Total Parking Solutions parking charge: how to appeal
Updated 23 October 2026 · By the AppealGo team
Short answer
A Total Parking Solutions Parking Charge Notice is an invoice for an alleged breach of contract, not a fine, and only a court can make you pay it. Appeal to Total Parking Solutions within 28 days of the notice, and if it rejects you, to POPLA within 28 days of the rejection — free, and decided on the documents. As a British Parking Association member, Total Parking Solutions must re-offer the discounted rate if your first appeal fails. Keep every receipt and photograph, and never assume the charge is enforceable: the operator must have followed the Protection of Freedoms Act to pursue you as the keeper.
| What it is | An invoice for an alleged breach of contract, not a fine. Only a court can order you to pay. |
|---|---|
| Usual amount | £100 maximum under the sector code, reduced by at least 40% (to £60) if paid within 14 days |
| Appeal to the operator | Within 28 days of the notice |
| Independent appeal | POPLA, within 28 days of the rejection, using the code on the letter; free |
| Discount after a failed appeal | Must be re-offered for 14 days (British Parking Association rule) |
| Notice to Keeper deadline | Delivered within 14 days of a camera-recorded visit, or 28 to 56 days after a windscreen ticket, or the keeper cannot be held liable (England and Wales) |
| Grace periods | At least 10 minutes after the permitted time ends and at least 5 minutes on arrival |
Total Parking Solutions (TPS) is a private parking operator, not a public body, so a Total Parking Solutions ticket is a Parking Charge Notice — an invoice for an alleged breach of the contract on the signs — not a Penalty Charge Notice from a council and not a fine. It runs camera-enforced retail parks, supermarkets and leisure sites, and is one of the operators that pursues unpaid charges through the county court, so it is worth appealing on the record early.
The charge is typically £100, reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days. Total Parking Solutions is a British Parking Association member, so a rejected appeal goes to POPLA. Checking whether the charge is worth appealing costs nothing.
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Check my noticeWhere Total Parking Solutions charges go wrong
- Genuine customers of the site. Retailers, restaurants and venues frequently instruct the operator to cancel for customers who have a receipt or booking. Send it to the venue as well as the operator.
- Two visits recorded as one. When an ANPR camera misses a read, a morning and an evening visit become one long stay. Receipts, bank statements and loyalty records from both visits are strong evidence.
- Grace periods. The sector code requires a 10-minute grace period after the paid or free time ends, and a consideration period of at least five minutes on arrival. A short overstay is often inside the grace period once it is applied.
- Signs that do not form a contract. An entrance sign missing, unlit at night, too high to read, or terms that are unclear or contradictory. If the terms were not adequately brought to your attention, no contract was formed.
- Late or defective Notice to Keeper. Check the date of the parking event against the date on the notice, and the wording against Schedule 4.
To hold the registered keeper liable rather than the driver, the operator must comply with Schedule 4 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012: a camera-issued Notice to Keeper must be delivered within 14 days of the parking event, and a windscreen ticket must be followed by a Notice to Keeper between 28 and 56 days later, with the prescribed wording. If it misses any of this, it can only pursue the driver, and you are never obliged to say who that was. Keeper liability does not apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
How to appeal a Total Parking Solutions charge
- Appeal to Total Parking Solutions within 28 days of the date on the notice, using the appeal link or postal address printed on it. Quote the reference and registration, state your ground, attach your evidence, and do not name the driver unless you choose to.
- If rejected, appeal to POPLA within 28 days. As a British Parking Association member, Total Parking Solutions must give you a ten-digit POPLA verification code on the rejection letter. POPLA decides on the documents; it is free and independent.
- Only a court can make you pay. After the appeals stage the operator may pass the charge to a debt recovery firm and may issue a county court claim. Recovery letters carry no legal force, but a claim form does: respond to it or a default judgment will follow.
British Parking Association rules require the operator to re-offer the discounted amount for 14 days if it rejects your first appeal, so appealing does not cost you the discount.
Common questions
Is a Total Parking Solutions parking charge a fine?
No. Total Parking Solutions is a private company and cannot issue fines. The notice is a claim that you owe money for breaching the terms on the signs. It is only enforceable if a court agrees, which requires the operator to prove a contract was formed and that it followed the Protection of Freedoms Act to pursue the keeper.
Total Parking Solutions is asking who was driving. Do I have to tell them?
No. On private land there is no legal duty to name the driver. If the operator has followed the Protection of Freedoms Act it can hold the registered keeper liable without knowing who drove; if it has not, it cannot pursue the keeper at all. Either way you can appeal as the keeper, put the operator to strict proof, and ask for the independent-appeal code.
What happens if I ignore a Total Parking Solutions charge?
You will get reminder letters, then letters from a debt recovery firm adding fees, and Total Parking Solutions may issue a county court claim. Ignoring a claim form leads to a default judgment and a County Court Judgment on your credit file. Appealing on the record is always better than ignoring: if the charge is defective, say so before it escalates.
Sources
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Check my noticeRelated guides
This guide is general information about UK motoring penalties, not legal advice. Deadlines, amounts and procedures are set by the issuer and the regulations in force, and the notice you were sent is always the authoritative source for your own dates. See our disclaimer.
