Can I give my house a name?
If you already have a postal number for your property but wish to allocate a name as well, the name may only be used on an informal basis and will not be officially registered by the council. A name cannot replace your number. Your property will always be known by the number which must be clearly displayed on the front of your property. We recommend against displaying a name on your property because omitting postal numbers in place of a name causes complications for deliveries as well as for the emergency services.
If your property has a name and not a postal number and you wish to change the name of the property, you will need our approval. We will only consider changing the name of a property if the existing name is causing confusion in locating the property.
We cannot duplicate existing building names with street names or allocate building names that replicate a business name or could be seen as advertising.
How are new street names chosen?
Where new roads are to be constructed, developers can suggest suitable names to the council based upon the following rules.
Where possible names should reflect the history of the site or acknowledge the geography of the area.
- Names cannot be duplicated in the borough.
- Names of living people are not normally allowed.
- Names that could be seen as advertising are not acceptable.
- Suggested names need to be sufficiently unique to avoid confusion or misunderstanding.
- Names that could be considered offensive will not be accepted
- An appropriate suffix will be allocated to a name that reflects the physical characteristics of the street.
Local Ward Councillors are always consulted on a new street name prior to any approval.
You can use Find My Street (external link) to check all the official street names we allocate.
How can I check if the council has allocated a new address?
If you are unsure whether the council has allocated a new address you can use our check my property address service or by contacting us.
How can I check a postcode?
By using the postcode/address finder service on the Royal Mail website (external link). Addresses in the Not Yet Built (NYB) file are not displayed on the postcode/address finder service.
How can I complain about mail delivery problems?
By using 'I want to report a problem with my mail delivery service (external link)' on the Royal Mail website or by contacting Royal Mail customer services (external link). Royal Mail is responsible for mail delivery not the council.
Please remember if you do not display your property number you will make it difficult for Royal Mail to find your property.