Vehicle Control Services (VCS) appeal

Before you do anything

Vehicle Control Services (VCS) is a private company, so its notice is a Parking Charge Notice: a claim under contract law, not a council fine. It's listed by the International Parking Community as "Vehicle Control Services Ltd (Trading as Vehicle Control)", which means it must follow the industry's Single Code of Practice, and your second-stage appeal goes to IAS.

• Don't ignore it, and don't pay before you've checked it.
• You can appeal within 28 days. If you do, the rate you had when you appealed must stay available for 14 days after any rejection (Code clause 8.1.1(e)).
• You don't have to say who was driving.

What to check on a VCS notice

1. The dates. If the notice came by post with no windscreen ticket, it must be delivered within 14 days of the day after you parked, counting delivery as two working days after the date it was sent (POFA Sch 4 para 9). Try our free date checker.
2. The wording. A Notice to Keeper must include specific information, such as the period of parking, a keeper-liability warning and the date it was sent.
3. The times. Camera times include driving in and out. The code requires at least a 10-minute grace period and a consideration period of at least 5 minutes.
4. Payment. A small typo in your registration after paying should mean cancellation under the code (Annex F, F.1(h)).
5. The signs. Were the terms clear at the entrance and readable from the car?

If Vehicle Control Services (VCS) rejects your appeal

You can make a standard appeal to the IAS within 28 days of the rejection, free. Standard IAS decisions bind the operator, not you. Read our IAS appeal guide.

How Pushback helps

Our free checker asks a few questions about your Vehicle Control Services (VCS) ticket, does the date maths, and shows which grounds apply, each rated Strong, Possible or Mitigation only. If you want a letter, we build it from vetted paragraphs for £5.99, or £11.99 including your IAS appeal if they say no.

Other IPC members

Smart Parking, Excel Parking, G24.