We aim to complete applications within four to six weeks.
When applying to add or change the name of a property, you must submit three names for approval. These names must be different and listed in preference order – first, second and third choice. We require three different names in case duplicates are found during our checking procedures.
Names must be unique in order to avoid confusion when searching your property. If there is already a property with a similar or the same name in the area your request might be refused.
Please consider the following guidance when submitting proposed names for your property or properties.
Proposed new names could be inspired by the following themes, such as:
- historical references
- national or historic figures or events
- names of deceased people
- geographical references, such as ‘Sicilian Cottage’
- names with Royal references. Please note proposed names with any reference to the Royal family or the use of the word ‘Royal’ must be approved by the Lord Chamberlain’s office.
Proposed new names should not:
- repeat the name of the street
- begin with ‘the’
- include numbers which may cause confusion, for example ‘20 Seven Foot Lane’ sounds the same as ‘27 Foot Lane’
- use the name of a living person
- be considered rude, obscene, or racist or break our policies
- cause spelling or pronunciation issues
- be used for advertising or commercial gain
- contain variations of punctuation, for example, the use of apostrophes.