Reviewed: 8 October 2026 | England guide: this page is general information for qualifying residential lettings in England. It is not legal advice on a particular notice, address, delivery method or tenancy.
Section 48 requires a landlord to give the tenant notice of an address in England and Wales at which the tenant may serve notices, including notices in proceedings, on the landlord. If the landlord has not complied, rent, service charges and administration charges otherwise due are treated by the statute as not due before compliance, subject to a narrow receiver or manager exception.
This is an address-for-service rule. It is not a prescribed form, a rent-demand rule or a substitute for every other tenancy notice and disclosure requirement. The core source is section 48 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1987.
What Section 48 requires
Section 48 says that a landlord must give the tenant notice of an address in England and Wales at which notices, including notices in proceedings, may be served on the landlord. The wording requires an address; it does not itself prescribe a universal form, delivery method or set of words for the notification. Nor does Section 48 itself say that the landlord’s name must appear in the notice.
Part VI of the 1987 Act has a defined scope. It applies to premises consisting of or including a dwelling, subject to the statutory exclusions; the current wording is in section 46. Complex cases, including business premises, company ownership, an overseas landlord, agency arrangements or a Welsh property, need tailored advice rather than an assumption that one document works in every setting.
What happens if no compliant address has been given?
Section 48(2) says that, where the landlord has not complied, rent, service charges and administration charges otherwise due from the tenant are treated for all purposes as not being due at any time before the landlord does comply. That is conditional, pre-compliance language. It is not a permanent waiver or cancellation of rent, and this guide is not advice to withhold payment.
There is a narrow statutory exception for a period in which a court or tribunal-appointed receiver or manager, whose functions include receiving the relevant sums, is in place. The effect of a missing or later notice in an individual case can be fact-specific. A tenant considering withholding, setting off or disputing payment should take independent legal advice first.
Giving and recording the notice
There is no one universal Section 48 form in the Act. Operationally, a landlord should use a clear dated written notice that identifies the tenancy and states the full England-and-Wales address for service, then retain what was sent and the available delivery evidence. That is sensible record keeping, not a ruling that a particular wording or service method will be valid.
- Check that the address is complete and can receive formal correspondence.
- Give the notice clearly at the start of the tenancy if it has not already been supplied; do not rely on an informal update if an address changes.
- Keep the notice, delivery record and any acknowledgement with the tenancy file.
- Check the tenancy agreement, rent demands and agent processes for consistency, while keeping their distinct legal duties separate.
- It is not a Section 48 notice template or a ready-to-send service notice.
- It does not decide whether an agent’s address, registered office, PO box, email address or delivery method is valid in a particular case.
- It does not determine whether an individual notice was validly served, when service took effect or what evidence is sufficient.
- It does not advise a tenant to stop paying rent.
For a broader recurring compliance review, see the Landlord Compliance Checklist for England.
Section 48, Section 47 and Section 1 do different jobs
Scroll horizontally to view all four columns.
| Provision | Trigger | What it requires | Stated consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Section 48, LTA 1987 | General landlord notification duty | Notice of an England-and-Wales address for notices or proceedings on the landlord | Rent, service charge and administration charge are treated as not due before compliance, subject to the receiver/manager exception. |
| Section 47, LTA 1987 | Each written demand for rent or other sums under the tenancy | Landlord’s name and address; where that address is outside England and Wales, also an England-and-Wales service address | The statutory “relevant amount” (a service charge or administration charge) is treated as not due before the information is supplied. |
| Section 1, LTA 1985 | A tenant’s written request | A written statement of the immediate landlord’s name and address, supplied by the recipient of the request | Failure without reasonable excuse is a summary criminal offence. |
Section 47 is demand-specific; Section 48 is a general address-for-service notification. A rent demand containing address information should not simply be assumed to resolve every Section 48 question. Read the current Section 47 text before relying on a demand.
Under Section 1 of the 1985 Act, a tenant occupying a dwelling can make a written request to the person demanding or last receiving rent, or another person acting as the landlord’s agent. That recipient must provide a written statement of the immediate landlord’s name and address within 21 days beginning with receipt of the request. A Section 1 response is not automatically a compliant Section 48 service address.
Section 48 and the Renters’ Rights Act
Section 48 remains a separate address-for-service requirement. It should not be confused with the Renters’ Rights Act information sheet, the Section 13 rent process or possession notices. At the review date, the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 had made no direct amendment to Section 48 or Section 47 of the 1987 Act, or Section 1 of the 1985 Act.
For the wider England tenancy changes, use the Renters’ Rights Act landlord guide; for the wider legal-compliance route, see the Landlord Regulation Guide.
A practical landlord checklist
- Before letting: decide the England-and-Wales address at which the landlord can receive formal notices, then check it is appropriate to the actual ownership and management arrangements.
- When communicating it: give a clear written Section 48 notice and retain evidence; do not treat this page as a substitute for tailored drafting advice.
- If using an agent: confirm the service arrangement in writing rather than assuming ordinary management correspondence is enough.
- If the address changes: take advice on the right notice and delivery method for the tenancy before leaving an outdated address in place.
- If a dispute has started: obtain specialist advice before relying on, or trying to cure, a historic notice problem.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Section 48 address have to be in England or Wales?
Yes. Section 48 requires an address in England and Wales at which notices may be served on the landlord.
Does Section 48 itself require the landlord’s name?
No. Section 48’s wording is about an address for service. The separate Section 47 rules require the landlord’s name and address on relevant written demands.
Is a Section 48 notice the same as a rent demand?
No. Section 48 is an address-for-service notification. Section 47 has different, demand-specific requirements. The two should be assessed separately.
Does this apply to Wales?
Not where a Welsh dwelling is subject to an occupation contract. See the Wales boundary at the top of this guide and the separate Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 Section 39 regime.
Official sources
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, Section 46
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, Section 48
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1987, Section 47
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 1
- Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016, Section 39
Bottom line: for a qualifying England letting, give a clear written address for service in England or Wales, keep evidence and get tailored advice where the tenancy, address, ownership, agency arrangement or notice history is not straightforward.
