Section 47: what landlord address goes on a written rent demand?

What does section 47 say?

Section 47 sits next to section 48 in Part 6 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987. Where section 48 is about a notice giving the tenant an address, section 47 is about written demands. Any written demand for rent or other sums must contain:

• the name and address of the landlord
• if that address is not in England and Wales, an address in England and Wales at which notices (including notices in proceedings) may be served on the landlord

The section then says what happens if a demand leaves this out. Any part of the demand that is a service charge or an administration charge is treated as not due until the missing information is given to the tenant by notice.

Which lettings does section 47 cover?

The same ones as section 48. Section 46 says Part 6 of the Act applies to premises that consist of or include a dwelling, unless they are held under a business tenancy protected by Part 2 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954. In practice that covers ordinary residential lettings of houses and flats.

Can a rent demand show your agent's address instead of yours?

Not on its own. In Beitov Properties Ltd v Martin [2012] UKUT 133 (LC) the Upper Tribunal looked at what the name and address of the landlord means in section 47. It held that the section needs the landlord's own name and address:

• for an individual, the address where they live or carry on business
• for a company, its registered office or a place where it carries on business

An agent's address alone does not meet that test. The same reasoning means a correspondence address used on its own may not satisfy section 47 on written demands, however well it handles your post.

This is the main place where the landlord address rules part company. Section 48 only asks for an address in England and Wales where notices can be served, and it can be satisfied by an agent's address.

What happens if a rent demand leaves out the landlord's address?

Any service charge or administration charge in that demand is treated as not due until you give the tenant the missing information by notice. The fix is straightforward. Give the tenant your name and address by a written notice, and get your demand template right for next time.

Look closely at what the section says. Its consequence is written in terms of service charges and administration charges. Section 48 goes further: without a section 48 address, rent itself is treated as not due. That difference is real, but it does not make section 47 optional. The section sets out what every written demand must contain, and a demand that asks for any charge alongside the rent is exactly where the consequence bites.

How is section 47 different from section 48?

Do you need section 47 if rent is paid by standing order?

Section 47 applies to written demands. If your tenant pays by standing order and you never send anything in writing asking for money, there may be no demand for it to apply to. That is not the same as saying you will never need it.

Written requests for money can appear without anyone thinking of them as demands:

• a letter or email chasing rent arrears
• a statement of account that asks the tenant to pay a balance
• a request to pay a charge under the tenancy
• the first request for rent before a standing order is set up

If your agent sends anything like this for you, make sure it carries your name and your own address, not only the agent's details. If you are unsure whether something counts as a written demand, the simple course is to include the section 47 details anyway or take advice. Section 48 applies either way, so every tenant still needs an address for notices.

What if you live outside England and Wales?

Section 47 expects this. If the landlord's address is not in England and Wales, a written demand must also give an address in England and Wales at which notices, including notices in proceedings, may be served. A correspondence address in England can fill that second line. Your own address still goes on the demand as the landlord's address. Our page for overseas landlords explains how the rest of the rules apply when you live abroad.

How can you keep your home address private and still meet section 47?

A correspondence address does not replace your own address on written demands. The practical options are these.

1. Put your own address on written demands

   If you send written demands, show your name and your own address. Add an address in England and Wales for notices if you live abroad. Keep one template so every demand is the same.

2. Send fewer written demands

   Rent collected by standing order with no written demand puts your address on fewer documents. It does not remove the rule for any demand you do send.

3. Take advice if you let from a business address

   Beitov describes an individual's address as where they live or carry on business. Whether a particular address counts as a place where you carry on business is a question for a solicitor.

4. Use a correspondence address everywhere else

   For your section 48 notice, the written statement and the registers that accept one, a correspondence address keeps your home address off the rest of your paperwork. See how Landlord Address works.

We do not claim a correspondence address is a substitute for section 47. Our guide do I have to give my tenant my home address? shows where it does and does not work, and every landlord address rule in one table puts them side by side.

What should the landlord details on a written demand look like?

This is a general layout, not legal advice. Put it on every written demand you or your agent send, and take advice if your situation is unusual.

Landlord details (Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, section 47)

Landlord: [full name of the landlord, or all joint landlords]
Landlord's address: [your own address, where you live or carry on business]
Address in England and Wales for notices: [needed if the address above is outside England and Wales]

Common questions

Does section 47 make rent not due?

The consequence written into section 47 is about service charges and administration charges in the demand. Section 48 is the rule that treats rent as not due until you give an address for notices, so make sure every tenant has one. See section 48 notices.

Can my letting agent send rent demands for me?

Yes, but the demand should carry your name and your own address, not only the agent's details. Your agent can still receive notices for you under section 48 if they agree. See using your letting agent's address.

Does Landlord Address help with section 47?

Partly. If you live outside England and Wales, our address can be the address in England and Wales for notices on your demands. It can also be your section 48 address. It does not replace your own address as the landlord's address on written demands.

My tenant pays by standing order. Can I ignore section 47?

Section 47 applies to written demands, so it matters the moment you send one. Keep a template with the right details ready and take advice if you are unsure whether something you send counts as a demand.