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Answers to the questions people ask most. If yours isn't here, contact us.

Before you start

Which letters can you help with?

Private parking charges, council penalty charge notices (including camera, bus lane and moving traffic fines), and debt collector or letter-before-claim letters about a parking charge, until a court claim is issued. Motoring notices such as speeding are coming soon.

Which letters can't you help with?

Court claims, court summonses, Single Justice Procedure notices, bailiff or enforcement letters, other debts, and anything outside England and Wales. If you send us one of these, we tell you straight away, show you the deadline and point you to free help. We don't charge you.

How much does it cost?

£29 for a parking charge or council PCN. You see the price before you give us your email address, and nothing is added later.

Is it free to check my letter?

Yes. Sending us your letter and seeing what it is, the date that matters and your options costs nothing. You only pay if you ask us to take the case on.

Do I need an account?

Not to check a letter. To go ahead, you sign in with your email address: we email you a 6-digit code, and there's no password.

What if you can't help after I've paid?

If we decline your case, we refund you in full. If a court claim arrives while we're working, we stop, because we don't handle court claims, and refund you depending on how far the work has gone. The terms set out each stage.

Should I appeal myself instead?

Appealing is free, and you can do it yourself. Our result page says so when that's clearly your best option. We're worth paying for when you'd rather a case manager checks the letter against the rules, writes the challenge and handles the replies.

Words on your letter

Parking charge notice (private)

A demand from a private parking company, such as at a shop or hospital car park, saying the terms on its signs were broken. It isn't a fine from the police or a council: the company says you owe it money under those terms. A ticket left on the windscreen is often called a notice to driver.

Notice to keeper

A letter from a private parking company to the registered keeper of the vehicle, whose address it gets from the DVLA. The registered keeper is the person the DVLA records as keeping the vehicle, who isn't always its owner or the driver. It asks the keeper to pay or to name the driver. Under Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 the keeper can be held responsible if the driver isn't named, but only if the notice follows that law's rules, which is one of the things we check.

Penalty charge notice (PCN) from a council

A civil penalty from a council or Transport for London, for things like parking, bus lanes or moving traffic. It isn't a criminal fine. It usually offers a reduced amount if paid early, and the amount can go up if it's neither paid nor challenged in time. The letter says by when.

Early payment discount

A lower amount if you pay within a set time, shown on the letter. When that time ends, the full amount on the letter applies. Some councils keep the discount open while they consider a challenge made within that time; private companies vary. The letter or the company can confirm.

POPLA and the IAS

Free, independent appeals services for private parking charges. If a company turns down your appeal, its letter says which one it belongs to: POPLA for members of the British Parking Association, the Independent Appeals Service for members of the International Parking Community.

Traffic Penalty Tribunal and London Tribunals

Free, independent adjudicators for council PCNs, once the council has rejected your challenge: London Tribunals in London, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal in the rest of England and in Wales.

Letter before claim

A letter a company sends before it can start a court claim, giving you time to reply. We can still help at this stage, until a court claim is actually issued. A debt collector chasing a parking charge has no special powers: only a court can order you to pay.

Sending your letter

What kind of photo works best?

The whole first page, flat, in good light, with all four corners in the picture. A PDF is fine too. Photos and PDFs up to 10 MB work.

Do you keep my photo?

Only if you go ahead. If you ask us to check it or take your case on, the photo stays with your case so your case manager can read it. Otherwise it's deleted within an hour, and the conversation and details after 24 hours.

What if the details you read are wrong?

You can correct every detail on the next page before you see a price. If we couldn't read the letter at all, you can type the details in yourself.

Your case

What happens after I pay?

A case manager reads your letter and starts on your challenge. We aim to reply to every message within 48 hours, and your case page always shows what's happening and who we're waiting for.

Why do I need to sign letters?

A letter to the company or council is sent in your name, so you check and sign it on your case page first. Nothing is sent without your signature.

Do I still need to watch the deadline?

Yes. The deadline on your letter still applies while we work. We show it on your case page and email you a reminder before it.

A court claim has arrived. What do I do?

Tell us on your case page straight away, and don't ignore the claim. We stop work because we don't handle court claims, and show you where to get free help.

How do I cancel?

From your case page. Before we start work you get all your money back. After that, the refund depends on how far the work has gone. The terms set out each stage.