Got a parking letter? Find out what it means — and your exact deadline.

It's your choice. A private parking charge is not a criminal fine: it's a claim for money by a private company, and it won't give you a criminal record. You can appeal for free first. If you'd rather not deal with it, paying the reduced amount (usually within 14 days) is the cheapest option. Whatever you choose, never ignore a letter from a law firm or the court.

In England and Wales, if no ticket was put on the car, the first letter to the registered keeper (the notice to keeper) must be delivered within 14 days, counting from the day after you parked. A posted letter counts as delivered 2 working days after the date on it. If your parking fine arrived late, the company may not be able to make the keeper pay (Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4). This rule doesn't apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland.

If your parking appeal was rejected, you can usually appeal to an independent service for free. Companies in the British Parking Association use POPLA: you have 28 days from the rejection, and your letter has a 10-digit POPLA code. Companies in the International Parking Community use the IAS: we use 21 days to be safe, although some sources now say 28. Put all your points in at the start.

No. A parking debt collector letter is only a letter. Debt collectors can't take your things or send bailiffs. Only a court can order you to pay. Keep every letter and watch for a Letter of Claim — that one needs a reply.

A Letter of Claim (also called a letter before claim) usually comes from a law firm before court action. Reply within 30 days of the date on the letter, as the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims expects. Say whether you dispute it and ask for their evidence. If you dispute the claim, you don't have to fill in their reply form or financial statement.

Respond by the date printed on the claim form — that always comes first. As a guide, the form counts as served 5 days after the issue date. You then have 14 days to do the acknowledgment of service online, which gives you 28 days from service to send your defence. Send things at least 3 days early, and make sure everything in your defence is true.

If a court claim isn't answered in time, the parking company can ask for a default judgment. That is a County Court Judgment (CCJ). If you pay in full within one month of the judgment date, it is not added to the public register. If you never received the claim form, or you sent a defence on time, ask the court about setting the judgment aside (form N244) straight away.

No. You don't have to tell the parking company who was driving. But never say anything untrue. If this goes to court, you must answer the judge truthfully.

Yes. The industry Code of Practice requires a grace period of at least 10 minutes after the time you paid for or were allowed (for stays longer than 30 minutes), and at least 5 minutes on arrival to read the signs and decide whether to stay.

The law makes the keeper at the time of parking liable. The DVLA record is only a starting point and can be disproved. Send your sale receipt and any DVLA letter showing the date you sold the car.

For hire and lease cars, the parking company must send a 'Notice to Hirer' with copies of the hire documents before the hirer can be held liable. If the hire company paid the charge and took it from your card with an admin fee, you can ask them to explain the fee and refund you.

Contact the hospital's PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) first and ask them to cancel the charge with their parking company. Send your appointment letter or other proof that you were a patient or visitor.

No. Parking Help is free self-help information, not legal advice. For free advice, contact Citizens Advice.

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