Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 requires every residential landlord in England and Wales to give their tenant a written address in England or Wales at which notices, including notices in legal proceedings, can be served. This obligation is unconditional – it applies no matter where the landlord lives, whether the property is managed by an agent, and whether or not it is mentioned in the tenancy agreement.
The consequence of getting this wrong is more serious than most landlords realise. Under Section 48(2), until a valid address has been provided in writing, any rent, service charge, or administration charge that would otherwise be due is treated for all purposes as not being due. In practice, this means a tenant cannot be pursued for arrears – even legitimate ones – until a compliant Section 48 address is on record. If the previous address becomes invalid and no new one is given, the same rule applies until it’s corrected.
The address must be a physical location in England or Wales where post will reliably reach the landlord — it does not have to be their home. Common choices include the landlord’s own residential address, a letting or managing agent’s office, a solicitor’s address, or a registered business address. The single legal requirement is that it must be a real address capable of receiving correspondence; a PO Box is only acceptable if the full address and postcode of the sorting office is also included.
If a landlord’s address changes – including when a property is sold and a new landlord takes over – a fresh Section 48 notice must be served on the tenant. This is a useful trigger point to review whether a home address is still being used unnecessarily, and to switch to a dedicated correspondence address instead.
Because a Section 48 address is handed directly to tenants (and potentially their legal representatives), many landlords – particularly those managing HMOs or multiple properties – prefer not to disclose their home address here. A registered UK correspondence address keeps legal notices flowing correctly while keeping a landlord’s residential address out of a document that tenants, and anyone they share it with, will hold indefinitely.
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Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 requires every residential landlord in England and Wales to give their tenant a written address in England or Wales at which notices, including notices in legal
Yes – a landlord can use their letting or managing agent’s address to satisfy Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, provided the agent has agreed to this and the address is a
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