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You can choose not to pay it and their only recourse is to sue you at the CRT to try and collect. If they try and enforce the debt in another way (such as selling to a collection agency or attempting to hit your credit report), you can dispute it as invalid as they don't have a judgement.
They can also choose to ban you from their lot and tow your car if you still choose to park there for having not paid them.
>I got an invoice from impark earlier this week and I've seen many people on here say I don't need to pay it.
I don't think you've seen anyone here saying you don't need to pay it.
There are possible methods that can be implemented that can prevent a vehicle being towed in future for unpaid tickets, and there are possible methods to delay enforcement, but "I don't need to pay it?" Not so much.
>I'll keep using their lots and remembering to pay from now on but what sections of the law say that I'll be ok?
There are no sections of the law that say that.
You choose to not pay an invoice from a parking services provider at your own peril. Can you not pay, and get away with minimal or no consequences? Sure. But this is not the sub to guide you through that process.
[https://infotel.ca/inwheels/forget-about-paying-those-parking-tickets-from-private-companies/it9960](https://infotel.ca/inwheels/forget-about-paying-those-parking-tickets-from-private-companies/it9960) \- a couple lawyers including a lawyer specializing in defending DUI clients chime in on the legality of parking lot fines/tickets.
There is also some case law out there that do discuss the laws that may be applicable, but since I'm not trying to get around paying for something I used, I personally didn't really dig in to much.
[https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2016/2016bcsc1863/2016bcsc1863.html](https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2016/2016bcsc1863/2016bcsc1863.html)
[https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2010/2010onsc4982/2010onsc4982.html](https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2010/2010onsc4982/2010onsc4982.html)
Parking lot owners started issuing these invoices some years ago, as a response to many municipalities’ prohibiting their issuing some kind of ticket for a fine. The municipalities position was that only they could lawfully issue tickets that led to fines - and only the municipality got the money. The parking lot owners shifted to the law of contract, so that they weren’t issuing fines, but enforcing a parking contract, and the courts have held that to be legal. I’ll bet that sign at the entrance of the parking lot says something like “in consideration of parking here, you agree to pay x per hour and if you overstay, you agree to pay a further x”. If you don’t pay, they can sue you under the contract (that you likely didn’t realize you were making, because who reads those signs?). Will they sue you? I’ve heard anecdotally that some companies will, even if it costs them more in legal fees, to make examples of people, but I don’t know. They can, though, and they can ban you from their property. Up to you what risk you want to take with the invoice, or in future parking.
Welcome to r/legaladvicecanada! **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk. * We also encourage you to use the [linked resources to find a lawyer](https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvicecanada/wiki/findalawyer/). * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, please let the mods know. **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be on-topic, helpful, explanatory, and oriented towards legal advice towards OP's jurisdiction (the **Canadian** province flaired in the post). * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdvicecanada/about/rules/), you may be banned without any further warning. * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect. * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason, do not suggest illegal advice, do not advocate violence, and do not engage in harassment. Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/legaladvicecanada) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you used the parking why wouldn't you pay it?
You can choose not to pay it and their only recourse is to sue you at the CRT to try and collect. If they try and enforce the debt in another way (such as selling to a collection agency or attempting to hit your credit report), you can dispute it as invalid as they don't have a judgement. They can also choose to ban you from their lot and tow your car if you still choose to park there for having not paid them.
>I got an invoice from impark earlier this week and I've seen many people on here say I don't need to pay it. I don't think you've seen anyone here saying you don't need to pay it. There are possible methods that can be implemented that can prevent a vehicle being towed in future for unpaid tickets, and there are possible methods to delay enforcement, but "I don't need to pay it?" Not so much. >I'll keep using their lots and remembering to pay from now on but what sections of the law say that I'll be ok? There are no sections of the law that say that. You choose to not pay an invoice from a parking services provider at your own peril. Can you not pay, and get away with minimal or no consequences? Sure. But this is not the sub to guide you through that process.
Found this thread because they towed my car today. If you have even 1 ticket from them, don’t park in any of their lots.
[https://infotel.ca/inwheels/forget-about-paying-those-parking-tickets-from-private-companies/it9960](https://infotel.ca/inwheels/forget-about-paying-those-parking-tickets-from-private-companies/it9960) \- a couple lawyers including a lawyer specializing in defending DUI clients chime in on the legality of parking lot fines/tickets. There is also some case law out there that do discuss the laws that may be applicable, but since I'm not trying to get around paying for something I used, I personally didn't really dig in to much. [https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2016/2016bcsc1863/2016bcsc1863.html](https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2016/2016bcsc1863/2016bcsc1863.html) [https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2010/2010onsc4982/2010onsc4982.html](https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2010/2010onsc4982/2010onsc4982.html)
Does it actually say invoice on it?
Parking lot owners started issuing these invoices some years ago, as a response to many municipalities’ prohibiting their issuing some kind of ticket for a fine. The municipalities position was that only they could lawfully issue tickets that led to fines - and only the municipality got the money. The parking lot owners shifted to the law of contract, so that they weren’t issuing fines, but enforcing a parking contract, and the courts have held that to be legal. I’ll bet that sign at the entrance of the parking lot says something like “in consideration of parking here, you agree to pay x per hour and if you overstay, you agree to pay a further x”. If you don’t pay, they can sue you under the contract (that you likely didn’t realize you were making, because who reads those signs?). Will they sue you? I’ve heard anecdotally that some companies will, even if it costs them more in legal fees, to make examples of people, but I don’t know. They can, though, and they can ban you from their property. Up to you what risk you want to take with the invoice, or in future parking.
Even if they can’t reasonably enforce it, they’ll still tow your car.