Parking Charge When I Was Not the Driver

Keeper liability (England and Wales only): under Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 Schedule 4 the operator can only pursue the registered keeper if it follows strict notice rules. A notice to keeper must arrive within 14 days of the parking if no ticket was left on the car, or within a set window after the 28-day period following a ticket left on the car; the keeper then has 28 days to pay before liability arises. source

Hire vehicles: Schedule 4 (para 13) means the operator cannot recover from the hire company if, within 28 days of the keeper notice, it supplies the hire agreement and the hirer's signed acceptance of liability; the operator may then pursue the hirer. source

Scotland and Northern Ireland have no automatic keeper liability for private parking charges, so a keeper who was not driving is not automatically liable there. source

Private parking charge: you can appeal to the operator first, then to POPLA (BPA members) or the Independent Appeals Service (IPC members) for free; while a POPLA appeal is open the operator must not pursue you for payment. source

POPLA appeals must be made within 28 days of the operator rejecting your appeal, using the verification code the operator gives you; you cannot go to POPLA directly. source