PCN liability transfers for car hire, van rental and fleets

PCN Codes helps UK vehicle-hire firms and fleets transfer PCN liability to the hirer and draft challenges when a transfer isn't available. We prepare the hire-ground representation (and appeal drafts when needed), so your desk isn't chasing paperwork against a 28-day clock.

Not legal advice. We can't promise a transfer will be accepted or a PCN cancelled. Outcomes depend on your documents, the authority and the law. Always check the notice you received.

Who it's for

UK car hire, van rental, short-term vehicle hire desks and small-to-mid fleets that receive council or TfL Penalty Charge Notices on hired vehicles. If you're a private motorist with your own PCN, use our free tools instead: the PCN checker (including check from a photo), appeal letter generator and code meanings.

What we do

• Liability transfers — prepare and submit hire-ground representations to councils and TfL (and private operators where the paperwork allows), with the hirer's details and supporting hire documents.
• Appeal / representation drafts — when the vehicle wasn't on a qualifying hire, the window is tight, or a challenge is worth trying instead of (or after) a transfer.
• Deadline tracking and outcome record — so each notice has a clear status: received, submitted, accepted, rejected or paid.

For the full DIY process (Schedule 2 particulars, statement of liability, timescales), see our hire company transfer guide.

How it works

1. Send the notice and hire docs — email the PCN / Notice to Owner plus the hiring agreement and signed statement of liability to [email protected].
2. We check eligibility — hire period, prescribed particulars, PCN type (including the London bus-lane exception) and remaining deadlines.
3. We draft and submit — hire-ground representation or appeal draft, using the authority's preferred channel where known.
4. You get a copy and status — the submitted pack plus a short outcome note when the authority replies.

Pricing

All prices exclude VAT. From the current proposal:

First 10 transfers free within 30 days of starting. No card needed to begin — email [email protected]. Plan allowances and fair-use details are confirmed when you enquire.

Eligibility (honest notes)

• The hiring agreement must be for a fixed period under six months, with the prescribed particulars (Schedule 2) and a signed statement of liability.
• London bus lane PCNs generally cannot be transferred — there is no statutory hire-firm ground under the London Local Authorities Act 1996. The keeper usually stays liable.
• Parking PCNs and most London moving-traffic PCNs can be transferred when the paperwork qualifies; late Notice to Owner windows may already be lost.
• Long-term leases of six months or more fall outside the usual hire-firm route.

Read the detail in the full hire transfer guide. We will tell you straight if a notice looks ineligible.

Why not DIY alone

Hire desks often face volume: many notices, short deadlines, and agreements that fail for missing licence details, hire times or headed particulars. You already charge hirers an admin fee on many PCNs — our transfer fee is designed to sit under that. Use DIY for the odd case; use us when the pile grows.

Free tools for your drivers and desk

Contact

Email [email protected] to start your free transfers or ask about a plan.

PCN Codes Ltd (company number 17541879), incorporated 26 October 2026. Registered office: 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ. See also contact, terms and privacy.

Frequently asked questions