House Names

Mahsroh

CIS wrote: »

Interestingly there is also actually a legal requirement for house numbers to be displayed and kept updated & visible - it makes no allowable provision for those who only display house names - but it is up to the 'commissioners' to deal with it (I would guess that's now the local council)
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/10-11/34/section/64
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/10-11/34/section/65

Not sure when the last time anyone was actually fined for it though (level 1 fine - up to £200).

Well I never knew that!

Don't know if this was a legal requirement in the 90's when I used to do my paper round.... but if it was and there was a reward for notifying the authorities on non-compliance - i'd be happily retired now living on a beach in a tropical climate!!!! :rotfl:

CIS

ceh209 wrote: »

Seriously?! Do you think I can sue the builders we bought our house from for not providing a number :rotfl:

Could be a whole new range of 'No win, No fee' cases.

Craig

PasturesNew

Changing number/name needs to be done "by the official route" as that route also automatically updates essential/vital systems and services such as 999 in case you catch fire, or an ambulance is needed, or there are floods to be evacuated from, etc.

Whether you get your leccy bill is irrelevant .... it's the vital services that make the "proper way of doing it" essential.

xylophone

in case you catch fire,

Spontaneous combustion?:eek:

agrinnall

CIS wrote: »

Interestingly there is also actually a legal requirement for house numbers to be displayed and kept updated & visible - it makes no allowable provision for those who only display house names. It's also an offence to change to a different number from that issued - but it is up to the 'commissioners' to deal with it (I would guess that's now the local council planning depts remit)
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/10-11/34/section/64
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/10-11/34/section/65

Not sure when the last time anyone was actually fined for it though (level 1 fine - up to £200).

I think that's an error in the drafting of 65 that was never picked up, as 64 specifically allows either number or names to be used. The hamlet where I grew up had neither street names nor house numbers, all properties were known by "housename, hamletname".

CIS

agrinnall wrote: »

I think that's an error in the drafting of 65 that was never picked up, as 64 specifically allows either number or names to be used. The hamlet where I grew up had neither street names nor house numbers, all properties were known by "housename, hamletname".

The title of s64 is "Houses to be numbered and streets named" and the regulation states "cause the houses and buildings in all or any of the streets to be marked with numbers" so I'm not sure that it's a drafting error, however, considering when it was written, it's odd that house names aren't mentioned as there were probably more then than now.

agrinnall

CIS wrote: »

The title of s64 is "Houses to be numbered and streets named" and the regulation states "cause the houses and buildings in all or any of the streets to be marked with numbers" so I'm not sure that it's a drafting error, however, considering when it was written, it's odd that house names aren't mentioned as there were probably more then than now.

You're right, I misread 64 and thought that "names" applied to houses as well as streets, but I can see that it doesn't, houses have to have "numbers". But I'd agree that it's oddly worded for the time when it was written.

TonyMMM

In my area the vast majority only have names and have never been numbered at all. Makes delivery driver's jobs quite difficult - we keep a map/list of the house names close to us because we get asked for directions so often.

Davesnave

The local council and the PO conspired to take away our number (1) and the name of the hamlet we live in, because there was a duplicate address within 150m. Never mind that our house preceded the other one by 24 years!

So, we now have just a name and the name of the village about a mile distant. Much simpler.

Several years later, when the council failed to comply with the change it initiated, and we complained, they wrote to ask for £31 to "update their systems."

You can imagine our response.

Realising by then that they were the only entity out of step, the council relented and updated FOC.

So, it's official, we don't need a number.

ProDave

It is actually your local council that approve house numbering or naming, and some councils charge a fee.

Highland Council want £150 to register a new house name. On the basis that council fees are supposed to reflect the actual cost of providing a service I believe that is too high and would pay for almost a man day of a clerks work, which is clearly nonsense. So I have so far not bothered to fill in the form and pay the fee for my new house.

It has presented few problems. Post arrived at my house okay. I am on the electoral roll and the council bill me for council tax at my address. All utilities and bank accounts etc use my address. The council have even confirmed my new house name is on their address database.

The ONLY thing that not paying my £150 has stopped, is my address being listed on Royal Mails postcode database. I have spoken to RM and they say they can only add it when informed by the council. And in spite of the address being established and in use, and even on the councils own address database, the council still want their £150 just to inform RM.

So now I am playing a waiting game.