PCN FlowAirport drop-off charge on a hire car: Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and London City
An unpaid drop-off charge at Heathrow, Stansted, Luton or London City comes to you as the keeper. You can pass it to the hirer by naming them as the liable party on the appeal form and uploading the hire agreement and their signed statement of liability. Act within 28 days.
General information for England, not legal advice. Rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and every notice is different. Always check the notice and the issuer's own guidance. Last reviewed 13 November 2026.
Who issues the charge
The drop-off charges at Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and London City are run by APCOA. They are private charges, not council PCNs, and are handled on the same online appeal form. On that form a hire company chooses "Enter Liable Party details" and sets the liable party to hirer. The page asks hire firms to upload the documents the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, Schedule 4 requires. Schedule 4 is the law that lets a parking operator pursue the keeper, and lets a hire company pass the charge to the hirer.
What APCOA needs
- A statement from you that the vehicle was on hire to the named hirer, signed by or for the company.
- A copy of the hire agreement covering the date and time.
- A statement of liability signed by the hirer, saying they are responsible for parking charges during the hire and giving an address for documents.
- The hirer's details in the form's own fields: title, names, address, city, postcode and country. Phone and email are optional.
- A tick on the Statement of Truth before the form is sent.
There is no six-month limit for these charges, and the Schedule 2 list of particulars used for council and TfL PCNs doesn't apply. A long hire can be passed on too.
Time limits
Under Schedule 4, your documents must reach the operator within 28 days, starting the day after the Notice to Keeper (the operator's letter to you as keeper) was given. This is strict, so don't leave it to the last week. The operator then has 21 days to send a Notice to Hirer.
Common reasons it goes wrong
- Late documents. The 28 days run to when the operator receives them, not when you send them.
- No address in the hirer's statement, or a statement the hirer didn't sign.
- Missing title. The same style of form at Gatwick requires a title for the hirer.
- Everything in one box. There is a supporting file box for you and another for the liable party. On the Gatwick version each takes one file, so combine pages into one PDF where needed.
How PCN Flow handles airport drop-off charges
You upload the notice. PCN Flow reads it with AI, finds the hire agreement covering the date and time, and checks the signed agreement, the liability clause or statement, and the hirer's name and address. Airport drop-off charges are taken on a hire of any length. When you press Make Representation, it files on the issuer's website where it can, otherwise by email. Nothing goes by post. Then it tells the hirer in your company's name.
For other private operators, see private parking charges on hire vehicles.
Airport drop-off questions
Is an airport drop-off charge a PCN?
Not in the council sense. It is a private charge, so the Protection of Freedoms Act route applies rather than the council or TfL rules.
Does the six-month rule apply?
No. The private parking route covers a hire of any length.
Does Schedule 4 apply at every airport?
Land under byelaws falls outside Schedule 4, and some airport roads may be covered by byelaws. APCOA's form still asks hire firms for the same documents. Ask a solicitor if you need a firm answer.
What about Gatwick?
Gatwick uses a different operator on a similar form, with the hirer named as the liable party. Both title fields are required there.