Accidental landlords: your address checklist before you let

Which address do you need to give your first tenant?

Section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 says a landlord must give the tenant, by notice, an address in England and Wales where notices, including notices in court proceedings, can be served. It applies to premises that consist of or include a dwelling, other than business tenancies, so it applies whether you let one home or many. Until you give the notice, rent is treated as not due.

For assured tenancies in England from 1 May 2026 the written statement of terms must include the landlord's name and an address in England and Wales where notices can be served. A tenant can also ask in writing for your name and address at any time, and must be given them within 21 days.

None of these rules says the address must be your home. They ask for an address in England and Wales that works. Read do I have to give my tenant my home address? for the detail.

First tenancy address checklist

1. Choose your address for notices

   Decide whether you will use your new home, a letting agent or a correspondence address. Whatever you choose must be in England and Wales and must reach you quickly. See your options compared.

2. Put it on the written statement

   Use that address as the address for notices on the written statement of terms. See the address on a tenancy agreement.

3. Give a section 48 notice

   Give every tenant a short notice of the address and keep proof of how and when you gave it. Our section 48 guide has a free template.

4. Get the deposit paperwork right

   The prescribed information you give with a protected deposit lists the landlord's name, address, telephone number and any email address. Check with your deposit scheme which address it accepts. See deposit paperwork.

5. Check your Land Registry title

   Look at the address for service on the register. If it is still your old home, update it before your tenant moves in. See the section below.

6. Check whether the property needs a licence

   Ask your council whether HMO, additional or selective licensing applies. Licence registers are public and must include the licence holder's name and address. See HMO landlords.

7. Register on the PRS database

   Landlords of assured or regulated tenancies in England must register themselves and each property once their region opens, from 15 December 2026. The fee is £65 per property, renewed every year, with a reduced first payment during the rollout. See when your region opens.

Why does the Land Registry still show my old home?

The register shows an address for service for each owner. If the title gives your former home as your address for service, letters to you as the owner will now go to your tenants. Anyone can also buy a copy of the register, for £7 online or £11 by post, and see that address next to your name.

Owners can have up to three addresses for service. At least one must be a postal address, but it does not have to be in the UK, and the others can be email or DX addresses. A care-of address is accepted. You update the address with form COG1. If you inherited the property and the register still shows the previous owner, take advice on updating it. See our Land Registry guide.

How do I keep my new home private?

If you give your new home address to your tenant, it goes on the written statement, the deposit paperwork and perhaps the Land Registry title and a licence register. Your name, the property you own and where you now live become linked across documents, some of them public. A disagreement about a boiler can end up at your own front door, and every time you move you have to update your tenants, the deposit scheme, the Land Registry, the council and the PRS database.

A landlord address avoids that. You get one address in England with your own reference to use for tenants, notices and registers. We log and scan every letter and tell you the same working day when legal or official post arrives, so you stay easy to reach. Read why landlords protect their home address.

What if I own the property with someone else?

An inherited home may be owned by more than one person. Joint owners of the same properties can share one plan, and each of you has an identity check before the address is issued. Name every joint landlord on your section 48 notice.

Questions from accidental landlords

Can I just use my new home address?

Yes, if it is in England or Wales. It then goes on your tenancy paperwork and some records, and you will need to update them all if you move again.

Is a landlord address worth it for one property?

It depends how much you mind your home address being on tenancy paperwork and public records, and how easily you can deal with landlord post. The price is the same whether you let one property or several: £49 for your first year when you sign up online, then £99 a year.

My letting agent is handling everything. Do I still need to think about this?

Your agent's address can cover some rules but not all of them, and it stops working if you change agent. See landlords with letting agents.