If the rental company sends you a letter without the date, time and place of the offence, it is not the municipal police’s fine notice: do not pay and ask for the real one.
A letter that looks like a fine notice, but is not
In our work we have often seen a practice by rental companies that we consider not very transparent: the customer does not receive the real fine notice, the one issued by the municipal police, but a letter from the rental company that looks like one. At first sight it seems the same thing. It is not.
How to spot it
You notice it from what is missing. A letter of this kind leaves out exactly the information the customer and the garage need to reconstruct what happened: the date of the event, the time and the place of the offence. The real fine notice includes them; if the sheet in your hand does not, you are not reading the municipal police’s fine notice.
Why it is a problem
Without date, time and place the garage cannot work out the cause of the event, and so cannot help you have the fine cancelled. But the greater harm is to you: without a real notice to challenge, and with the essential details omitted, you find yourself answering for a Highway Code penalty without knowing what you are accused of and without being able to exercise your right of defence. It is a cornerstone of our legal system, and it matters even more with acts of public authorities, which are sometimes issued even when the conditions for them are not met: that is why being able to challenge them is essential.
What to do
Do not pay on the basis of a letter that does not tell you what happened, where and when. Ask to receive the real fine notice, with the date, time and place of the offence, and remember that the appeal is filed against the notice addressed to you, within 60 days of its notification. As soon as you have it, contact the garage with your parking ticket: with those details the events can be reconstructed and the appeal prepared. How the fine passes from the rental company to you is explained in the rental car guide, and how to file the appeal in the guide to appealing to the Prefect.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if it is a real fine notice?
The real notice, issued by the municipal police, shows the date of the event, the time and the place of the offence. If they are missing, it is a rental company letter and not the fine notice.
Should I pay the rental company letter?
No, not on the basis of a letter that does not tell you what happened, where and when.
Why is a missing date, time and place a problem?
The garage cannot work out the cause of the event and you do not know what you are accused of, so you cannot exercise your right of defence.
When is the appeal filed?
Against the notice addressed to you, within 60 days of its notification.
Official information
Check current access rules, transport and attraction information for your travel date.