Major Keying Error — Mitigation £20 Cap

Where a driver paid for parking but made a 'major' keying error — letters wrong or missing, characters swapped, or the wrong registration entered entirely (for example their previous car, or another vehicle from their household) — the Single Code of Practice requires the operator to reduce the charge to £20 for 14 days. That is Annex F, clause F.3, case type (a), and it is mandatory for BPA and IPC members. Four conditions come with it: you must supply appropriate evidence (your proof of payment); it must be the first charge issued to that vehicle for that contravention; you must pay within the 14 days; and you must NOT have lodged an independent appeal. That last point matters — taking the case to POPLA or the IAS forfeits the £20 reduction under the Code's own wording, so decide which route you want before you appeal.

Legal basis

Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice v1.1 (17 February 2025), Annex F clause F.3 — the charge must be reduced to £20 for 14 days where the operator recognises a listed mitigating case type; case type (a) is a major keying error when registering the vehicle. F.3 attaches four conditions: appropriate evidence; the first parking charge issued to that vehicle for that contravention; payment made within 14 days; and no independent appeal lodged.

How to identify this in your case

Driver paid for the correct duration but the entered VRM has more than minor differences.

Sample appeal wording

Before you send this

Deadline. A late submission can be turned down without your argument being read. Check your notice for the deadline and how it is counted.
Paying may end it. Paying can count as accepting the notice and can close a challenge already under way. Part-paying or acknowledging an old debt can also revive a time limit that had expired.
The amount can change. Check what happens to the sum if you challenge — it may be held, re-offered lower, or keep rising, and fees or enforcement can continue meanwhile.
Use the official route. Use the method, recipient and form your notice specifies, with any reference, evidence and signature it asks for. Sent elsewhere, it may not count.
Only say what is true. Do not copy any statement of fact unless it is true for you, and check the legal point still applies. Delete what does not fit. It may be treated as your statement.
Careful what you volunteer. Avoid unnecessary admissions — naming the driver or accepting responsibility can remove arguments. But answer anything you are legally required to answer, and do include the evidence your ground needs.
Keep the record. Keep what you sent, the attachments, any receipt, and the reply. Note the next deadline.

Sample wording to adapt and send yourself — it may not fit your notice or the stage you are at. Replace the bracketed prompts with your own details; leave any case citation as it is.

Dear [Operator Name], Re: PCN [PCN_NUMBER] — Vehicle [VRM] I paid for my parking session in full. Receipt: [RECEIPT_NUMBER] for [DURATION] from [START] to [END]. Due to a keying error, the registration entered was [ENTERED_VRM] rather than my correct registration [CORRECT_VRM] (proof of vehicle ownership attached). Under Annex F, clause F.3, case type (a) of the Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice v1.1 (17 February 2025), a major keying error when registering the vehicle — letters wrong or missing, characters swapped, or the wrong registration entered is a mitigating circumstance and the parking charge must be reduced to £20 for a period of 14 days, subject to appropriate evidence. This is the first charge issued to this vehicle for this contravention. Please confirm the reduced amount of £20 and how to pay it. I am ready to pay within 14 days. I note that clause F.3 makes the reduction conditional on no independent appeal being lodged, so I am raising this with you directly rather than with the Appeals Service, and I ask you to deal with it on that basis. If you do not accept that clause F.3 applies, please say so in writing and confirm that my right to appeal to the Appeals Service is preserved in full. Yours faithfully, [Driver Name]

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Sources

Private Parking Sector Single Code of Practice v1.1 (BPA/IPC), in force 17 February 2025 — Annex F, clause F.3, case type (a)
https://www.britishparking.co.uk/write/Documents/AOS/Sector%20Code%20Templates/sectorsingleCodeofPracticeVersion1.1130225.pdf