Changing or Creating House Names

How do I change or give my house a name?

Changing the name of an un-numbered house

For private houses in existing un-numbered roads it is essential that the houses are officially allocated names which are registered with the emergency services. Anyone wishing to change the name of their un-numbered house must apply to the Council. The proposed name will then go out to consultation with Royal Mail, and the emergency services. Please bear in mind that objections/ observations may be raised if part of the proposed new name is a duplication of a named road / house in the surrounding area, as this could cause confusion and possible delay when attending an emergency incident.

A fee applies to those wishing to change the name of a property. Please see the Fees page for further details.

• Application to change the property name of un-numbered houses
• Application to change or add a business name

Adding a house name to an existing number

If a property has an existing house number, it must be retained. However, a name can be used in conjunction with the original number. The number should always be displayed at the property and quoted within your address on all correspondence, for example: Rose Cottage, 1 The Street, The Town, Norfolk, NR88 8AA.

If you wish to call your house 'Dunroamin', this is acceptable as long as you continue to use the street number. More than one 'Dunroamin' in the street would, however, be unacceptable and in order to avoid confusion a different, unique name should be chosen. The Council will not formally allocate a name as part of an address unless it meets this criteria.

When a name has been confirmed, the Street Naming & Numbering Team will notify internal departments (Council Tax, Electoral Roll & Environmental Health) as well as Statutory organisations (including emergency services, ordnance survey) and Royal Mail on your behalf.

No fee applies to those wishing to add a house name to an existing number.

What you need to do:

• When you have chosen a name you would like to use you need to investigate whether the name is already being used by another property in the immediate area. If you are not sure please contact the Street Naming & Numbering team for assistance.
• Please then complete the Change of Property Name form and send it to the address above. Make sure you give a contact phone number in case we have trouble identifying your property on our street maps or have any queries.
• Application to change the property name of a numbered house

What we will do:

• Check that the name is appropriate and that a duplicate one does not exist in the immediate area.
• Inform Royal Mail, Land Registry, Valuation Office, Ordnance Survey and NNDC’s internal services of the changes. We also submit the changes to the National Land and Property Gazetteer.
• After the period of consultation we will confirm your new address with you or, in the case of duplication or objection, we will contact you prior to consultation to ask you to select another name.