It is a common misconception that Royal Mail allocates addresses and that if property owners wish to name or rename their properties, they do not need to consult anyone. Experience has shown that this leads to numerous problems for the property owner, other residents within the neighbourhood, delivery services, satellite navigation and more importantly the emergency services.
If you wish to name or rename your property you will need to put your request in writing to the SN&N team, alternatively you can use the request form on the Street Naming Page. All such requests should be accompanied by a plan to enable location of the property, especially if the property is located in a rural area.
Records are checked to establish that the preferred house name is not duplicated within the immediate area – more than one Rose Cottage within the same street could lead to serious implications for the emergency services!
The team will confirm the amended address and notify Royal Mail, HM Land Registry and the emergency services. Internal Council Tax and Electoral Services sections are also informed.
It should be noted that if you wish to name a property which has already been allocated a postal number, that postal number must remain part of the official property address and cannot be dropped in favour of using the house name alone.