HX pass International parking community audit

As a member of the International Parking Community (IPC), we are audited on an annual basis to ensure lawful compliance with their Code of Practice. This week we were pleased to have received a green status pass on our audit.

WHO ARE THE IPC

To lawfully issue parking charge notices, all operators must be a member of an Accredited Trade Association. The IPC is one of only two Accredited Trade Associations (ATA) for the parking industry. Being a member of an ATA means we can access vehicle keeper details from the DVLA and so achieving and maintaining the accreditation is of huge importance. The IPC was set up in October 2012 to provide greater clarity and improved standards for protecting the interests of landowners, car park operators and motorists alike, and to reduce the incidence of unfair parking practices and unlawful parking charges.

THE IPC MEMBERSHIP PROCESS

All car parking operators accredited by the IPC must comply with their audit process. The audit criteria covers the following:

• General Practices (such as insurance, data security) - The IPC check that operators have the correct insurance to be able to comply with their code of practice and also ensure they have policies in place to maintain compliance.
• Signs – All signage is audited to ensure that the Terms and Conditions are suitable to form the basis of a contract and to make sure that they are clear, concise, unambiguous and not misleading.
• Controlled Land – All land that an operator enforces parking charges on will be audited. The IPC will confirm that sufficient signage is visible throughout the area so that motorists are informed of the Terms and Conditions. The IPC will also ensure that operators have permission from the Landowner to enforce parking charges on the land.
• Notices - The IPC will audit all notices that an operator would send to either a driver, registered keeper or hirer.
• Complaints - The IPC will check that Operators have an internal complaint register and procedure.
• Self-Ticketers - The IPC will keep a register of all self-ticketers which will include the Controlled Land they are permitted to operate on.

Only when the IPC is satisfied that an operator has met the relevant criteria will they be allowed to access DVLA data. The audit process will be ongoing for every new site/sign/self-ticketer, as well as a full annual audit being carried out for each operator.

HOW DO THE IPC WORK WITH MOTORISTS?

As an additional safeguard to the motorist, The IPC operates the Independent Appeals Service (IAS). The IAS gathers the representations of the parking operator and the motorist before referring them to an independent solicitor or barrister who will then review the parking charge. Adjudicators are not accountable to either The IPC or the operator for their appeal decisions and they have no vested interest in the outcome of the appeal. Motorists who use an operator’s internal appeals processes and have their appeal rejected can then use the Independent Appeals Service (IAS), free of charge.

The process taken to be accredited is stringent and thorough in order to ensure transparency and fairness within the parking industry. As a landowner and/or motorist you can be assured that all ATA members are compliant, lawful and strictly practice to the industry standard they set out.

If our friendly team of experts can advise you or for more information on the services we provide, please get in touch with our sales team on 03330 066 316 or alternatively you can email sales@hx-pcn.com.

More information can also be found on our website: https://hx-pcn-com