Street and house naming
Horsham District Council is responsible for the allocation of new postal addresses within the Horsham District. This is for all new commercial and residential developments and includes house name and building name changes. We liaise with the Royal Mail and undertake to notify all emergency services and utility providers of new postal addresses and changes to existing postal addresses.
There is charge for this service and all applications for the allocation and registration of new postal addresses and the notification of house name changes incur these charges.
You can name a new property or change your property name online using our online form.
Name an individual new property
For the allocation of a postal address for a new individual property, please fill in our online form and pay £250.
If the new property is in a road where the existing properties have official postal numbers, please email streetnaming@horsham.gov.uk first.
Please note that the Postcode Centre of the Royal Mail will only add a new address to their postal address file (PAF) database if it meets their criteria. It has to be a bone fide residential address or an occupied business address that has clear signage displaying the business name. The building should be occupied during business hours and the delivery point, including the provision of a post box, should be secure and easily accessible for the delivery of mail. A letterbox on an uninhabited building or fence or gate does not meet their criteria for an address to be added to PAF.
Name a new development
The following charges apply to street naming for new developments.
Street naming for new developments
- £250 per phase or application inclusive of the first plot, plus £35 for each additional plot up to fifty plots and then £25 per plot for each additional plot over fifty.
Street naming for new developments involving the naming of a new road
- £350 per phase or application inclusive of the first plot, plus £35 for each additional plot up to fifty plots and then £25 per plot for each additional plot over fifty.
Amend an approved street naming and numbering scheme
- £150 plus £25 per plot/unit affected
Guidance for developers on naming new developments
The Council is responsible for the naming of all new roads and the allocation of postal numbers on new developments. We consult with the local Members, the local Parish or Neighbourhood Council together with the Royal Mail on new road names to ensure that they do not conflict with any existing names in the area.
For a full explanation of the process, visit our Naming new properties: Guidance for developers page.
Change the name of your property
For house name or building name changes or adding a house name to your address, please fill in our online form and pay.
- The fee to change a house name is £125
- The fee to change a building name (eg a block of flats) is £125+ £35 per flat
Please take the following conditions into account if you are thinking about renaming your property:
- You cannot replace a number with a name and the postal number must still be clearly displayed on the property. The Royal Mail will not show the name of a property on the public version of their postal address file if it has an official postal number and you should therefore just always quote the postal number of your address on request.
- You cannot change the name of a property unless you either own it or have approval from the landlord. Applications can be submitted when contracts have been exchanged so that the necessary consultations can be carried out, but the new address will not be registered until completion. You should in this instance confirm the completion either by telephone, in writing or by email as per the street naming and numbering contact details shown.
- We will ensure that the proposed house name is not the same as or too similar to the name of an existing property in the near vicinity. In the case that it is we will then suggest that the applicant makes another choice to avoid future confusion.
- We will notify all the emergency services, utility companies and agencies of the address change however the Land Registry will not amend their records until advised by the owner of the property.
- The details of your property name/number will not be shown on an Ordnance Survey digital map until the details are verified and confirmed between the Council, Royal Mail and Ordnance Survey which may take up to three months. You must, therefore, be aware that if you call the Emergency Services you should quote your old name/number as well as the new, as they are unlikely to receive the updated information until Ordnance Survey verify the information given and include it on all new Ordnance Survey digital maps.
Repair and maintenance of street nameplates
Please report any broken, damaged or missing street nameplates to our Property team: email property@horsham.gov.uk or call 01403 215298.
Please note, we do not provide replacement street nameplates for private roads that are not maintained by the local highway authority.
Contact the Street Naming team
For further information or if you have any queries, please email streetnaming@horsham.gov.uk or call us on 01403 215197.
There is a £35 charge for a letter of confirmation of an address for legal or utility company purposes.