Neighbour using house name

[Baggyprincess]

Rural house. Lived here many years. Neighbours next door but one moved in at the end of last year. Their house was lived in by a very old man, it has since been renovated and rented out.

Our house has a geographical name to help locate it as the village in our address is over a mile away. The neighbours house has the same geographical name but is followed by a traditional business type name. They have decided to add ‘House’ to the end of their property name and now we have had multiple deliveries for them and more recently ours have been misdelivered to them. We have only recieved their deliveries when we have not been home and things have been left in our parcel store but they have accepted our parcels without informing us they have them.

For property names think Castle House for us and then Castle Forge which they have changed to Castle Forge House for them. Castle Forge gives Google results but Castle Forge House does not. Yet they insist Castle Forge House is the property name. I’m convinced it’s just Castle Forge and would like them to revert to that name - I only realised they were using the modified name this week.

How can I prove to them that Castle Forge is the correct name for the property that they rent and get them to drop ‘House’ from their address?

I have a relative who is a bit of a pompous prat. He lives in a village that has a Manor House and a Manor School House, I'd assume from back when some socially-minded bigwig undertook to educate the local youth.

Relative went through a very trying time last year; I sent a few cards and a gift to let him know we were thinking of him. Found out later that he lives at the old schoolhouse: not, as he'd always said, the manor house. As he received none of my good wishes, I surmise that he's managed to piss off his manor-dwelling neighbours as thoroughly as he has me!

OP, I like the idea of BOTH adding a descriptive line to your delivery address AND putting a nameplate on your front door or gate. Then pursue official channels, but at least get your post in the meantime.

When using a postcode checker (their PC is 1 letter different to mine) only Castle Forge comes up, no other ‘Castle’ names and no Castle Forge House.

I would order both a nameplate that says “Castle House” and a sign that said “Castle Forge ——->” and position it with the arrow pointing their direction.

@Baggyprincess The first option is the Royal Mail address finder. This gives the correct postal address and is free.

The second is to get a copy of the Land Register, this gives the registered address which is also the Royal Mail address. https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry

The Land Register is likely to carry more weight. The cost is nominal.

Could you return any mail you receive for them stating 'return to sender, unknown address'.

In the short term your what3words location will help massively - most couriers can use this, and in situations like yours, with no road name, it'll make their lives considerably easier! Emergency services use it too!

Royal mail postcode checker actually only comes up with the old man’s business name followed by Castle Forge. But the tenants are ignoring that and are sticking with “the Landlord told us . . . “

We have a similar confusion with a house in a village seven miles away. The mail isn’t the problem, it’s couriers leaving stuff on the doorstep and people trying to pick up things from eBay/Facebook marketplace.

https://www.namemyhouse.co.uk/renaming-your-house explains the steps needed to legally rename a named house without a number. You can call a numbered house by any name you like because Royal Mail will ignore the name and use only the number, however this doesn't apply to Castle Forge.

You can find out who owns the house by paying £3 to the Land Registry.

Thanks for all the advice and shared experiences.

Land Registry also confirms ‘Castle Forge’ only! Now how to convince them?

How frustrating for you. They clearly aren’t going to listen to you. I’d suggest contacting your local councillor and ringing your council. If they are able to send out an official letter that might help. Also make sure you put everything in writing to your neighbours along with the land registry proof and details of the process to change a house name and an explanation of the impact on you. If you can find out the landlords details or the letting agents if they exist, copy them in too. Put up a sign on your parcel box that says “parcels for MY NAME only” - it doesn’t stop your things going to them but it might stop their stuff being dropped with you. Don’t take care of any of their parcels. Leave them next to the parcel box out in the rain and ignore them.

I would send the tenants and the landlord a letter enclosing both the Land Registry and Royal Mail evidence of their lawful address.

Ask them to cease and desist using the incorrect address because it is interfering with the lawful delivery of your post.

Advise them if they continue you will notify Royal Mail and the Local Authority of the detriment you are suffering by them using an incorrect address.

I have a sign on my door and parcel box . . . Please do not deliver parcels for Castle Forge House here. This is Castle House.

And a really prominent name sign on the gate.

I have a similar issue, my address is farmname farmhouse, other houses are the mill farmname, the barn farm name. I’m the first building so all parcels come to me. My solution was stick a big outdoor box with a hinged lid next to the door with a parcel sign. All the parcels go in there now and neighbours are welcome to have a look/ collect their parcels from there. I take no responsibility for them though.

Could you close up your parcel box so that parcels can’t be put in it. You could arrange to pick up your parcels from a collection point (not a good solution). The courier parcels of this other house you’d just leave by your front gate in the rain. Let them come round (you don’t call them) and find their parcels. This should change their house name idea right away.

Id do something like this for now. Or put up a sign saying, ‘This is x address, not y. Please don’t leave parcels for y’

The person responsible for naming and numbering the houses is usually called something like the "Street Naming and Numbering Officer" at your local council.

Perhaps get in touch with this person at your local council and explain the confusion that is being caused.

A letter from the council may well work better than anything that comes from a neighbour.

Found this:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/consumer-advice/consumer-rights/a562128/how-do-i-rename-my-house/

You say your house is a new build, is your neighbours house a new build too? It could be if it’s an old house, that “house”was part of the original name and dropped over time but the new landlord has reverted back to the original name in the title deeds. If this is the case there is nothing you can do.

This
Also the Royal mail address finder will give you the list of all the houses in the postcode and their official addresses.
https://www.royalmail.com/find-a-postcode
This is what the address is. Is contact the landlord with this info if you can

Respectfully, OP, their name was (eg) Castle Forge, and then you named your new build (eg) Castle House?

You chose a name very similar to theirs (which is traditional and pre-dated yours), so you certainly have a part to play here.

That being said, as others have said, you can find their landlord's address at the land registry and contact them.

Good points on the thread. The suggestion of buying a sign with your house name and then Castle Forge House [ arrow] telling couriers to go on to theirs sounds like a good idea.

I am assuming neither house has a number in addition to a name. Where I live most houses have names yet a few have the registered title just or in addition to the name. I was so concerned about this for my house a few years ago which was registered as the land registry only with the number on the title, not the house name, yet since even back to the 1980s the owners used just the name including in the probate details when they died, I made a formal application to the Land Registry to keep the number as now which no one but for some reason the water rates company, but also add the name too. I had to pay a fee and do a witness statement with attached evidence of use of the house name. That was approved so now it is registered with the house name and then the number. Royal Mail as far as I know back to the 1980s and earlier has always just used the house names.

A neighbour recently completely did up a house and changed the name of theirs and did the full notification to Royal Mail etc (their name is not like any other around here so no problems with that).

Good luck. Above all other things I would put keeping on good terms with these neighbour tenants however as a few parcels going astray is not going to be as bad as an all out fight. Perhaps also copy them with the land registry title you bought showing the name and do a screen shot with the same letter or email to them of the Royal Mail Postcode finder result

It sounds like you have tried to convince them and show them evidence but they are choosing to ignore you and there is sadly nothing to do about that. It sounds like the only think you can do is stop taking in their parcels. Because they are clearly being difficult and why would they change their behaviour when they are still able to get their parcels.

Make sure your parcels have instructions for them so delivery drivers know where to put them when out ie do not leave with neighbours at castle forge.” It’s annoying for you but it sounds like they aren’t the best people for parcels to be left with anyway.

If any parcels get left for them at your address return them to the sender with wrong address written on it. A bit inconvenient for you but it all sounds unnecessary and inconvenient anyway at the moment. Eventually they may start to realise they may have to start giving people the right address. Sound like complete plonkas anyway so probably not. I liked the suggestion of the sign pointing to their made up name or maybe a little label on your door saying “this house is not castle forge house. Please do not leave parcels.”

Take a copy of it round to them. Explain that parcels didn’t go missing before and any further parcels you’ll be returning to sender.

Although if you have different post codes doesn’t that help couriers?

😂😂 no you don’t lol

If your house does not have a number, you do indeed have to get any change of name approved by the council who will only give their consent if Royal Mail is happy with the new name.