Turning local knowledge
into reliable data

Every day, councils receive information about properties being built, converted, extended, occupied or demolished.

Much of that information is held by different departments. Planning knows about approved developments, Street Naming and Numbering officers assign official addresses, and building control may know when construction is complete.

Address Custodians bring that information together to help keep the Local Land and Property Gazetteer accurate and up to date.

Their work involves much more than entering addresses. They investigate discrepancies, check information, track changes and maintain the records that other services rely on.

Those local records also contribute to the National Address Gazetteer, helping organisations across the country access reliable information about properties.

But Custodians cannot do this alone. They depend on colleagues sharing information about changes, ideally as early as possible.

When that happens, Custodians can identify problems sooner, reduce the need for retrospective corrections and help council services work with consistent property information.

It's a role that often goes unnoticed, but its benefits reach across local government and well beyond it.