Unpaid Penalty Charge Notices

If you’ve received a penalty charge notice (PCN), you should pay or challenge the PCN as soon as you can.

• If you ignore a PCN and any Notice to Owner or Enforcement Notice (for bus lane contraventions) that follows it, the charge will increase by 50% and you will be issued with a Charge Certificate.
• If you don’t pay the increased charge within 14 days, the amount you owe will be registered as a debt at the Traffic and Enforcement Centre (TEC).
• If the PCN remains unpaid for 21 days following the registration of the debt, a Warrant of Control (previously known as a Warrant of Execution) will be issued.
• The case will then be passed to an enforcement agent (previously known as a bailiff) to recover what you owe.

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Vulnerable residents

Haringey Council makes special efforts to be sensitive to our vulnerable residents. 

Vulnerable people are defined as:

• those suffering from a mental disability
• the long-term sick or those suffering from serious illness
• people who are deaf or blind, or have limited sight or hearing
• those suffering from domestic violence, sexual or racial harassment
• pensioners aged 75 years or over
• those who have suffered a recent bereavement in the family or in the household
• those whose financial circumstances have changed within the last 3 months, for example, if they have become unemployed

Contacting an enforcement agent

Part 3 of the Tribunal, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 requires that enforcement agents (formerly known as bailiffs) are trained to identify vulnerable debtors and can deal with these situations appropriately.

If you've been contacted by an enforcement agent and you fall into one of the categories above, please contact the agent named on the Warrant of Control that you receive (previously known as Warrant of Execution).

You can find the numbers below:

• CDER: 0330 1070 023
• Equita: 0844 561 8807
• Confero Collections Ltd: 020 8661 4477

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PCN debt recovery timeline and fees

Compliance

Once the enforcement agent receives details of the unpaid PCN, they will write to you or visit you within 14 whole days to serve a Notice of Enforcement. This notice advises you of the outstanding debt plus any additional fees.

Following the delivery of this notice, if an Out of Time Witness Statement or statutory declaration is not made or the debt remains unpaid, the case will then progress to the enforcement stage.

(An Out of Time Witness Statement or statutory declaration is an application to the Traffic Enforcement Centre to make a witness statement outside of normal timelines.)

Enforcement

This stage involves an enforcement agent visiting you to recover the money owed, plus additional fees incurred.

They can seize most possessions, other than items that would put someone in hardship, such as heating or cooking equipment.

Please note the fee of £235 is payable from the first time an enforcement agent visits your premises.

Sale

This stage involves the selling of your goods in order to pay the outstanding debt, plus any additional fees incurred.

The enforcement agent has a duty to:

• sell your vehicle for the best price
• have a duty of care when removing your vehicle
• wait 7 clear days before the sale of the vehicle, from when it was removed

Enforcement agent fees

The fees that an enforcement agent can charge when enforcing a Warrant of Control, in relation to an unpaid penalty charge notice, are outlined under the Taking Control of Goods (Fees) Regulations 2014.

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Quick links

• Pay a Penalty Charge Notice
• Parking Permits
• Visitor Permits
• Controlled Parking Zones
• Bank holiday parking
• Estate parking