Home » Answers Hub » Reasonable steps and CPR 6.9
Under CPR 6.9, an individual defendant is served at their usual or last known residence, but where the claimant has reason to believe that address is no longer current, the claimant must take reasonable steps to ascertain the defendant’s current address before serving. A professional trace is the standard way both to find the address and to evidence that the steps were taken.
The rule sets a decision tree. If enquiries reveal a current address, the claim form must be served there. If reasonable steps fail to produce one, the claimant must consider whether there is an alternative place or method by which service is likely to reach the defendant and, if so, apply under CPR 6.15 for alternative service. Only where no such alternative exists can the claimant fall back on the last known address. Skipping the enquiry stage invites a later application to set aside judgment on the basis that service never validly happened.
Reasonableness is judged on the facts, but the pattern in the authorities is consistent: checks proportionate to the claim, made through sources genuinely capable of revealing a move. A professional trace interrogates the electoral roll, credit reference agency data, Companies House and other lawful datasets, and produces a dated report identifying the current verified address or confirming that none could be found. That report is precisely the evidence a court expects when service at a last known address, or an alternative service order, is later challenged; our answer on how tracing agents find people explains the sources.
Because Tremark provides both services, a single instruction can move from doubt to completed service: trace the current address, attempt service there, and return either a certificate of service or a documented evidence pack supporting a CPR 6.15 application. The four month clock never stops, so combining the steps protects it.
Tremark's nationwide team of process servers completes most instructions at a fixed fee, with a certificate of service included as standard. Get an exact price for your instruction in under a minute.
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This page provides general information about the law and practice in England and Wales and is not legal advice. Rules change and individual circumstances vary; always take advice from a solicitor on your specific situation. Prices shown are indicative, exclusive of VAT and confirmed in writing before any work begins.