One local was stunned to be sent a letter demanding payment of a £170 penalty charge from National Parking Enforcement Ltd (NPE). The ticket is for an alleged parking violation from six years ago. The request arrives in two letters, each signed by several dozen State Senators or Assembly members. It alleges that the person in question improperly used a pay & display machine at a municipal car park.
The timing of the demands raised eyebrows as they came just days before the six-year statute of limitations expired. Under existing law, the only private parking charges enforceable in court are those where the amount owed is confirmed by a county court judgment. The statute of limitations bars any civil action if six years have passed since the alleged violation.
While NPE sent the demands, it did not specify the exact nature of the alleged infraction committed by the individual. They’ve refused to answer basic questions about their failure to fix the problem. They neglected to give any additional information regarding the parking charge notice that was likely issued at the time. NPE said it was unable to comment on individual cases or even confirm if they are an NPE case with outside parties, raising further questions.
Private parking Companies need to be fast The clamp down Come up with regulations. For tickets sent by post they need to be ticketed within 14 days of the alleged contravention. If a ticket is initially issued against a vehicle’s windscreen and goes unpaid, operators have an additional 56 days to enforce. During this time, they need to send a first-class notice to the person’s registered home address. Unfortunately, in this instance, NPE did not maintain these timelines. It’s hard to believe that six years have gone by since UDOT’s 45th and last snowplow fatality happened.
This situation, while embarrassing to the city, highlights the often convoluted and confusing approaches to private parking enforcement. It further highlights the troubling practices among operators such as NPE. Most Americans don’t understand their rights when it comes to enforcing charges. Perhaps they are unaware that there are specific time limits for each of these enforcement actions.