Postcode Address File

Under the conditions of its licence, Royal Mail is obliged to maintain the Postcode Address File (the PAF) file, make it available to any person who wishes to use it on terms that are reasonable, and to establish a Code of Practice that sets out the procedures for making changes to postal addresses on PAF.

Review of the management of PAF

Postcomm has agreed with Royal Mail new safeguards for the future management of the postcode and address data contained in its Postcode Address File (PAF).

The four key issues covered in the decision are:

  • The definition of PAF. What information should Royal Mail be obliged to supply? Postcomm considers that ‘PAF data’ is not only made up of postcode details, but also includes other information needed to allow users to identify specific addresses.
  • The creation of an advisory board. Royal Mail has agreed to set up an advisory board to represent the views of PAF users, and has already started the recruitment process for the board’s independent chairman.
  • Ringfencing of PAF. As competition develops in the mail market – and also with other suppliers of similar address data – it is crucial that Royal Mail ringfences PAF from its other activities, in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
  • Profits. PAF is a unique set of data that it would be almost impossible to replicate. This, combined with the increasing demand for PAF data from a wide range of organisations, puts Royal Mail in a very powerful position where setting prices is concerned. Although PAF does not fall within the ‘price control’ that Postcomm uses to set a pricing and service quality framework for Royal Mail, the company has agreed to aim for an operating profit margin in the range of 8-10%.
  • More information on the PAF Review. 
  • More information on the Postcode Address File from Postwatch (external website).
  • Postcomm's series of downloadable factsheets includes a brief guide to our work on Royal Mail's Postcode Address File.

Changing postal addresses

The postcode is used as a routing instruction by Royal Mail to sort and deliver mail more accurately and efficiently.  It is not always a geographically accurate description of where a property is located.  Postal users can be sensitive to changes to their postal address; similarly, there can be significant service and delivery implications for Royal Mail when postal addresses are changed.

In accordance with its licence, Royal Mail has established a Code of Practice setting out the process that postal users must go through in order to modify a postal address held on PAF, and the process for Royal Mail to inform postal users of changes to a postal address.

Postcomm does not intervene to resolve disputes over individual postcodes.  If you believe your postcode is incorrect, please contact Royal Mail (external website).