APPENDIX L: OCCUPANCY AND ADDRESS TYPE INDICATORS
The occupancy indicator gives an indication of the type of occupants of properties on the selected postcode. It can be helpful in determining whether a given postcode is more likely to relate to a business or private residence, or if a given address is more likely to be in a more industrial or town centre type of setting or in a residential street. You should note that there is always the possibility of an address not being present on PAF, or an incorrect postcode being given. This means that you may be given business or residential details which contradict this field, so it should be used as a guide as to what to expect rather than being treated as authoritative. The types returned are as follows:
1. Large User Organisation
This indicates that this is a business postcode which is not shared between different delivery points (letterboxes). The organisation is a large user of Royal Mail deliveries. No private residences should share this postcode and the Royal Mail Postcode Address File will only contain one business entry at this postcode. This can include PO Box addresses which always have a single postcode allocated to them.
Examples:
| B1 1AA | Used by the organisation 'Royal Mail' only. |
| B5 7PT | PO Box postcode. Used by the organisation 'British Broadcasting Corporation'. |
2. Small User Organisation
All the properties on this postcode are likely to be businesses (i.e. not private addresses). There may well be multiple businesses and buildings sharing this same postcode.
Examples:
| B2 5EP | Used by multiple organisations such as 'Toni & Guy', 'Slaters', and 'Hobbs'. |
| B6 5PL | Contains the Organisation 'Birmingham City Council, Birmingham Fleet Maintenance Dso' only. In this case there is only as single organisation residing on this postcode but it is not a large user postcode and there is always the possibility that other properties could be added to the same postcode in the future. |
3. Mostly Organisations
Most of the addresses on this postcode are businesses. However residential addresses are also present.
Examples:
| B5 5SL | Contains mostly organisations such as 'Top Draw Graphic Design Associates Ltd', 'RPS Engineering', etc. but also contains a few residential properties such as a Flat. |
| B15 3AA | Contains a large number of business addresses, but also contains a number of residential properties too. |
4. Mixed
This postcode contains a mixture of both business and residential addresses with no one type of address in a significant majority.
Examples:
B15 3TR Contains quite a number of both businesses and residential addresses B17 9QH Again contains a number of both business and residential addresses, neither is dominant on this postcode. 5. Mostly Residential
Most of the addresses on this postcode are residential. However business addresses are also present.
Examples:
B9 5XF Contains mostly residential addresses, however a construction company, opticians and garage are also present. B14 5LY Contains residential addresses with the sole exception of a corner shop. 6. Residential
All the properties on this postcode are likely to be residential addresses.
Examples:
B5 7PY Contains residential addresses only. B1 1TW Contains residential addresses, all of which are apartments.
The address type indicator gives an indication of the type of property level data present for properties on the selected postcode. You should note that there is always the possibility of an address not being present on PAF, or an incorrect postcode being given. This means that you may be given property details which contradict this field, so it should be used as a guide as to what to expect rather than being treated as authoritative. The types returned are as follows:
1. Numbered
This indicates that all addresses on this postcode consist purely of a number. It should be noted that some people may give out and wish to use a house name instead, despite that not being their official address as held by Royal Mail.
Examples:
| B6 5BL | Contains numbered houses only on Clifton Road in Aston, Birmingham. |
| B11 3QL | Also contains numbered houses only in Sunningdale Road, Birmingham |
2. Numbered and Named
This indicates that a mixture of addresses exist on this postcode, some needing a house number and some needing a property name. There can also be those that require both or include alphanumeric numbering such as 16b.
Examples:
| B3 1AP | Contains three addresses with a house number only and one address with both the Property 'Council House' as well as the number 31. |
| B3 3LP | Contains some addresses with a house number only, some with both a house number and property name, and one with a property name only. |
3. Numbered and Named, Likelihood of Multiple Occupancy
This category is the same as that above (Numbered and Named), except that the address details indicate that it is likely that some or all of the addresses on this postcode are multiple occupancy (such as a flat).
Examples:
| B5 7BA | Contains flats in Haddon Tower in Birmingham. |
| B20 3PR | Consists mainly of numbered properties, however some flats are also present. |
4. Named
All the properties on this postcode have a house or building name, not a number.
Examples:
B1 1AA Contains a single address with the property name 'Central Birmingham Delivery Office' only. B1 1TT Contains ten addresses each with a property name and no house number present. 5. Non-Standard Address Format
This refers to postcodes where one or more addresses is not in a common address format. This includes addresses which do not have a street field at all, or have multiple street names on the same postcode. It also includes addresses with numbered localities (no street but a house number which goes in with the locality field).
Examples:
B3 3BW Address simply has an organisation name, town and postcode. No other property or street level information is present. B13 9JD Some properties on this postcode have a dependant street in the street field giving, 'Fernside Gardens, Yardley Wood Road', while others only have 'Yardley Wood Road'. 6. PO Box
This refers to postcodes that have a PO Box number rather than property details to capture.
Examples:
B1 1XD This is PO Box 11907 for 'Drago Leisure Ltd' in Birmingham. B16 9WW This is PO Box 11202 in Edgbaston, Birmingham 7. No Property Information
When this indicator is present, the address or addresses on this postcode do not have any property information present.
Examples:
B1 1HH This is a 'Holiday Inn' on Holiday Street in Birmingham. No other property information is present in the fully deliverable address. B29 5AA This contains addresses for 'Lodge Hill Cemetery' and 'Lodge Hill Cemetery, The Caretaker', both on Weoley Park Road in Birmingham. Again no other property information is present.
