Guidance

Practice guide 55: address for service

Updated 15 July 2024

Applies to England and Wales

Please note that HM Land Registry’s practice guides are aimed primarily at solicitors and other conveyancers. They often deal with complex matters and use legal terms.

1. Introduction

Rule 198 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 has introduced significant changes to the types of address for service that we will now accept for entry in the register. Under previous legislation, an address for service had to be a postal address within the United Kingdom (section 79 of the Land Registration Act 1925, now repealed). ‘United Kingdom’ comprises England (including the Scilly Isles), Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but not the Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Eire (Interpretation Act 1978, section 5 and Schedule 1).

2. People requiring an address for service

We must be given an address for service (rules 198(1) and (2) of the Land Registration Rules 2003) by:

• the registered proprietor of a registered estate or registered charge
• the registered beneficiary of a unilateral notice
• a cautioner named in an individual caution register
• a person whose name and address is required to be included in a standard restriction set out in Schedule 4 of the Land Registration Rules 2003 or whose consent or certificate is required, or upon whom notice is required to be served by the registrar or another person, under any other restriction
• a person entitled to be notified of an application for adverse possession under rule 194 of the Land Registration Rules 2003
• a person who objects to an application under section 73 of the Land Registration Act 2002
• a person who gives notice to the registrar under paragraph 3(2) of Schedule 6 to the Land Registration Act 2002
• any person who while dealing with the registrar in connection with registered land or a caution against first registration is requested by the registrar to give an address for service

When any of these parties have addresses for service entered in the register, ensure that they are kept up to date – see Change of address.

3. Types of address for service

We will always require at least one postal address for entry in the register, but this does not have to be within the United Kingdom (rule 198(3) of the Land Registration Rules 2003).

In addition to the postal address, if you ask us we will enter in the register:

• a UK DX address provided HM Land Registry has an arrangement with the particular DX service provider (rules 198(4)(b) and (7) of the Land Registration Rules 2003)
• an electronic (email) address (rules 198(4)(c), (8) and (9) of the Land Registration Rules 2003)

Where appropriate, you should consider advising your clients to provide the secondary electronic address as an additional method of contact.

When supplying the address for service, provide the following:

• for UK postal addresses, the full address including the post code
• for overseas addresses, the full address including the country name and ZIP or area code (or equivalent). If the address is in non-Roman characters, we will need a translation for entry in the register
• for DX addresses, the box number and exchange name in the format DX 223344, Southampton 4
• for email addresses, the address in the format reg@netty.co.uk

We will need to contact you if the address for service supplied is incomplete and does not contain a building postal number (or name) and a postcode before your application can be completed.

You may give us an address that is a ‘care of’ address.

4. Number of addresses for service

We will enter up to 3 addresses for service for each person.

This means each person could have:

• one, 2 or 3 UK or overseas postal addresses
• one UK or overseas postal address and one or 2 email addresses
• one UK or overseas postal address and one or 2 DX addresses
• one UK or overseas postal address, a DX address and an email address
• 2 UK or overseas postal addresses and an email address
• 2 UK or overseas postal addresses and a DX address

5. Entry of address for service in the register

If you use our digital registration services, you will be prompted to supply the address of any new proprietor during the submission process.

Our paper application forms provide panels in which you can include an address or addresses for entry in the register (for example panel 9 in AP1 or panel 8 in FR1).

It is sometimes the case that deeds or documents lodged with applications contain addresses which conflict with instructions provided in the application. Please note we will treat the address provided in our digital registration services or in the paper application form as overriding that in any other part of the application. and we will not normally query any discrepancy, even if other requisition points arise.

If you apply for more than one type of address for entry in the register, we will enter them in the following order:

• postal address
• DX address
• email address

For example, in the case of the registered proprietor the entry would be:

KATHERINE ANNE DAWSON of 13 Market Square, Hitchin, Herts SG5 1PA and of DX885522, Bolton and of kat.dawson@online.com and BRIAN NIGEL MARKHAM of 5A Chimney Walk, Bolton BO9 8TX and of 333 Hyde Street, San Francisco, California, United States of America, 94102.

HM Land Registry will, whenever possible, enter an address for service that conforms with Royal Mail’s Delivery Point addresses which form the basis of our address database. This is to ensure that a UK postal address entered in the register is as accurate as possible to enable any correspondence to be delivered swiftly and correctly. In some instances this might be in a slightly different format to that applied for.

Where we have been unable to find a suitable match between the details on our address database and the address for service requested in your application we will enter the address as set out in your application.

6. Change of address

If we need to write to, or send a formal notice to a proprietor, chargee or other party who has an interest noted in the register, we will write to them at their address(es) shown in the register. It is important that their address is correct and up to date. Let us know at once of any change of address.

Advise your clients of the importance of keeping their address up to date. Also advise them that if they apply to change their address independently they will be required to supply certain information so that we can verify their identity. Form COG1 should be used when a registered owner is not represented by a conveyancer but applies independently to change their address.

We do not routinely require evidence of identity on a change of address application lodged by a conveyancer but we may ask for this on certain applications. In all cases we reserve the right to carry out identity checks and additional verification procedures with respect to identity.

If we are not informed about a change of address, it may mean that the person to whom we are writing does not receive important correspondence and they may suffer loss as a result. We still need to be told of a change of address even if a local council, Companies Registry or other body has been informed of the change.

An email address makes an ideal address for service. However, an email address will sometimes change when the service provider changes.

As well as situations where a person has actually changed address, there may be occasions when you need to tell us of an additional address for service (subject to the maximum of 3 addresses), or where you need to remove an address (subject to there always being a postal address), or where you need to correct an address supplied to us.

The personal representative of a cautioner entered in a title register in respect of a caution against dealings (section 54 of the Land Registration Act 2002) may apply for the entry of replacement or additional addresses (subject as set out above). You must lodge either:

• the original grant of probate or letters of administration of the deceased cautioner showing the applicant as their personal representative
• a court order appointing the applicant as the deceased’s personal representative
• a conveyancer’s certificate that such evidence is held (rule 198(6A) of the Land Registration Rules 2003)

You must apply for a change of address by including a ‘change of address for service’ transaction within the application and provide all required addresses to be entered in the register.

Where an application does not result in a change of ownership, we will only change an address for service if it is included as a transaction in the application.

If there is no application to change an address for service, we will not take any action, even when a request is made in a covering letter, or there is a discrepancy between the address currently in the register and, for example, a new charge in the application.

In cases where an additional address is required or an address needs to be removed from the register, you will need to apply for the change, as above. You should set out all the addresses the proprietor wants to show. If there is more than one proprietor, you must clearly state whose address is whose.

As a conveyancer, if you do not show that you either act for, have the authority of, or lodge the written consent of the person whose address has changed, then we may reject your application.

You should bear in mind that if an entry showing an address for service has been carried forward from one title to another and has been left in the original register (as may happen in the case of a transfer of part), we will need to be told of all the title numbers on which the change of address needs noting.

There is no fee payable for changing, removing or adding an address.

7. Former addresses

We may serve notice on previous addresses as well as any current address for service if we feel it is appropriate.

8. Overseas postal addresses

If you are applying for the entry of an overseas address, bear in mind that if we need to send a notice to that address we will not allow any additional time for the recipient to deal with the notice. If the only address for service in the register is an overseas address (other than in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man), we will write to ask you to consider applying for a second address (unless the address has already been established by prior correspondence, for example, when applying for a mortgage documentation (MD) reference for a charge).

9. Things to remember

• You can apply for up to 3 addresses for service. We will always require at least one postal address for entry in the register, but note the additional address for service can be an email address.

• When there is no change of ownership, you must include a ‘Change of address for service’ transaction if you are intending to change the address, otherwise no change will be made.

• We will only update the address for service when it is clear you act for or have the authority of the registered proprietor. When you don’t act for the registered proprietor, you must show you have their authority to make a change to their address for service or no change will be made.

We only provide factual information and impartial advice about our procedures. Read more about the advice we give.