Miscellaneous and general

57Notices and other documents

(1)

A notice or other document required or authorised to be given to a person for the purposes of this Act may be given by—

(a)

transmitting the text of the notice or document to the person by agreed electronic means (for example, by email to an agreed address),

(b)

delivering it to the person or sending it by post to the person at the person’s last known address,

(c)

if the person is a body corporate, delivering it to the secretary of the body corporate or sending it by post to the secretary of the body corporate at its registered or principal office within the United Kingdom, or

(d)

if the person is a partnership, delivering it to a partner of the partnership or a person having control or management of the partnership business, or sending it by post to such a partner or person at the principal office of the partnership.

(2)

For the purposes of subsection (1), any person to whom a notice or other document is to be given may specify a different address within the United Kingdom as the one to which the notice or document must be sent.

(3)

Where a notice or document is given to a person in accordance with subsection (1)(a) and, within 7 days of receiving it, the person requests a copy of the notice or document in printed form, the sender must provide such a copy as soon as reasonably practicable.

(4)

Subsection (5) applies where—

(a)

a document is required or authorised to be given to a person for the purposes of this Act as the owner of an interest in, or occupier of, any land, and

(b)

the person’s name or address cannot be ascertained after reasonable enquiry.

(5)

The document may be given to the person by addressing it to the person by name or by the description of “owner” or “occupier” (as the case may be) of the land and—

(a)

leaving it with a person who is, or appears to be, resident or employed on the land, or

(b)

leaving it conspicuously affixed to some building or object on or near the land.

(6)

Any notice given for the purposes of this Act must be in writing.

(7)

In this section—

“secretary”, in relation to a local authority within the meaning of the Local Government Act 1972, means the proper officer within the meaning of that Act;

references to giving a document include similar expressions (such as serving).