Parking FIne in UK - Irish Reg Plates

stuckintheUK

I live in the UK some of the time and in Ireland the rest of the time. My car has an Irish Registration plate.

I got a parking fine in the UK. I was parked in the space that comes with my apartment. I had my tag displayed but I have been told that my air freshner was obscuring it and that the car details were not written on the tag. The fine was issued by a private company. I was really annoyed about this as I actually pay for this parking firm through my contribution to the apartment complex's management company. They don't have my name or address although the do know where I live generally.

Can they trace my car back to Ireland? WOuld the Irish motor tax office pass on my details to them? Are they allowed to do so legally?

ANy advice, greatly appreciated.

Victor

Potentially, the next time they see the vehicle parked there, there will clamp / tow it.

Fred Swanson

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roadsmart

They have no access to your details.

TopTec

Private companies cannot issue parking fines in the UK. They issue invoices dressed up to look like a fixed penalty ticket. Crucially, they can only chase the driver for payment of the invoice.

If you do not engage with them then they cannot establish the driver details. Private companies can and regularly do request owner details from the DVLA which they have to pay for.

I would imagine they would have to write to the equivalent agency here for Irish plate details.

TT

Marcusm

TopTec wrote: »

Private companies cannot issue parking fines in the UK. They issue invoices dressed up to look like a fixed penalty ticket. Crucially, they can only chase the driver for payment of the invoice.

If you do not engage with them then they cannot establish the driver details. Private companies can and regularly do request owner details from the DVLA which they have to pay for.

I would imagine they would have to write to the equivalent agency here for Irish plate details.

TT

Or they could simply ask the landlord, managing agent or letting agent for details of the tenant/occupier. The quid pro quo for outlawing private clamping in the UK was sanctioning reasonable penalties for parking on private land. There are guidelines and they have to have fair policies which might invalidate the penalty where a permit exists.

Fred Swanson

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stuckintheUK

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated.

My landlord is very nice (she works on behalf of a company) and she owes me a favour so she won't pass on my details without my permission.

I am aware that the company cannot clamp or tow themselves as I once rang them to report someone parking in my space.

A number of people have told me that the Irish motor tax office will not hand on information to a private foreign company.

My fear is that the parking company will pass my details to a debt collection agency. I imagine those sort of companies have some very nasty people working for them. Could a debt collection agency simply seize my car without contacting the owner - whom they have no idea of?

TopTec

stuckintheUK wrote: »

Could a debt collection agency simply seize my car without contacting the owner - whom they have no idea of?

The short answer is no they cannot without knowing the identity of the driver at the time and a procedure they have to go through that you would be notified of by a series of letters. Have a look at the CAB website - some excellent advice here.

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/search.htm?query=debt+collectors

As I said before they can only collect the invoiced amount from the driver. If they can't find that out then they cannot take court action. There are scores of old wives tales about these fines and there are an equal amount of websites that can give you advice.

TT

Marcusm

stuckintheUK wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated.

My landlord is very nice (she works on behalf of a company) and she owes me a favour so she won't pass on my details without my permission.

I am aware that the company cannot clamp or tow themselves as I once rang them to report someone parking in my space.

A number of people have told me that the Irish motor tax office will not hand on information to a private foreign company.

My fear is that the parking company will pass my details to a debt collection agency. I imagine those sort of companies have some very nasty people working for them. Could a debt collection agency simply seize my car without contacting the owner - whom they have no idea of?

You'd be much better off looking at relevant UK forums such as parking cowboy or affiliated sites. There is an appeals process which is reasonably regarded and most appeals succeed. Unlike Ireland there is a statutory basis for recovering these charges but equally there is a high burden of proof put on the parking company. ONe of these is that the "fine" cannot exceed the genuine pre estimate of loss from the parking. If you a re parking in a space for which they are not entitled to any rent (because sit comes with the apartment), it is hard to see how the fine could ever be recoverable. IME (living in London) apartment parking is rarely managed in this way - these notices etc are much more for supermarkets. It would not surprise me if it was incapable of being enforced as no general parking charge applies or could apply (as the space is exclusively used by a resident and can never be used by a customer or renter).

Fred Swanson

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Fred Swanson

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stuckintheUK

Many thanks for the replies. I think I am going to ignore the company. In a sense I feel bad at running away from a bully who are clearly in the wrong but I couldn't be bothered going through the process.