Frequently Asked Questions

Parking on public roads (and in some other areas which are covered by local bylaws), is usually monitored and enforced by public authorities who are able to issue fines for contraventions.

Parking on private land is different, charges that are imposed by parking operators are usually based in contract (either as damages or consideration) or on the law of trespass.

Because of this, the law surrounding the enforcement of private parking charges is very different to the law that covers parking fines. If you park on land which is privately owned then the land owner or a person acting with their authority may place signs on the land for the attention of those that use it. It is your responsibilty to familiarise yourself with any parking condtions as, by parking your vehicle there, you may be taken as having agreed to those conditions.

The law allows anybody with 'reasonable cause' to do so to apply to the DVLA for the details of the registered keeper of a vehicle. Parking Operators are able to apply for such details in order to recover unpaid parking charges.

The DVLA take their responsibilities very seriously and will only release this information to Parking Operators if they can demonstrate their case for needing it and if they are a member of an Accredited Trade Association.

If you would like to learn more about data release, please visit the DVLA web page by clicking Here.

The Parking Operator may have an internal appeals procedure. Reputable companies, who are members of an ATA, are required to inform people about their appeal procedures at the time that they issue a charge and also about any independent appeals procedures that they have.

Members of the IPC subscribe to the Independent Appeals Sevice (IAS) who will consider the lawfulness of a charge once a person has exhausted their internal procedures. The IAS will not consider grounds of appeal that do not affect the lawfulness of it such as mitigting circumstances.

The IAS is administered by the IPC but the decision as to whether to allow or reject your appeal is made by a completely independent adjudicator who is a current practicing lawyer and who is not allowed to excercise any bias in favour of the morotist or the operator.

If you have had your initial appeal to the operator rejected and been told that you can appeal further, you should visit the Independent Appeals Service.

Neither the IPC nor the IAS is able to provide legal advice to motorists. If you need help you should seek independent legal advice.

If you need a solicitor you can visit the Law Society website which can be found here.

Although the IPC can investigate complaints against its members, it will only do so where you have first complained directly to them.
If you feel a parking operator who is a member of the IPC has breached the Code of Practice, and if you have complained directly to the parking operator and consider that they have not addressed your complaint appropriately, you can then refer the matter to the IPC using the online complaints procedure (giving full reasons for the complaint) by clicking here. Upon receipt, and where appropriate, the IPC will investigate the matter and will take disciplinary action where necessary. The IPC's decision is final in such circumstances

Please note, the IPC will not consider complaints about individual parking charges. If you are aggrieved about receiving  a parking charge then you need to consider appealing against that charge - not making a complaint.
We may refuse to deal with a complaint where it appears to us that you have not raised it as soon as reasonably practicable or where, through some act or omission, you have brought the issue upon yourself.
If you want to APPEAL against a charge, you should visit The IAS.

UNITI is a trading name of United Trade and Industry Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (08248531). Registered Address: 41 Greek Street, Stockport, Cheshire, England, SK3 8AX. This is not a correspondence address.

The following are also trading names; The Independent Appeals Service, The IAS, International Parking Community, Independent Parking Committee, The IPC.

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