How to appeal an NCP parking charge
National Car Parks (NCP) runs car parks across the UK, and alongside the pay-on-exit barriers they issue Parking Charge Notices for things like overstaying, not paying, or parking outside a bay. The notice may arrive on your windscreen or by post after ANPR. Either way, an NCP PCN is a private contract claim, not a council penalty. NCP is a member of the British Parking Association, which means a charge you dispute can go to the free, independent POPLA service if NCP rejects your appeal. Plenty of these notices are issued on thin grounds, so before you pay, it is worth checking whether the charge actually stands up.
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If NCP pursues you as the registered keeper after a postal notice with no windscreen ticket, they must comply with Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, including serving the Notice to Keeper within 14 days of the day after you parked and with the prescribed wording. Get that wrong and keeper liability fails. The BPA Code of Practice requires signage to be clear, prominent and lit, and provides for a grace period when you enter and before you leave, so a charge for being a few minutes over can be challenged. To be enforceable the charge must reflect a legitimate interest and not be out of all proportion to it, the test from ParkingEye v Beavis, rather than an arbitrary penalty. If a machine was broken, the app would not accept payment, the signs were obscured, or you held a valid ticket or permit, those are solid grounds. Appealing to NCP is free, and so is escalating to POPLA.
Step by step
- 1Do not pay yet and do not volunteer who was driving. Gather evidence: photos of signage and tariff boards, proof of any payment or attempted payment, screenshots of a failed app or card transaction, and notes on any broken machine.
- 2Appeal to NCP within 28 days via their online appeals form or by post, quoting the PCN reference. State your grounds clearly (faulty machine or app, unclear signage, grace period, charge unjustified, PoFA notice defective). Keep copies of everything you send.
- 3If NCP rejects the appeal, they must provide a POPLA code. Submit a free appeal at popla.co.uk within 28 days of the rejection, attach your evidence, and require NCP to prove their case to the independent assessor.
- 4Review the POPLA outcome. If you win, the charge is cancelled and nothing is owed. If you lose, you can decide whether to pay or stand firm, bearing in mind NCP would need a county court claim to enforce, which you could then defend.
What they'll say, and your comeback
“You did not pay for your parking session, so the charge stands.”
Comeback, I attempted to pay and have evidence the machine or app would not accept payment. An operator cannot charge a penalty for a failure of its own equipment. Please review my proof of attempted payment before maintaining this charge.
“You overstayed the time you paid for.”
Comeback, The BPA Code requires a grace period at the end of a session. If I was only minutes over, that falls within the grace period and no charge is due. Please confirm the exact entry and exit times you are relying on.
“The registered keeper is responsible for paying the charge.”
Comeback, Keeper liability only arises with full compliance with Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, including the wording and timing of the Notice to Keeper. Confirm that compliance, because if the notice is defective I am not liable as keeper and the driver has not been named.
FAQ
The machine was broken so I couldn't pay. Does that get me off?
It is one of the strongest grounds. If you tried to pay and the machine or app failed, keep any evidence such as a photo of the fault or a screenshot of the failed transaction. An operator cannot fairly penalise you for its own equipment not working, and POPLA regularly cancels charges on this basis.
Is an NCP windscreen ticket different from a posted one?
The route is the same but the PoFA rules differ. A windscreen ticket is a notice to the driver, while a posted Notice to Keeper is how NCP tries to make the keeper liable, and any notice relied on must meet the strict PoFA wording and timing. Either way you appeal to NCP first and can escalate to POPLA for free.
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A self-serve tool, not a law firm. General information, not legal advice.