CN appeal to adjudicator – bought car after PCN date, need final sanity check

janss1234

Hi everyone,

I’m in the middle of appealing a council PCN and it has now reached the adjudicator stage. I just want a final sense check before I submit my appeal.

Key facts / timeline

• PCN date: 05/03/2026
• I paid for the vehicle: 07/03/2026 (bank transfer proof available)
• DVLA keeper update processed: 11/04/2026
• DVLA Subject Access Request shows transaction timestamp on 11/04/2026

My situation

I bought the vehicle via Facebook Marketplace. The important point is that I did not acquire or pay for the car until 07/03/2026, which is after the PCN was issued.

The council are basically arguing that DVLA shows me as the registered keeper, so I am liable, and they have been asking for details of the previous keeper (which I don’t have because it was a private Facebook sale).

However, my understanding is that liability depends on whether I was actually the keeper/owner at the time of the contravention, not just when DVLA processed the transfer.

Evidence I have

• Bank transfer showing payment for the vehicle on 07/03/2026
• Facebook Marketplace messages showing the place to meet and an image of the car
• DVLA confirmation email (11/04/2026)
• DVLA SAR showing transaction timestamp (11/04/2026)
• PCN dated 05/03/2026

My argument

My position is simply:
I could not have been the keeper or owner on 05/03/2026 because I did not acquire the vehicle until 07/03/2026.

The DVLA record only reflects when the transfer was processed, not ownership at the time of the alleged contravention.

What I’m asking

Does this sound like a strong appeal to an adjudicator?

Is there any templates I could use to make an appeal to this?

I’m mainly worried the council will just rely on DVLA records and ignore the fact the purchase happened after the PCN. I have appealed this PCN twice with the evidence I have and both times it got rejected.

Thanks in advance.

Gr1pr

If thus is definitely a council matter, I strongly recommend that you post your query over on the FTLA parking forum website after reading their posting requirements first, that is where these experts go, not necessarily here on MSE

Car1980

The keeper is liable, not the owner. The owner may or may not be the keeper.

So just be careful because you can be the keeper of a car you haven't bought yet, so that may not be a defence.

But you can certainly catagorically state that you were NOT the keeper until the previous keeper posted off the V5 on x date - which is evidenced by xyz.

Just don't fall into the trap of them saying your proof may show ownership, but it's when you became keeper that is important.

I had this with a speeding ticket. Screenshots and Facebook conversations were good enough for the police, even though I only knew his name and not his address.

Coupon-mad

Post on FTLA forum, for expert advice.