Street Naming and Numbering FAQs - Householder
Can I add a name to my property?
You can contact the Council's street naming and numbering
service to do. This can be by either e-mail or letter.
Requests must be in writing and include the full postal address of
the property, along with the proposed name.
We will check that the proposed name is
acceptable, if not, we will ask for an alternative. Examples
of unacceptable names include those which could be confusing or
offensive.
The name will become and official part of the
address of your property, so it is important that details are
provided in writing. You must be the property's owner to make
the request. That is you are either the owner of the freehold or
lease.
If the name is acceptable, we will let you
know and inform the Royal Mail. If your property
already has a number, you have a legal obligation to continue to
show and use this number. The name can only be used in addition to
this number, for example, ‘The Cottage’, 1 The High Street.
It is important that your address is correctly
and consistently recorded to avoid any unnecessary delays or
confusion when services are trying to identify the exact location
of your property.
Please email streetnaming@rochford.gov.uk
for requests wherever possible, as this speeds the process of
responding to your enquiry promptly and efficiently.
Can I change the name of my property?
You can contact the Council’s street naming and numbering
service. This can be by
either email or letter. Requests must be in writing and
include the existing name and full postal address of the property,
along with the proposed name.
We will check that the proposed name is
acceptable. If it is not, we will ask for an alternative
suggestion. Examples of unacceptable names include those which
could be confusing or offensive.
The name will become an official part of the
address of your property, so it is important that details are
provided in writing. You must be the property’s owner to make such
a request. That is, you are either the owner of the freehold or
lease.
If the name is acceptable, we will let you
know and inform the Royal Mail.
If your property already has a number, you
have a legal obligation to continue to show and use this number.
The name can only be used in addition to this number – for example,
‘The Cottage, 1 The High Street’.
The Council will include the new name in a
monthly ‘address update’ which it sends to a wide range of
organisations including the Land Registry and the Royal Mail’s
Postal Address File. This ‘PAF’ is a national source of addressing
information used by commercial and delivery organisations.
It is important that your address is correctly
and consistently recorded to avoid any unnecessary delays or
confusion when services are trying to identify the exact location
of your property.
Please email streetnaming@rochford.gov.uk
for requests wherever possible, as this speeds the process of
responding to your enquiry promptly and
efficiently.
I've moved into a new property - why isn't my address or
postcode recognised?
You may have tried to connect a service or
purchase goods on the internet, and experienced difficulties with
organisations claiming that your address does not exist.
In the majority of cases, this will either be
because the Council’s street naming and numbering service was not
informed of the original development, or that the development is
now being occupied. As a direct result, the Royal Mail has not
included the address in its Postal Address File, which is the
national source of addressing information used by commercial and
delivery organisations.
If you require your address to be registered,
please contact the Council’s street naming and numbering service by
email or letter at streetnaming@rochford.gov.uk
Please note that the process of allocating a
postcode to a development can take up to 6-8 weeks. In most cases,
however, a solution can be found more quickly.
For more information about postal deliveries
and related queries, please visit the Royal Mail website which is
available from the Related Links section towards the bottom of this
page, or call them on 08457 740 740.
Who looks after postal addresses and post codes?
The developer approaches the Council’s street
naming and numbering service once work has started on site for a
new property or development in the borough. Once planning and
building regulations are approved, the Council starts the process
of street naming and numbering.
The Council assigns a postal address to a
property, and informs the Royal Mail. The Royal Mail then assigns a
postcode to the property.
Once the number or name of the property has
been agreed, a letter is sent to the developer or owner confirming
the new address. A circular is then sent to organizations that
include Land Registry and the Valuation Office. Additionally other
areas of the Council are contacted, for example Planning, Council
Tax and Electoral Services.
It is vital that Rochford District Council is
informed of any change of address details to a residential or
commercial property so that other organisations can be informed.
Failure to do so could have an impact on emergency services
responses, connecting to utility companies, obtaining credit and
receiving mail.
Why do I have to display the number of my property?
All householders have a duty to display the
number of their property. This is a both a legal requirement, and a
practical way of avoiding any unnecessary delays or confusion when
services are trying to identify the exact location of your
property.
In the past, a name was sometimes assigned to
a property rather than a number. Properties which have not had a
number assigned by the Council can display just the name, but
properties which have been numbered must display the assigned
number on their property, and use it as part of their full postal
address.
What can I do about difficulties with receiving my post?
Your first point of contact should be the
Royal Mail.
For more information about postal deliveries
and related queries, please visit the Royal Mail website
which is available from the Related Links section towards the
bottom of this page, or call them on 08457 740 740.
If this does not resolve the issue, please
contact the Council’s street naming and numbering service, by email
to streetnaming@rochford.gov.uk or
letter. Queries must include the full postal address of the
property.
How do I contact the Council's street naming and numbering
service?
You can contact the Council’s street naming
and numbering service by email or letter. Requests must be in
writing to avoid confusion and to enable the necessary checks to be
made.
email streetnaming@rochford.gov.uk
for requests wherever possible, as this speeds the process of
responding to your enquiry promptly and efficiently.
If you have any queries or request any further
information please contact us on 01702 546366.
The postal address is Rochford District
Council , Street Naming and Numbering, Council Offices South Street
Rochford Essex SS4 1BW.
Who is responsible for street name plates?
For new developments, it is
the responsibility of the developer to install any new street name
plates before they leave site, and for maintenance in the first
year.
After the first year, Rochford District
Council then takes on responsibility for street nameplates. We can
help with the following:
- street name plate repairs
- street name plate specifications
- street name plate production.
Please contact the Council depot on 01702
318005 or email depot@rochford.gov.uk for more
information, or if you would like the Council to produce a street
name plate for a new development on your behalf.