Unlike many of our competitors, who apply monthly updates, we update our data daily, direct from the Royal Mail.
The Royal Mail make hundreds, sometimes thousands, of address changes daily to the 33,114,543 million addresses in the PAF (Postcode Address File) database. Every morning, the PAF file is updated with information from council property applications and 70 thousand postmen and women on their beat.
Our servers automatically download the PAF file updates from the Royal Mail every night. Thus our Postcode Software customers have the latest PAF file data available to them every day. The PAF file is the most complete and up to date address database in the UK. Being one of the worlds largest Address Databases, it is also recognised as a world-class address dataset.
The following diagram shows how the updates are passed from the feedback received by 70 thousand Royal postmen, and women, on their beat every morning.
This means that you, the customer, do not have to apply periodic data updates or worry about the management of such royal mail updates, as we do that for you. Please read some of our customer comments.
The Royal Mail PAF database currently has 33,114,543 Addresses in 1,836,902 Postcodes (updated 20 Nov 2024 09:03)
1 Postcodes were added and 4,418 addresses were added/updated in the last daily update, which takes place after every working day. With 1,947 Postcodes added and 22,736 addresses added/updated in the last week (5 working days)
In addition to the Royal Mail updates, we also added 9,873,834 counties designations to address records in PAF DB.
We also offer additional data provided by the Royal Mail.
In addition to the Postcode Address File (PAF) data, we can provide “Not Yet Built” data, currently, 655,981 extra addresses, which contain properties under construction and in the planning stage. This type of address can be useful to the construction industry. When such properties can receive mail, they are added to the PAF file by the Royal Mail. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us for a quote.
The PAF file lists all delivery points, for mail, a letterbox or a group of letter boxes. This was designed to have a maximum of 100 individual addresses within one postcode.
Sometimes when multiple mailboxes exist behind a single delivery point, such as a block of flats, then you may need more detail. The Multiple Residencies database list all specific mailboxes at such addresses. It currently contains 965,972 extra addresses, which expands the Royal Mail PAF file.
Our V3 Open API Json Web Service and our SimplyCompleteAI Address Finder, which return GeoLocation as part of the address, now has the option of Taxi Location data in addition to the Royal Mail PAF data.
It which contains:
Since these are not in the PAF database and receive no mail, they have no Postcode. They are purely for booking and quoting for Taxi, based on GeoLocation. The postcode will be returned as "UNKOWN".