Royal Mail has issued crucial guidance for customers who regularly send letters. Most people are unaware of the official guidelines when it comes to addressing post.
According to the Royal Mail website, when posting a letter or item to someone in the UK, the address should include the recipient's name, the house number and street name, a locality name (if required), a town and the full postcode. But, there's something that should not be included when you're writing out these details.
Royal Mail advises against using full stops and commas. It also recommends that senders align each line to the left rather than centring the text.
Key guidelines for addressing letters
Royal Mail customers who like to include as much detail as possible on their addresses should check the postal service's guidelines first. It's also worth noting that the town and postcode should be written in capital letters.
Royal Mail states: "You don't need to write the name of the county if you've included the town and postcode."
To ensure your post can be returned to you if necessary, Royal Mail also recommends including your UK return address on every item you send, reports The Mirror.
County names no longer necessary
Royal Mail's guide for clear addressing sets out exactly what people need to do when sending letters and other items, including parcels. Royal Mail announced that county names were to be removed from its postal database, known as the Postcode Address File, which lists every address in the UK and is widely used by businesses and public bodies.
People were told they could still include counties on addresses when posting letters, but were advised it was not necessary, as a house number, street and postcode are all that is required.
Ian Beesley, chairman of the board that advised Royal Mail at the time on running the database, told the BBC that county names had become "a kind of vanity attachment".
How to format the address correctly
Royal Mail's guidance currently advises that the name of the recipient should be written or printed on the first line, above the address, with both their first name and surname included. A separate line can be added for an organisation name. A line should then be used for the property number and street name. If the property has a full name, this can occupy one line, with the street name dropping down to the next.
The name of the local area or village can then follow on the next line, with the town name written in capital letters beneath that. Royal Mail notes: "You don't need to include a county name, as your letters and parcels will still reach the right place. However, you can include it if you prefer."
For UK destinations, the final line should be the postcode, also written in capital letters.
