Accreditations
Private parking only works when drivers and landowners can trust the operator running the site. That trust should not rest on our word alone, which is why CarParkers is a member of the British Parking Association and operates under its Approved Operator Scheme. Both bring outside scrutiny, a published set of rules, and a route of appeal that does not involve us.
British Parking Association
The British Parking Association (BPA) is an independent body that represents, promotes and influences best practice across the parking sector in the UK and Europe. It is also an Accredited Trade Association recognised by the DVLA, which is what allows its members to request registered keeper details when a parking charge is issued.
Membership is not simply a badge. Members agree to uphold the standards the association sets, and to be answerable to it when a driver says those standards have not been met.
BPA Approved Operator Scheme
The BPA created the Approved Operator Scheme (AOS) in 2007 specifically for organisations that manage and enforce parking on private land. Approved Operators must follow the private parking sector single Code of Practice, written jointly by the BPA and the International Parking Community and based on the Government's Private Parking Code of Practice.
Approval is monitored rather than assumed. The scheme covers:
- Regular audits — operators are audited by their Accredited Trade Association at least once a year, alongside site assessments.
- Registered sites — every location where parking charges are issued has to be registered with the association.
- A named Compliance Officer — one person is accountable for compliance and is registered with the association.
- Complaint investigation — the association investigates complaints from the public once the operator has had its chance to respond.
- Real consequences — breaches carry sanction points, and enough points in a rolling twelve months can mean suspension from the scheme or expulsion from the BPA.
What this means if you receive a Parking Charge
If you believe a Parking Charge is wrong, you can challenge it with us first. If we reject that challenge, you can take it to Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA), the independent adjudicator for BPA members. POPLA is free for motorists, it is not run by us, and we have to accept its decisions.
While POPLA is considering your appeal the charge is frozen, so you are not pressured into paying to make the matter go away.
You can start with our appeal a Parking Charge page, or read the terms and conditions of parking that apply on our sites.
What this means for landowners
Choosing an approved operator means the way your site is run is subject to the same published code and the same external checks. Signage, charge levels, grace periods, appeals and debt recovery all sit inside a framework somebody else audits, which protects your reputation as much as ours.
If you are considering parking management for your land, our management services page explains how we work, and you can start a conversation whenever you are ready.