Someone has moved and you need their new address: what works in the UK and what does not

What happens to their post, and why it does not help you

Someone who moves can have their post redirected for a period, but the redirection is confidential: nobody who handles the post will tell you the new address, and a letter you send is simply forwarded. That is worth using. A letter to the old address marked "please forward", with an email address or a phone number for the reply, reaches the person if they arranged redirection, and a considerate new occupier may pass it on anyway. What it will not do is tell you where they went.

Why the old address keeps showing up

Free people-search sites recycle old public lists, so they show the address the person had when the list was compiled and label it "current" regardless. The person's own online footprint lags too: a business listing, a professional profile or a delivery address may point at the old flat for a year or more after the move. A single source that says "current" is not evidence that it is. This is why the checked, cross-referenced result matters more after a move than at any other time.

What you can lawfully do yourself

• Ask the people you both know. Neighbours at the old address often know the new town, sometimes the new street. Say who you are and why.
• Write to the old address marked "please forward", as above.
• Ask the landlord or letting agent to forward a letter. They will not disclose a forwarding address, and should not, but most will pass on post or a message.
• Check whether they run a business. The public companies register gives a correspondence address that is updated more reliably than most things.
• A solicitor's letter where there is a legal dispute, which can also open the court's own routes to an address in some proceedings.

Messaging the person on social media is rarely a good first step where money or a dispute is involved. It alerts them, it can get you blocked, and it can make later service of documents harder.

When the move is very recent

Records take time to catch up with a move: weeks at best, months for some. A trace instructed the week after someone leaves may come back with the old address and a Possible rating, or with nothing at all, and nothing at all is not charged. If you know the move was days ago and there is no deadline, waiting a few weeks often produces a better result. If there is a deadline, instruct now and use the free re-check within 60 days that comes with the professional list, or tell us when you learn something new and we look again.

What a professional trace delivers after a move

Trace Bureau cross-references more than 150 sources, registers and records and a person checks the result against what you have told us. You receive a dated PDF report with the person's current registered UK address and a confidence rating: Confirmed where two or more independent current records agree, Probable where one strong current record is supported by other indicators, Possible where the best lead is stated as a lead. "Registered" means the address the records currently place the person at, which in the great majority of cases is where they live.

Standard is £100 within 3 to 5 working days, Express £150 within 48 hours, Priority £195 within 24 hours. The same prices apply to organisations and anyone acting for a client. Your card is saved when you instruct and charged only when the address is delivered.

The reasons that are lawful, and the ones that are not

Money owed, a tenancy to settle, documents to serve, an estate to administer and reconnecting with someone who is free to say no are all lawful reasons, and we record the basis for every instruction. Checking on an ex-partner, pursuing someone who has cut contact for no legal purpose, or finding an address in order to turn up uninvited are not, and we refuse them. Our guide on whether address tracing is legal covers the detail.