Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would it be petty to refuse new neighbour’s request?

295 replies

isthispetty · 12/05/2018 19:40

I live in a cul de sac - the houses are in a semi circle and my house is on the one of the ends.

A few years ago, our next door neighbours knocked down their detached house and replaced it with two semi-detached houses. They live in one of the houses and sold the other.

Consequently, they live in number 9, the other house is 9A and my house is number 10.

The people in 9A have recently moved, and we have some new next door neighbours.

This morning, the woman from 9A came round and asked if we would be willing to change our house number to 11, so they could be number 10. She says that loads of their post and deliveries keep getting sent to number 9, and she just thinks it would be easier.

Would it be unreasonable to say no? I’m used to living at ‘number 10’ - we’ve lived here for years! And I’d have to go through the effort of changing our address, and contacting everyone we know and getting it changed officially and legally.

Or should I just be neighbourly and agree?

OP posts:
OpiningGambit · 12/05/2018 19:50

It would be easier in the long run, but actually doing it would be a massive ball-ache.

It would take ages for all the drop-down address choices on websites to change, and then you could have problems with insurance and credit as they can't verify your address.

Not that you shouldn't do it if you're happy to, but it wouldn't be a simple thing.

UrsulaPandress · 12/05/2018 19:50

Hell no.

Hoopaloop · 12/05/2018 19:50

Tell her to have a chat with the postman. It sounds like a pain in the tits changing your address. Either that or get them to pour buckets of cash through your door.

ScreamingValenta · 12/05/2018 19:51

Why doesn't she change hers to number 11? It might be out of sequence, but plenty of roads have houses that aren't logically numbered due to streets being extended over the years and so on.

Watto1 · 12/05/2018 19:51

It would probably be easier for them to give their house a name. The post office does charge a fee but it's not much. Certainly better than expecting you to pay a fee to change your number!

caoraich · 12/05/2018 19:51

Don't do it.
Our old landlord did this to our neighbours - we weren't affected but they had their number changed. (Lived in a house that had been converted into 2)
Our neighbours said that although landlord paid for all the changes they had to do (apparently he thought it would help him to sell later if houses had proper numbers) , it affected their credit rating as although they hadn't actually moved their address changed and it was a total faff.

bellanotte22 · 12/05/2018 19:52

Not petty at all! They sound right cheeky!

MrsPreston11 · 12/05/2018 19:52

YANBU

She’ll end up with even more wrong post!

Ohyesiam · 12/05/2018 19:52

Say no.

Sparklesocks · 12/05/2018 19:53

I don’t think they’ve really considered all the extra admin it would bring you (even if you were willing) and it’s a bit cheeky to ask you to put yourself out for their own benefit

MrsPreston11 · 12/05/2018 19:53

Surely she can just change her house from a number to a name (Dunroamin) and then it’s problem solved.

CuriousaboutSamphire · 12/05/2018 19:53

I'm not sure you can change the number of your house.

Tell her no, that is a legal minefield and one hell of a pfaff changing it on all the legal documents you would need to 'correct'. Tell her to spend about £50 and add a house name to her address and then only she needs to do all the pfaffing with the paperwork.

www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/consumer-advice/consumer-rights/how-do-i-rename-my-house

dailymailsucksbigtime · 12/05/2018 19:54

They can give theirs a name

BellaVista or CheekyFucker Villa for example

Seriously they would need to meet all costs, land registry, mortgage etc etc

MrsPreston11 · 12/05/2018 19:54

I’ve now RTFT and also her being 11 is a good idea too. She can really pick any name or number over 10.

eurochick · 12/05/2018 19:54

Hell no. It would be so much inconvenience to you for no benefit. As others have suggested, they could change to 11. I used to live in a street where the numbers were all over the place and it worked fine.

Original poster
isthispetty · 12/05/2018 19:54

Glad to know I’m not being unreasonable, thank you!

I’ll just tell her that I’ve looked into it and it would be too much paperwork. And I’ll throw in that bit about it affecting credit ratings if you change your address without moving.

OP posts:
dailymailsucksbigtime · 12/05/2018 19:55

Good name would be

Villa accipere defricatus urina

ToothTrauma · 12/05/2018 19:55

Don’t do it. I lived somewhere which had recently had a number change (I was renting) and it was a sodding nightmare. It didn’t exist on any databases and we had such trouble with getting phone lines and all sorts. Say no!

oneggshellsallthetime · 12/05/2018 19:55

Good idea to have a house name but if there's a house number already existing they may still have to use it in the address line so post can be delivered with ease from the sorting and delivering aspect.

I suppose they could be different with the house name and call it:
'Not No. 9'
9a Bridge Street...

User467 · 12/05/2018 19:56

You can't just change your house number, it's on your deeds. They will be 9a because that's the number they were allocated. I'd say no

altiara · 12/05/2018 19:57

No, I wouldn’t. I second the idea of a bigger sign (in really want to shout that out loud it’s so obvious!!!!!!)
Maybe also hang out and meet the postie.
Ours manages to negotiate house names, numbers - mostly in order plus some in a-d as there was so much land it’s all been parcelled off and down the other bit of road it’s then odds and evens. Don’t know how he does it.

moggle · 12/05/2018 19:57

Wtf? She hasn’t thought this through. They’ll be getting all your post forever. It’ll be more annoying for them, because they’ll be the ones having to pop your post round. Even when you think you’ve thought of everything there are always random letters that come.

Also it could cause genuine problems with credit reports, bank accounts etc as it’s almost a certainty that you will have some banks in common.

No way would I do this unless I myself was about to move!

AmazingPostVoices · 12/05/2018 19:57

I wouldn’t agree to that. Suggest they change to 11.

The houses on our street aren’t in order. It’s not that uncommon.

JessicaJonesJacket · 12/05/2018 19:57

Refuse. It's not only the address for mail. It can cause massive problems with utility bills. It's also not unknown for some people to try to change addresses with utility companies so their neighbours get sent their bill.

pigsDOfly · 12/05/2018 19:57

What she's asking ridiculous.

Pretty sure it's not just a simple case of sticking a number on a house and going with it. As pps have said the post office, the local council would have to agree and change all your details, the deeds of your house, would have to be changed not sure that's even possible, if it were imagine how much it would all cost. And then you've got all the inconvenience of changing all your details for everything: bank, insurance, all your bills etc etc.

She's an idiot.

Swipe left for the next trending thread