Why timing decides everything
When a private parking company does not know who was driving, it goes after the registered keeper instead. It can only do that by following Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 to the letter.
The most common place operators slip is the deadline for the Notice to Keeper. There are two different deadlines, and which one applies depends on a single question: was there a ticket on your windscreen?
Camera-only: 14 days
If the first thing you heard about the charge was a letter through the door, the Notice to Keeper must be given within 14 days after the day the parking period ended (POFA Schedule 4, paragraph 9(4) to (5)). This is a strict deadline.
Windscreen ticket: day 29 to 56
If a notice was placed on the vehicle at the time, the Notice to Keeper must be given no earlier than 28 days and no later than 56 days after the date of that windscreen notice (POFA Schedule 4, paragraph 8(4) to (5)). Note that this runs from the notice on the car, not from the parking event.
How to check your case
- Establish which situation you are in: windscreen ticket, or first notice by post?
- Find the key dates. The date the parking period ended (or the date on the windscreen notice), and the date on the Notice to Keeper. Keep the envelope if you still have it.
- Count the days. Camera-only: is the notice dated more than 14 days after the parking period ended? Windscreen: did it arrive before day 29, or after day 56?
- If it falls outside the window, the operator has not met the POFA requirements to pursue you as keeper.
What to do next
You do not need a solicitor. You need to state the defect clearly, cite the right paragraph of POFA, and put the operator to proof, in writing, before any deadline on your charge.
Notice to Keeper Timing Template
A ready-to-edit appeal letter citing POFA 2012 Schedule 4, built for exactly this defect. Fill in your dates and send.
If the timing was fine but something else looks wrong, the wider picture is in the POFA 2012 Schedule 4 guide and the private parking challenge guide. If your appeal has already been rejected, see how to appeal to POPLA.
The letter for this
POFA 2012: Notice to Keeper Timing Failure
Written for this specific ground, with the law cited and the evidence demands built in. Complete the placeholders and send it.
Included free with the letter
- The Notice Arrived Too Late
Frequently asked questions
How long does a parking company have to send a Notice to Keeper?
It depends on how the charge started. If the first thing you received was a letter (camera-only enforcement), the Notice to Keeper must be given within 14 days after the day the parking period ended, under POFA 2012 Schedule 4 paragraph 9. If a ticket was put on your windscreen at the time, the Notice to Keeper must arrive no earlier than 28 days and no later than 56 days after the date of that windscreen notice, under paragraph 8.
What happens if the Notice to Keeper was late?
The operator loses the ability to hold you liable as the registered keeper. POFA Schedule 4 is the only route by which a private operator can pursue a keeper who was not the driver, and it only works if every requirement is met, timing included.
Does a late notice cancel the charge completely?
Not automatically. A late notice defeats keeper liability, not the underlying claim against whoever was actually driving. In practice, where the operator does not know who was driving and cannot rely on keeper liability, it usually has no enforceable claim against you.
Should I tell them I was not the driver?
Be careful. You are not obliged to identify the driver to a private parking company, and volunteering that information can hand the operator the very thing it lacks. The stronger approach is to put the operator to proof that it met the POFA deadline.
Which date do I count from?
For camera-only cases, count from the day the parking period ended. For windscreen cases, count from the date on the notice left on the vehicle, not from the parking event itself. Keep the envelope if you still have it: the postmark can matter.
Source: Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4, paragraphs 8 and 9 (legislation.gov.uk). Last checked 18 July 2026. Time limits and codes of practice can change: check the current position before acting.