UKPC parking charge: how to appeal

Who UK Parking Control (UKPC) is

• Member of the British Parking Association (BPA), so the independent appeal is to POPLA.
• Private car parks across the UK, including retail parks and restaurants.

The trade body can change, so check the name of the appeals service printed on your own notice or rejection letter.

How to appeal

1. Use the appeal details printed on your notice. Appeal within 28 days, in writing, and keep a copy.
2. If UKPC rejects your appeal, its letter should give you a POPLA verification code. You then have 28 days to appeal to POPLA.

Appealing to POPLA is free, and UK Parking Control (UKPC) has to accept the decision. If you were the registered keeper, you don't have to say who was driving.

Worth knowing about UK Parking Control (UKPC)

If you got a ticket on your windscreen, a different timetable applies before they can write to the registered keeper. A notice to keeper can't be sent until 28 days after the windscreen ticket, and must arrive within 56 days of it.

Check the notice before you appeal

• The 14-day rule: a posted notice for camera parking has to reach the keeper within 14 days, or only the driver can be pursued.
• Whether it contains the wording the law requires to make the keeper liable.
• Grace periods: time to read the signs, and time to leave after your parking ends.
• Whether the signs were clear and visible, and whether you can show you paid.
• Whether it's really a private charge. A Penalty Charge Notice from a council or TfL follows different rules.

Our free check looks at all of these. See also how to appeal a private parking charge.