Hello,
i have received a before claim letter from Gladstone Solicitors for £ 155 plus 35 court fee and 50 solicitor fee a total of £ 240 to be paid within 30 days of this letter which is dated 19th September 2025.
Some one from family might have parked the car there with a disabled badge visible on dash.
Should i ignore it or shall i need to reply to this.
Can someone please help me.
Thanks
The claim is for £155, likely an £85 Parking Charge Notice (PCN) and a fake added £70 debt recovery fee. If this is the very first you know about this, you should check the V5C registration for the vehicle has the correct up to date address.
For now, the Keeper (the person made in the letter) should respond as follows:
Subject: Response to your Letter of Claim Ref: [reference number]
Dear Sirs,
Your Letter Before Claim contains insufficient detail of the claim and fails to provide copies of the evidence your client places reliance upon, putting it in clear breach of the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims.
As a supposed firm of solicitors, one would expect you to comply with paragraphs 3.1(a)–(d), 5.1 and 5.2 of the Protocol, and paragraphs 6(a) and 6(c) of the Practice Direction. These provisions exist to facilitate informed discussion and proportionate resolution. You may wish to reacquaint yourselves with them.
The Civil Procedure Rules 1998, Pre-Action Conduct and Protocols (Part 3), require the exchange of sufficient information to understand each other’s position. Part 6 clarifies that this includes disclosure of key documents relevant to the issues in dispute.
Your template letter refers to a “contract” yet encloses none. That omission undermines the only foundation upon which your client’s claim allegedly rests. It is not possible to engage in meaningful pre-litigation dialogue while you decline to furnish the very document you purport to enforce.
I confirm that, once I am in receipt of a Letter Before Claim that complies with para 3.1(a), I shall seek advice and submit a formal response within 30 days, as required. Accordingly, please provide:
1. A copy of the original Notice to Keeper (NtK) and any notice chain relied upon to assert PoFA 2012 liability.
2. A copy of the contract you allege exists between your client and the driver, being an actual photograph of the sign(s) in place on the material date (not a stock image), together with a site plan showing the sign locations.
3. The precise wording of the clause(s) allegedly breached.
4. The written agreement between your client and the landowner evidencing standing/authority to enforce and to litigate.
5. A breakdown of the sums claimed, identifying whether the principal sum is claimed as consideration or damages, and whether the £70 “debt recovery” add-on includes VAT.
I am entitled to this information under paragraphs 6(a) and 6(c) of the Practice Direction, and I require it to meet my own obligation under paragraph 6(b).
If you fail to provide the above, I will treat that as non-compliance with the PAPDC and Pre-Action Conduct and will raise a formal complaint to the SRA regarding your conduct. I reserve the right to place this correspondence before the Court and to seek appropriate sanctions and costs (including, where appropriate, a stay and/or other case management orders).
Until your client complies and provides the requested material, I am unable to respond properly to the alleged claim or to consider my position. It would be premature and a waste of costs and court time to issue proceedings. Should you do so, I will seek immediate case management relief pursuant to paragraph 15(b) of the Practice Direction and an order compelling provision of the above.
Please ensure that your and your clients records have the correct address for service and erase any other addresses you may hold for the Keeper. My current address for service is: [Your correct address in full].
Please note, I will not engage with any web portal; I will only respond by email or post.
Yours faithfully,
[Your name]
Thanks b789,
How should I send the reply
Recorded first class.
Or
Email
Email and CC yourself in for a record.
As an aside, if you have to send anything by post, it's generally advised not to send it recorded/signed for. If the recipient refuses the delivery or declines to sign for it, all you are left with is proof that your letter did not arrive. If you send it by regular first class and ask for a free certificate of posting, you enjoy a (rebuttable) presumption of delivery.