Claim / CCJ Support

Court claims process for unpaid Parking Charge Notices (PCNs) – Quick Guide

If you’ve received a parking charge and have not paid or appealed it within the required time, the matter can escalate quickly and turn into a larger debt as you may become liable for additional fees and court costs. Understanding the court claims process can help you to protect your rights, avoid unnecessary legal costs and court fees, and prevent other consequences such as a County Court Judgment (CCJ) being entered against you, which can affect your credit score and ability to obtain credit.

Here’s some important information that you should be aware of:

1. What happens if you don’t pay the parking charge

When a parking charge remains unpaid and you do not lodge an appeal within the given timeframe, the following occurs:

• • After 45 days – the parking charge becomes overdue, and debt recovery fees of up to £70 can be added to the sum outstanding.
  • If you do not pay the parking charge at this debt resolution stage – the parking operator (Civil Enforcement Ltd) will likely commence legal proceedings against you to recover the outstanding sum, increasing your liability for costs and legal fees.

2. Why you might not have seen earlier letters

If you’ve received a final warning, letter before action, court claim, or CCJ without earlier notices, it’s often because:

• • The parking charge and internal reminder letters are sent to the address on the V5 ‘logbook’ of the vehicle’s Registered Keeper – that is the address you have registered with the DVLA as being the ‘Registered Keeper’ address.
  • If you’ve moved and not updated your Registered Keeper details with the DVLA, letters will go to your old address. Even if you’ve updated the address on your driving licence, your Registered Keeper address won’t be updated unless you tell the DVLA.
  • Updating your address with the DVLA is a legal requirement – failing to do so can result in a fine of up to £1,000.

3. If you receive a letter before action or a court claim

Don’t ignore it – responding to the letter before action is optional but recommended. However, you must respond to a court claim within 14 days (or 28 days if you acknowledge it within 14 days). Your options are as follows:

1. 1. Pay in full within 14 days – this will avoid a CCJ being entered against you. Payment can be made online at payments.ce-service.co.uk.
   2. Request to pay in instalments.
   3. Admit part of the debt and dispute the rest.
   4. Defend the claim if you think it’s wrong.

4. If you receive a County Court Judgment (CCJ)

Again, do not ignore correspondence from the court. The timing of your response is very important.

• 1. Pay within one month – the CCJ is removed from the court register and will not appear permanently on your credit file.
  2. Pay after one month – the CCJ will remain on your credit file for six years but will be marked ‘satisfied’.
  3. Can’t pay in full? – apply to the court to vary the terms and pay in monthly instalments.
  4. Think it’s unfair? – apply to have it set aside (cancelled). An application fee applies.

5. Your credit score impact

A CCJ will affect your credit score and ability to obtain credit in the future.

• • An unsatisfied (unpaid) CCJ negatively impacts your credit rating for six years.
  • A satisfied (paid) CCJ is still on the record for six years but won’t impact your credit rating as much as an unsatisfied CCJ.

6. If you’ve already paid

If you believe that you have already paid the PCN:

• • Send proof of payment to Civil Enforcement Ltd so we can investigate your case.
  • We will confirm the status of the parking charge with you once we have reviewed the details.