Can I Sue Someone Without Their Address?

The short answer

To start a county court claim you need two things about the person or business you are claiming from: their name and a postal address where the claim can be delivered.

The address does not have to be their home. Plenty of people who think they have no address for someone do have one that counts.

What counts as an address?

• Their home address, or the last home address you knew them at.
• Their place of business, if they are a sole trader or you dealt with them through their work.
• A company's registered office. Every UK limited company must keep one on Companies House, and it is the address a claim against the company is served on.

It needs to be a full postal address in England or Wales, with a postcode.

How to find an address

• Check your paperwork. Invoices, quotes, receipts, contracts, tenancy agreements, bank transfer details and the footer of their emails or website often carry an address.
• Search Companies House. It is free. If you dealt with a limited company, its registered office is listed there, along with the names of its directors.
• Look at what they sent you. A parcel or its paperwork may show a sender's name and a return address.
• Use a tracing agent. Professional tracing agents typically find a current UK address for £30 to £100, usually on a no-find no-fee basis.
• Ask. A short written message asking where to send formal correspondence sometimes gets an answer.

What about alternative service?

The court rules do allow a claimant to ask a judge for permission to deliver a claim another way, such as by email or a messaging app. This is called alternative service. It is a separate application with its own court fee, a judge decides it case by case, and it can be refused.

JustClaim does not support alternative service applications. We only file claims where you have a name and a postal address for the other side.

Sellers you only know by a username

If you bought from someone on eBay, Vinted or a similar marketplace and all you have is their username, try the free routes first: the platform's own buyer protection, and a chargeback or Section 75 claim through your card provider.

A court claim has to name the defendant and give an address for them, and a username is neither. The platform holds the seller's details and a court can order it to disclose them, but that is a separate application which we do not offer.

Common questions

They moved and will not tell me where. What now?

You can use their last-known address. If a claim is served there and they no longer live at it, they may later ask the court to set a judgment aside, so a current address is always better if you can find one.

I only have their first name.

A claim needs the defendant's full name. Check your messages, payment records and any paperwork for it before you start.

Can I use a company's registered office?

Yes. That is the address a claim against a limited company is served on, and you can look it up free on Companies House.