarely any street parking. 
Just wondering how best to word it.

Any advice greatly received. 

Coupon-mad

Like I said, read the Bay Sentry one or others citing Mazur. Easy to find as they are all posts from this past fortnight, because the case law is only 2 weeks old!

LewisLitt

Thanks for your timely response. I'll look at them tomorrow. 

LewisLitt

Hi Guys,

I hope your well, I wanted to get an early start on my defence, as I am away from 3-10 October. This is my 1st attempt so your advice, and changes would be greatly appreciated. 
For point 8: I don’t know how to reflect the exaggerated fees. The amount claimed is £212, Court fee £35, legal representative costs £50, totalling £297.

IN THE COUNTY COURT

Claim No:

Claimant’s name:

 My Name:

 

DEFENCE

 1. The Defendant denies that the Claimant is entitled to the sum claimed, or any amount at all. The Particulars of Claim are sparse, fail to disclose a cause of action, and do not meet CPR 16.4 requirements.

 2. It is admitted that the Defendant was the registered keeper of vehicle (reg) at the time. The Defendant does not admit to being the driver and puts the Claimant to strict proof. Liability as keeper can only arise under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (POFA), which the Claimant is put to strict proof of compliance with.

 3. The Defendant has no recollection of ever receiving a compliant Parking Charge Notice (PCN). If one was issued, the Claimant is put to strict proof that it was served correctly and in full compliance with POFA Schedule 4.

 4. It is denied that any contract was formed between driver and Claimant. The signage was inadequate in terms of prominence, wording, and positioning. The Claimant is put to strict proof of the signage in place at the material time and of how it was capable of binding a driver.

 5. The location is a residential apartment block (address ). The Defendant was visiting a resident and briefly stopped to deliver items. This is not “parking” within the ordinary meaning. In Jopson v Homeguard Services Ltd (2016) B9GF0A9E, HHJ Harris QC confirmed that brief stopping to unload at residential premises is not parking. That case also confirmed that residential parking cases are distinguishable from ParkingEye v Beavis [2015] UKSC 67.

 6. Further, in Pace v Mr N (Croydon CC, 2016), Link Parking v Ms P (Cardiff CC, 2016), and PCM v Bull (High Wycombe CC, 2016), the courts held that lease/tenancy rights take primacy and cannot be fettered by a third-party parking firm. The Defendant’s right to stop at the premises to visit a resident is not extinguished by the Claimant’s signage.

 7. The Claimant has no proprietary interest in the land and is put to strict proof of standing to issue charges or pursue claims in its own name.

8. The sum claimed is exaggerated. The alleged £297 charge has been inflated by an additional £70, described vaguely as “damages” or “costs”. In Excel v Wilkinson (Bradford CC, 2020), HHJ Jackson struck out such sums as an abuse of process. The Defendant invites the Court to similarly disallow the false add-ons.

 9. The Defendant also relies on Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP (2025), where the High Court confirmed that only authorised persons may conduct litigation under the Legal Services Act 2007. The Defendant puts the Claimant to strict proof that this claim was signed and issued by an authorised individual. If not, the claim is improperly constituted.

 10. For the reasons set out, the Defendant denies liability in full and invites the Court to dismiss the claim.

 

 Statement of Truth

 The Defendant believes that the facts stated in this Defence are true.

 Signed: ____________________

Name: 

Date:

 

Gr1pr

Post a redacted picture of the POC from the lower left of the claim form below after hiding the VRM details first 

If the claim is for a single pcn,  then no pcn can be more than £100, so not £170 and not a higher figure either,  a typical claim for a single pcn is around £212