Appendix A Addressing mailing items
PO Box Addresses can be used as an address as long as it still contains a full and accurate postcode and is contained within the Royal Mail’s PAF® database. PAF® contains over 29 million UK addresses, including 1.4 million business names and 1.8 million UK Postcodes, which Royal Mail constantly updates to maintain its accuracy. To meet the required address standards the Customer must ensure that each address includes at least one premise element, one thoroughfare element, one locality element and the Postcode as a minimum. Other elements may be included. If there is no thoroughfare element contained in PAF® this need not be included. The Elements of an Address
The Customer must ensure that at least 90% of mailing items carry a full and accurate Postcode, which has been validated against the Postcode Address File (PAF®). (This is a piece of generic software supplied by Royal Mail). The Customer shall ensure to take into account changes to Postcodes and other address information over time and ensure that new records are accurate. Cleaning address data should not be a one-off activity, but an ongoing process. The best way for a Customer to ensure it maintains the accuracy of its address files is for it to link its databases to Royal Mail’s Postcode Address File (PAF®) by using one of the large number of available products and services based on PAF® which are available.
J Bloggs
A Posting House
Organisation Sub-building Building name Building number
South Wing Bell House
Premise elements
B-25 Bell Complex
The Mews
Dependent thoroughfare
Thoroughfare elements
300 Western Road
Thoroughfare
Otterley Hedge End OXFORD OX4 5ZZ
Double dependent locality
Location elements
Dependent locality
Posttown Postcode
Postcode elements
1 Premise elements Customers must include at least one of these four elements, so that a single delivery point is defined. Customers do not have to include all the premise elements (unless the premise elements used do not sufficiently describe an address), even if they are included in PAF® but building numbers must be applied on the same line as the Dependant Thoroughfare or Thoroughfare information. 2 Thoroughfare elements PAF® will give one of three possible combinations: • No thoroughfare: no need to include anything in this part of the address.
• A thoroughfare but not a dependent thoroughfare: include the thoroughfare. • Both a dependent thoroughfare and a thoroughfare: include the former. If space allows customers can also include the thoroughfare, though it’s not compulsory. 3 Locality Elements Customers must include at least one locality element. They don’t have to include them all, even if they are included in PAF®. The initial letter(s) of the post- town must always be in capital letters, for example, Milton Keynes. The post-town can also be printed in Capital letters (uppercase), for example:
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