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We've just moved house and changed the name of the property.
Living in Scotland we did this through the proper route by notifying the local authority. However, I'm now noticing that all the drop down menus on web-based CoA forms still show the old house name. I'm assuming that all of these websites work off a database of addresses (the electoral roll?) does anyone have any idea how long it takes for this to be updated? Or is there something else we need to do? It's causing problems changing addresses as some sites don't seem to offer free text entry for the first line of the address or reject the new name as invalid when entered as free text.
Ta.
I think it'll be the PAF (Postal Address File) rather than the electoral role. I don't think there's a default update period for this and some companies/organisations do tend to drag their feet.
Practically, you might have to have both house names showing at your property for a while.
I moved into a new build (which is probably faster than a rename to take effect). it took over a year for the address to exist on all websites.
Fair enough, sounds like we'll just need to live with it for a bit. Postie was pleased at least as he can pronounce the new name.
The previous owner of our house changed the name 6 years ago and it's still down as the old name whenever I change broadband, and United utilities for some reason.
Occasionally I see a bloke in a high Vis wandering around looking for the old house name wanting to read our solar generation meter.
Our experience in Herefordshire is that it took about three months for it to drop off the main address finder drop down boxes on the web. Still occasionally getting post through the letterbox with the old address five years later I guess because the local sorting office and posties know the old name?
I've lived in my house for over 20 years and stopped using the house name and went back to just the number. Most PAF based drop downs still have it as two options after all of these years.
I still see two addresses for our property on some websites, based on when it was 2 cottages. Was knocked through into one house some time in the 60s I believe...
So basically we've meddled with things that shouldn't be meddled with.
So basically we’ve meddled with things that shouldn’t be meddled with.
where it can trip you up is with credit applications- the PAF is one thing but if utility companies, council tax and so on are all using different versions of your address you can appear to have an incomplete credit file when you make applications with what should be the right address.
I lived in four addresses in a row in short success that had addresses that had this problem - either places that had been converted / divided or the name of the house or the addess of a flat was being stated differently by different utilities and companies
made simple things like taking out a phone contract almost impossible. Had to go through my my credit files and get the names of all those addresses corrected and make sure anything I applied for was consistent with what was on file
where it can trip you up is with credit applications-
Thanks, will keep an eye on that.
It depends on how often the service you are trying to use buys the latest address database.
It's worth noting you can add stuff to Google, I put our street on Google maps which helped, you may be able to rename the house and/or add the name in their address lookup. They power most of the internet so fix that and you're good
Assuming that you used a solicitor to buy the property.
It might be worth having a chat with your solicitor.
What name for the property did your solicitor use when registering the purchase with Registers of Scotland?
Drop-down stuff seems to be the domain of Royal Mail. The forms where you just start typing your address and it finds it are handled by Google, which are very quick to update (less than a week in my case). However, it may vary depending on how trusted you are at editing and correcting map data.
<p>You need to update Royal Mail also: https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/update-your-address</p>
Property addressing in Scotland is a horlicks.
RoS, LA’s, the OS, Royal Mail all having a finger in the pie is bad enough. Add the comically mistitled Improvement Service into the mix and the process waste and confusion is dialled up to beyond 11.
It’s causing problems changing addresses as some sites don’t seem to offer free text entry for the first line of the address or reject the new name as invalid when entered as free text.
Free text amendment just perpetuates and in some cases magnifies the issues GIGO. The number of variations you can use to identify tenement flats means that you end up with duplicates which is confusing. This is slightly irritating to a delivery driver, but can have more significant consequences in relation to title ownership and credit checks etc.
Good luck OP - I certainly wouldn’t attempt to change a property name in Scotland. You’ll be having issues for years IMHO.
https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/update-your-address
I checked this and it's already showing the new name.
I certainly wouldn’t attempt to change a property name in Scotland. You’ll be having issues for years IMHO.
The old name was a bit of pretentious cod Gaelic that we'd have spent the rest of our lives spelling and explaining so it had to go!
As an ex-postie delivering to a rural area with no street names, barely any house numbers, house names mainly in Gaelic and some that had changed 3 or 4 times on the whim of new owners it was sometimes tricky to keep track. People would move house, but wouldn’t be bothered with redirections, just rely on the postie to keep track - I would sometimes be delivering to folks that had moved 2 or 3 times