Address Entry: Manual vs Suggestions

Across our services (including Tenancy Builder, referencing, AI inventory and various online forms), we use an address lookup service based on Royal Mail data. As you start typing a postcode or address, you'll usually see a dropdown list of suggested addresses which you can click to auto-fill the fields.

This lookup is designed to save time and reduce typing errors, but:

  • Some addresses (especially sub-units, new builds, or unusual layouts) may not appear exactly as you want them.
  • You might prefer to use your own internal naming convention (e.g. "Unit A", "Rear Office") instead of the standard postal address.
  • You may simply want to adjust or correct the text that's been auto-filled.

All address fields in our products can be typed in manually. The suggestions are optional. If you want to type the entire address yourself, you can just ignore the suggestions and avoid clicking them.

Using (or not using) address suggestions

You can use the system in either of these ways:

  • Use suggestions (optional)
    1. Start typing the postcode or address.
    2. Click the closest match in the suggestion list.
    3. The form will fill with the selected address, which you can then edit as normal.
  • Type everything manually
    1. Click into the address fields and type the full address exactly as you want it.
    2. As you type, suggestions may still appear underneath - just do not click on them.
    3. Continue typing or tabbing through the fields; your own text will be kept.

At any point, if you accidentally click a suggestion and it overwrites your manual text, you can simply edit the fields again or start from the closest suggested address and adjust it.

Adding flat or room numbers (and other custom labels)

Royal Mail data often only lists the main building, so flat, room or internal unit numbers are not always available as separate suggestions. You might also want to add labels like "Basement Flat", "Office 2", "Garage 3", etc.

Here's a reliable way to add these when you've used a suggested address:

  1. Select the base address
    • Type the postcode or main address.
    • Click the nearest match (e.g. the main house or building) so the form is filled in.
  2. Create a blank first line for your custom label
    • Click into the first line of the address.
    • Move the cursor to the very start of that line.
    • Press Enter once.
    • This moves the existing address down one line and leaves the top line blank.
  3. Dismiss the suggestion list (if it reappears)
    • The address list may pop up again. Ignore it.
    • If it's in your way, click briefly into another field to clear the list.
  4. Type your flat/room or custom text
    • Click back into the now-blank first line.
    • Type what you need, for example:
      • Flat 1
      • Room 3
      • Office 2
      • Rear Ground Floor
    • Don't click any new suggestions while typing, or they'll overwrite your edits.
  5. Move on to "lock in" your changes
    • Click or tab into the next field (street, town, etc.).
    • This closes the suggestion list and keeps your custom flat/room line in place.

You can use the same approach any time you want to customise the address (e.g. split a property into separate units, name parts of a building, or add internal descriptions).

Using addresses from Tenancy Builder (optional)

If you have an existing tenancy in Tenancy Builder, many of our products and forms include a button such as "Insert from Tenancy Builder". This will pull through the tenancy's address details for you automatically.

A few important points:

  • Using "Insert from Tenancy Builder" is always optional.
    • You can choose to insert from Tenancy Builder, or
    • You can type the address manually in the form instead.
  • If you insert an address from Tenancy Builder, you can still manually edit the address fields afterwards if needed (for example, to refine a unit name or room label).

Letting Units and Tenancy Builder

When creating a tenancy in Tenancy Builder, the tenancy address is stored as a "Letting Unit":

  • A Letting Unit is the record that holds the tenancy address and related property details.
  • The Letting Unit must be created either before you create the tenancy or during the tenancy creation process.
  • Each tenancy is then linked to a specific Letting Unit, so that the address can be reused and pulled into other products (e.g. forms, referencing, inventory) via the "Insert from Tenancy Builder" functionality.

Once your Letting Unit and tenancy are set up, you can rely on "Insert from Tenancy Builder" for speed - or you can manually enter or adjust addresses in any form whenever you prefer.

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