Neighbours have numbered their house…

[UprootedSunflower]

Not with the post office formally, just decided it’s awkward to have a name instead of a number and started using it.

No houses here have numbers and never have. All named from before the area was built up.

It’s really really annoying as they have named themselves ‘one’ but they are set well back from the road and have a high gate/ alley to enter. Mine is the first obvious house front at the end of the road. So I get their post a lot.

It also makes delivery drivers get angry- no one else has numbers, like we should, or knock constantly to ask which end of the road number one is (most houses are set back so it’s me who gets the brunt).

Ive tried talking about it, but they are determined houses need numbers and it’s easier. I’ve tried stopping the postman, but it’s constant agency staff changing over.

So… I started simply marking anything through my door with the made up address and not our names ‘not at this address’ and popping it back in the post box. Aibu? They have got really cross!

They are the kind of people who order constant parcels and get post still

Speak to the street naming and numbering team at your local council as they deal with these matters. As other posters have mentioned, you can't just rename or number your house, you need permission and approval and your council should look into this if they are made aware of it.

The neighbour has decided to call their house No1, but on the street the OP's house looks like No1 (If all the houses were numbered) so the OP is having to send back all the mail received for them.

The OP needs to stop thinking it’s reasonable to put actively wrong information on someone else’s mail.
It isn't wrong. The named person doesn't live at the address on the envelope.

No, it is not the OP's job to do this, YABU

Keep doing as you are. If they get angry with you then tell them that they have caused this problem themselves for the reasons you have given (you are the first obvious house, yet they want to be no 1). It sounds like an ego thing to be honest! Remind them that you aren't a post office sorting house or a gatehouse for their deliveries. Decline any parcels that come to your house for their 'address'.

If they want to be ignorant and not fix the issues they've caused then why should you put up with them!

The OP needs to stop thinking it’s reasonable to put actively wrong information on someone else’s mail.

Surely it's more the case of the neighbours need to stop being so stupid and if they really want a number rather than a name go through the proper channels. I can't believe they have the cheek to be angry with the OP!

YABU, the neighbours created this problem, it is for them to sort out

Number your own house number 2 and make it visible.

Problem solved.

Exactly!

I'm sorry @UprootedSunflower but I think you may have actually made the problem worse with 'Not at this address' because now everyone at the Royal Mail / Amazon who's come into contact with the post you've returned think No.1 actually is a real address!

Which is the exact opposite of what you wanted to do...

Someone might have already mentioned this but does his address option come up as 'Number 1, Your Road' when you are filling in an address on an online form.
Also, can't you just put up a 1 at the entrance of his alleyway.

So, what would you do if you moved into a house with a name and no number?

In our village most houses only have names. Only the ones on the Main Street that weren't shops have numbers, and they couldn't be given numbers now as it wouldn't make sense.
The road my house is on doesn't even have a name, but the 5 houses all have school related names as we're on the path to the school. It's like that across the village.

The very new estate being built at the edge of the village has names and numbers.

Royal Mail guidelines advise crossing through the address shown on the envelope/parcel and writing ‘not known at this address’. They say anything else could be misconstrued as having been delivered to a correct address, at which the person has previously lived but is no longer resident, and means the item will likely be put back into the system for redelivery as it’s the last known address, so you go round in circles.

Following RM guidelines in this way means that the item will be returned to sender, rather than put back into the system for redelivery. Hopefully when the neighbour has had a slew of enquiries about returned mail they’ll get the message.

I would write "delivered to X in error" when returning to sender.

They sound absolute pricks and I wouldn't be helping them at all. They could have a PO Box and have Amazon parcels sent to a locker if they really wanted to.

It's unbelievable that anybody could possibly think you are wrong or unreasonable about this OP!

Yes @ScaryM0nster I am looking at you [possibly not only you]. Why on earth do you think OP should solve the problem her neighbours chose to create for themselves regarding their mail?!

As posters upthread have said, OP is not their personal PO Box nor concierge. She has explained to them what the problem is, but they have refused to enact any smidgen of a resolution and just expect her to continue to be interrupted and bothered for their convenience.

Your support of their selfishly entitled behaviour is frankly ludicrous.

We don’t all live in streets that can be numbered. All names around here, you couldn’t number them when there are miles between each house. The name reflects the farm. Or former farm.

I would write something like “no such address, misdelivered”.

I don't think you're being unreasonable. They've decided to go against the grain and number their house ,so it's their problem. As I understand it, you've tried to talk to them, you've suggested they make it clear on their gate it's now "No 1" , you have your house clearly labelled and you've put a note on your property that "No 1 is next door ➡️". I would just refuse to accept their deliveries, put their post back in the letter box (return to sender, not at this address) and any deliveries that are left, I would just remove from my property and leave at the end of the drive/front garden/whatever .

It must be so frustrating for you. My husband works from home permanently and he now refuses to be the local sorting office for the road, just because the post men and delivery drivers know he's a sure bet to be in. He's constantly disturbed, with rarely a thanks from the neighbours...some even wait for us to deliver them!!!

Hopefully the regular postmen and delivery drivers will get used to where No1 is. Hopefully if you start leaving your neighbours parcels at the end of the drive/on the verge (for anyone to pick up!) Then they'll get the message. Sure they'll be annoyed and frustrated ,but then they'll know how you feel. Your neighbours really need to find a better solution....whether that's better No1 signage or going back to the house name

I thought the Post Office had to accept changes of name and number?

Yeah - then nobody will want to go near it to put anybody's post through it!

It’s a joint effort between the LA and the post office (Royal Mail?). LA determine the street numbers and PO cross check post codes. Residents can’t just randomly make up their own street numbers if the house doesn’t historically have one.

God you would hate Ireland then, unless you live in a housing estate a lot of houses don't have numbers. Majority live in country too including me. Post codes were only introduced like 5 years ago and still google maps not fully updated with them yet. Your postman knows who every one is and delivers to the correct address. Its a credit to them

How is it unreasonable? It's not her address. The neighbours know the issues they have created and are doing nothing about it, just expect OP to stop work meetings to sort their mail out for them.

How about developing a map of names to go on a board at the end of the road? It must be hard to make deliveries.

I've just registered our house (new build) - tell the neighbours it's not a matter of sticking a sign up. I had to register with the council and the post office and it was forms for both of them. Just keep returning their mail and shrug and say not your problem. If they still keep doing it, tell them to put what3words on the delivery notes for every single parcel (and keep returning what comes to your house).