How to add a house or business name to your property, or how to re-name it
Street numbering
You can't replace a number with a name. Where a numbering scheme is in place a house or business name will always be in addition to the allocated street number. Our aim is to always number properties.
The street number must always be displayed on the property and used within an address.
Property naming
If you're proposing a property name, to minimise any chance of duplication or an address being similar, it's always worth using:
- our Property Search facility, and/or
- the Royal Mail Postcode Finder to also ensure correct postcode area
We'll carry out further checks to ensure there will be no clash with any existing names in the immediate area.
A duplication of a house name may cause you problems in receiving post and deliveries. And it may result in confusion for the emergency services when they're trying to attend an incident.
Charges
There is a charge for this service.
The charges will apply to residential and commercial property owners for:
- changes to existing property addresses
- new property addresses
- address verifications
Please see our charging schedule.
No documents will be raised without full payment.
Our aim is to process all notifications within 21 days. To acknowledge completion we send an email with an attached document called a 'Notification or Verification of the property address'. This is a legal document of your official address.
How to apply
If you need a new property address please complete our online street name and numbering application form using the button found below. You'll need to provide a location map. If you don't have one, the FindMyAddress website may be helpful. Here you can enter and search for any address, and then take a screenshot of the location given, ready to upload with your application.
For new properties, a site layout plan is also required.
You can also apply for a:
- property name
- change to an address
- address verification (for example, archive material or a certificate)
To apply for a new address, a change, or to verify an address, you'll need to:
- be the owner of the property
- provide a location map (if you don't have one you can take a screenshot of a map from the FindMyAddress website)
- pay the fee (please see our charging schedule)
Who we notify
Once the house name has been authorised, we will notify the following organisations of the agreed house name:
- Norfolk Constabulary
- East of England Ambulance NHS Trust
- Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service
- Royal Mail (postcodes)
- Ordnance Survey
- Valuation Office Agency (via our Revenues Team)
- Norfolk County Council
We will also notify our own council departments, where relevant.
Telling people your new address
You may consider informing the following of your new property address:
- family and friends
- people you do business with
- doctor
- finance (Bank, Building Society, credit cards)
- insurance companies
- HM Land Registry
- utilities (Gas, Electricity, Water)
- DVLA
- employer
- TV License
- passport
- telecommunications companies / Mobile Companies
- broadband services
- memberships