Private parking – the BPA’s updated Code of Conduct has info you should know about.

The British Parking Association (BPA) has updated its code of conduct. There are a couple of really big changes that could affect you.

Have you ever made a mistake when putting your details in at a Pay and Display point? Find it tricky to pay online without making errors with your car’s registration number? Well, there’s good news. The BPA has set out what they expect from their member organisations.

The BPA’s new Code of Conduct says that if you make a mistake when paying by phone, online or via Pay and Display, you should expect a parking firm to sort things out at the first appeal stage.

The code says that firms may try to charge you a ‘modest’ fee of no more than £20 to cover their costs, but says that it should revert to the charge amount if you appeal.

The other changes revolve around banning “soft ticketing”.

Soft ticketing is now forbidden under the BPA’s code of practice.

Soft ticketing is where a parking firm puts a notice on your vehicle that says to check online or by phone to see if you’ve been ticketed.

If you encounter a BPA member running one of these systems, it’s really important you make a complaint via Resolver and (if necessary) escalate it to the BPA.

They consider these systems to be a serious breach of their Code.

Hope this helps!

Remember to check out our private parking page for more guidance.