House name change is this possible

mcdermott_c

We are moving to a new house in a couple of weeks and would like to change the name of the house. The house has a name but no number since it is off a farmers track rather than a council road.

This might be a stupid question, but is it possible to start the process before we move into the house to avoid paying any fees twice or having to inform utility suppliers, banks etc twice of a change of address.

I assume we have to pay (via our solicitor) to register the property in our name with places like the land register and on the title deeds, so wondered when the solicitor was doing this if he could use a new name. Or whether we have to move in with the old name and then change the name afterwards. If the latter is the case will we have to change the house name on the title deeds and land register, and would we have to pay to do this.

Hope this makes sense

thanks

G_M

I believe it is via the council that this is initiated. I doubt they'll accept an application from a non-owner.

Check your council's website, or see

http://www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/yourdistrict/streetnaming/renaming/

mcdermott_c

G_M wrote: »

I believe it is via the council that this is initiated. I doubt they'll accept an application from a non-owner.

Check your council's website, or see

http://www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/yourdistrict/streetnaming/renaming/

thanks I had read that I needed to contact the local council and royal mail. Do you know if the title deeds and land registry documents must be changed as well ?

thanks

G_M

Some limitations to the service.

• We cannot formally change a property name where the property is in the process of being purchased, that is, until after exchange of contracts have been completed

http://www.westdevon.gov.uk/article/3662/Naming-or-Renaming-a-property

You will also need to register the change with Land Registry,

eddddy

When I did this many years ago, I asked my solicitor who was doing the conveyancing and he told me what I needed to do.

TBH - I don't remember the details, but it was a very straightforward process.

The only people who wouldn't update their records were TV Licensing. I bought a TV licence under the new house name, but they kept sending enforcement inspectors looking for a house with the old name (as it no longer had a TV licence).

Maybe they thought I was scamming them - telling them the house name had changed, to avoid buying a TV licence.

mcdermott_c

eddddy wrote: »

When I did this many years ago, I asked my solicitor who was doing the conveyancing and he told me what I needed to do.

TBH - I don't remember the details, but it was a very straightforward process.

The only people who wouldn't update their records were TV Licensing. I bought a TV licence under the new house name, but they kept sending enforcement inspectors looking for a house with the old name (as it no longer had a TV licence).

Maybe they thought I was scamming them - telling them the house name had changed, to avoid buying a TV licence.

ok thanks looks its a fairly simple process that i will need to do once we exchanged contracts

cheers

Davesnave

Be careful changing names. It's amazing what some people think is an attractive name for their abode.

'Windy Ridge' comes to mind here, as well as 'Cobblers' and the appallingly realistic, 'It'lldo.'

My local favourite, almost bound to add a few thousand to the asking price, is 'Little Shanty.'

seven-day-weekend

Davesnave wrote: »

Be careful changing names. It's amazing what some people think is an attractive name for their abode.

'Windy Ridge' comes to mind here, as well as 'Cobblers' and the appallingly realistic, 'It'lldo.'

My local favourite, almost bound to add a few thousand to the asking price, is 'Little Shanty.'

The best house name I have seen is Cobwebs, which was round the corner from where I lived in the early 1970s. It stood for Currently Owned By Woolwich Equitable Building Society.

BeansOnToast_2

Davesnave wrote: »

Be careful changing names. It's amazing what some people think is an attractive name for their abode.

'Windy Ridge' comes to mind here, as well as 'Cobblers' and the appallingly realistic, 'It'lldo.'

My local favourite, almost bound to add a few thousand to the asking price, is 'Little Shanty.'

One of the questions we asked our vendor was the origin of the name. It turns out that it is a combination of the surnames of the original owner and his builder. We like it so we haven't considered changing it.

moneyistooshorttomention

Don't think it can be difficult - as someone I know changed their house name instantly on purchase.

I am currently wondering whether to change mine or no and part of the consideration is how much it would cost to do so.

On my last house it was the type of road where houses didn't have names - but I seriously wondered whether to add a nameplate saying "Abouttimetoo". Reason being it was my starter house and I hadn't been able to get it until my thirties (Baby Boom generation and from a home-owning family - and I had expected to be buying it in my early 20s). The sheer amount of frustration of having to wait all those extra years for it and wondering when (or indeed if) I was going to be able to buy it had got to me a bit by then...

Land_Registry

As already posted Local Authority manage the street numbering and house naming - this is for electoral roll purposes
If the name is the same or too similar to one nearby then that can be a problem
After that they notify Royal Mail and it is their database that most then rely on
Once it has been changed you can apply to us with the LA letter of confirmation and we can update the registered details. So you need to get their approval before applying for the change but there is no fee for doing so.