Postal address help please

[PCSB]

We will soon be living on our narrowboat. I've been trying to work out how to deal with things like bank accounts, driving licences, doctors (my wife needs regular prescriptions), car insurance etc.. I've probably missed a few things (mobile phone contracts, tv licence, voting etc.) ... 

 

They all seem to need a residential address. Whilst we will have a home mooring, our intentions are to cruise rather than moor in a marina. Also the marina we will be in does not accept mail.

 

We have no relatives that we can use as a "home address" and it is not something we want to ask of friends either.

 

I've tried searching the forum, and have found a few posts but these are very old so not sure how relevant the information is. I found a recent post on driving licences where @mrsmelly provided some useful information re a CRB check for his instructors certifacte (thank you btw). But the rest seem to lead me down rabbit holes. Maybe I haven't got the hang of the search function yet ...

 

I've found the following companies that seem to provide a UK based mailing address:

UK Postbox - The UK's Online Post Office

Mail Forwarding Mail Scanning Redirection Free UK Street Address (boatmail.co.uk)

European Business Centre (mailboxuk.com)

 

I'm not sure they would meet the need of a residential address, perhaps only supplying a correspondence address althought the Mailbox UK do mention residential address in their bumph.

 

Am I on the right track using one of these? If so are there others that I should look at?  

 

Advice as always is much appreciated.

TIA

Paul.

[David Mack]

Most of these don't actually need a residential address (other than to tick a box on the form) providing you have full online access. But be aware that car insurance will be invalidated if you do not normally keep the car at the declared address.  If you intend to have the car hop around the network with you, parking it in pub car parks, laybys, marinas, friends' driveways, suburban streets etc. your insurers will take a dim view.

[PCSB]

1 minute ago, David Mack said:

Most of these don't actually need a residential address (other than to tick a box on the form) providing you have full online access. But be aware that car insurance will be invalidated if you do not normally keep the car at the declared address.  If you intend to have the car hop around the network with you, parking it in pub car parks, laybys, marinas, friends' driveways, suburban streets etc. your insurers will take a dim view.

Hi David, thanks for responding. The intention is to leave the car at the home marina, neither of us want the hassle of worrying about where to park the car or of going back for it all the time. I guess usingthe marina's address as to where the car is normally kept would be the thing to do.

[Alan de Enfield]

21 minutes ago, PCSB said:

They all seem to need a residential address. Whilst we will have a home mooring, our intentions are to cruise rather than moor in a marina. Also the marina we will be in does not accept mail.

 

Presumably then your marina is not offering a residential mooring ?

 

Everything you list can be 'sorted', but what from what I hear, prescriptions is possibly the most difficult to resolve.

 

There are others who are 'in the same boat' so it can be sorted but I believe you need to speak with your GP and agree to them issuing renewals without seeing the patient. You then need to get them to send the prescription to a Pharmacy near where you are so they can fulfill it.

 

We are not full time liveaboards but tend to spend 3-4-5-6 months of the Summer on board. The GP will actually give me up to 6 months prescriptions in advance so we are covered. Speak to your GP you may find them accomodating.

[PCSB]

2 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Presumably then your marina is not offering a residential mooring ?

 

Everything you list can be 'sorted', but what from what I hear, prescriptions is possibly the most difficult to resolve.

 

There are others who are 'in the same boat' so it can be sorted but I believe you need to speak with your GP and agree to them issuing renewals without seeing the patient. You then need to get them to send the prescription to a Pharmacy near where you are so they can fulfill it.

 

We are not full time liveaboards but tend to spend 3-4-5-6 months of the Summer on board. The GP will actually give me up to 6 months prescriptions in advance so we are covered. Speak to your GP you may find them accomodating.

Hi Alan, thanks. Yes tbh we are most concerned about getting meds for my wife. And no, the marina is not residential, we will stay in the marina periodically (summer hols and maybe through part of winter, stoppages etc). But we intend to cruise.

 

Hopefully, someone who is in the same boat will offer advice

[pearley]

Once we found the joys of Electronic Prescription Service, what was a pain became surprisingly easy. Just go online, I now use the NHS app, alter the pharmacy to one convenient to where I am or going to be, and order the meds. Both Jeannette and I only have yearly reviews although the Surgery usually request this when we are the furthest away. Even then, we can usually put it off for a month or two.

I appreciate that not every GP works the same.

[Tracy D'arth]

30 minutes ago, PCSB said:

Hi Alan, thanks. Yes tbh we are most concerned about getting meds for my wife. And no, the marina is not residential, we will stay in the marina periodically (summer hols and maybe through part of winter, stoppages etc). But we intend to cruise.

 

Hopefully, someone who is in the same boat will offer advice

Which address do the marina use as your residential address?

 

I signed on with a local doctor when I was out cruising and they gave me scripts.

[mrsmelly]

28 minutes ago, PCSB said:

Hi Alan, thanks. Yes tbh we are most concerned about getting meds for my wife. And no, the marina is not residential, we will stay in the marina periodically (summer hols and maybe through part of winter, stoppages etc). But we intend to cruise.

 

Hopefully, someone who is in the same boat will offer advice

By law you do not need an address to use NHS services. My doctor knew I lived on a boat all I did was give a length of canal within their catchment area and bobs your auntie. They corresponded with me by email and text. If you want to vote then u cannot do it online. You go to the council offices where you want to vote and put a location which you frequent quite a lot even a park bench and register as homeless ( Lol they apologised to me re being homeless until I said it was happily intentional ) and you can vote. Banbury council last time I went were very good. Nothing is insurmountable and dont cave in re a poxy postcode as you dont have one. Be careful though with car insurance, the best bet is to go into an old fashioned broker and tell them your circumstances as trying to do it on line is a problem with many companies unless you are a generic bod with a postcode. If you fonr DVLA re a licence address they will tell you that they will accept any address where they can contact you. I have used kids and for a while a pub I used. If you tell them carte blanche you simply do not have a postcode they are amenable to common sense. The only time I had a real problem was when I had to give an address and postcode for my security check and they insisted they wouldnt issue without one. Eventualy after several fone calls and me stating how they would look in the sun newspaper refusing me one as a retired bobby in receipt of a pension and exemplary disharge papers from the RN and having held 7 justices on licences for pubs as a fit and proper person then it was issued. At first things seem hard and many public bodies try to be awkward but after the first few years I looked forward to the challenge from wallies. In recent years with more people having alternative lifestyles things have got better. I find it wierd now having moved into a house as the first bill I got was for something near two grand for an item called council tax? I paid immediately but it has not yet been delivered so its not all plain sailing in a house 

[PCSB]

10 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Which address do the marina use as your residential address?

 

I signed on with a local doctor when I was out cruising and they gave me scripts.

Hi Tracy, originally they used our old home address, they currently have our rental address (house is sold now). You've given me an idea, we'll be up at the marina in the next few weeks, I will make some enquiries there - it must be a situation that happens frequently I'd have thought. Thanks.

[PCSB]

3 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

By law you do not need an address to use NHS services. My doctor knew I lived on a boat all I did was give a length of canal within their catchment area and bobs your auntie. They corresponded with me by email and text. If you want to vote then u cannot do it online. You go to the council offices where you want to vote and put a location which you frequent quite a lot even a park bench and register as homeless ( Lol they apologised to me re being homeless until I said it was happily intentional ) and you can vote. Banbury council last time I went were very good. Nothing is insurmountable and dont cave in re a poxy postcode as you dont have one. Be careful though with car insurance, the best bet is to go into an old fashioned broker and tell them your circumstances as trying to do it on line is a problem with many companies unless you are a generic bod with a postcode. If you fonr DVLA re a licence address they will tell you that they will accept any address where they can contact you. I have used kids and for a while a pub I used. If you tell them carte blanche you simply do not have a postcode they are amenable to common sense. The only time I had a real problem was when I had to give an address and postcode for my security check and they insisted they wouldnt issue without one. Eventualy after several fone calls and me stating how they would look in the sun newspaper refusing me one as a retired bobby in receipt of a pension and exemplary disharge papers from the RN and having held 7 justices on licences for pubs as a fit and proper person then it was issued. At first things seem hard and many public bodies try to be awkward but after the first few years I looked forward to the challenge from wallies. In recent years with more people having alternative lifestyles things have got better. I find it wierd now having moved into a house as the first bill I got was for something near two grand for an item called council tax? I paid immediately but it has not yet been delivered so its not all plain sailing in a house 

Thanks for responding. I'll happily speak with folk on the phone (or in person). Interesting re voting, may well use the marina as location for that, will also tell them I'm homeless  Council tax is eye watering, and sadly don't expect any deliveries  fortunately some councils do still take stuff away though. At our last house we had no less than 6 different bins or bags for different stuff. They even charged for taking garden waste away (grass clippings etc) so these went on a compost heap - cheeky sods.

[mrsmelly]

1 minute ago, PCSB said:

Thanks for responding. I'll happily speak with folk on the phone (or in person). Interesting re voting, may well use the marina as location for that, will also tell them I'm homeless  Council tax is eye watering, and sadly don't expect any deliveries  fortunately some councils do still take stuff away though. At our last house we had no less than 6 different bins or bags for different stuff. They even charged for taking garden waste away (grass clippings etc) so these went on a compost heap - cheeky sods.

Dont use the marina as an address for voting or the council will send correspondance there and will miff the marina. You must pick somewhere without an address, this is crucial. No address, no postcode just somewhere you remain in for some time such as a particular length of canal or a park bench etc etc. They will then register you. They may ask you what the nearest postcode is to the place/bench to ensure you are voting in the right ward.

[Tracy D'arth]

OR.

 

Get a ghost mooring with a farmer miles from anywhere, you don't have to stay there - ever.

[PCSB]

16 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Dont use the marina as an address for voting or the council will send correspondance there and will miff the marina. You must pick somewhere without an address, this is crucial. No address, no postcode just somewhere you remain in for some time such as a particular length of canal or a park bench etc etc. They will then register you. They may ask you what the nearest postcode is to the place/bench to ensure you are voting in the right ward.

OK, thanks for that and understood

[Tony Brooks]

22 minutes ago, PCSB said:

 They even charged for taking garden waste away (grass clippings etc) so these went on a compost heap - cheeky sods.

 

Ours does that and then have the gall to charge potting compost type prices for bags of partially composted full of wood, stones  and rubbish, so-called compost.

[PCSB]

2 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Ours does that and then have the gall to charge potting compost type prices for bags of partially composted full of wood, stones  and rubbish, so-called compost.

I think ours sold it on to another company who did similar. The stuff they produced was ok for soil improvement on our allotment at the time, not proper compost though.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Look up  Poste Restante and use when moving about.

Good for small packages/parcels, cards and personal letters. 
 

 

[PCSB]

4 minutes ago, Goliath said:

Look up  Poste Restante and use when moving about.

Good for small packages/parcels, cards and personal letters. 
 

 

Thanks will do

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

14 minutes ago, PCSB said:

Thanks will do

It’s really handy.  
If you know where you’re going to be you can have mail delivered ahead. 
The ‘Golden Rule’ is to phone/ask the particular PO before hand. 
I tend to use main PO’s and avoid the one’s in a corner shop/co-op. 
 

[Neil2]

When we were moored up in Stoke recently I got talking to a guy who was a full time liveaboard with a mooring at Kings Bromley marina.  He said because he had sold his house he initially had similar issues and that was the reason he chose that particular marina - they allow him to use it as a postal address.   I was sceptical but he assured me it was no problem and I don't think he had any special connections there, in fact he had only been on the water about a year. 

 

Kings Bromley is part of the Castle Marinas group I believe so you would expect all the other marinas would operate a similar policy.

 

It may be some sort of special case of course, I'm still surprised because every marina we've stayed at has made a big thing about not using the address for post, deliveries etc.  Maybe things have changed under Covid..? 

[roland elsdon]

Your main issue is your car insurance.

They will only send stuff to your home address (risk address) and if this is a marina they will recognise that and spot it immediately you make a claim. Chances are they will then turn down the claim, you will get your premium back but not the liability claim made against you. Then you will never get insurance again.

 

In the past when between houses i have lived on the boat i took out day or short term insurance, they dont care where you garage the car, but its frighteningly expensive.

There are probably many cars parked on road bridges near boats that are insured on paper only, waiting for the time bomb when an accident causes third party injury.

Its been a long time since I worked in insurance but having seen major claims turned down its a lesson well learned for me by seeing the trauma of others.

[PCSB]

17 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

Your main issue is your car insurance.

They will only send stuff to your home address (risk address) and if this is a marina they will recognise that and spot it immediately you make a claim. Chances are they will then turn down the claim, you will get your premium back but not the liability claim made against you. Then you will never get insurance again.

 

In the past when between houses i have lived on the boat i took out day or short term insurance, they dont care where you garage the car, but its frighteningly expensive.

There are probably many cars parked on road bridges near boats that are insured on paper only, waiting for the time bomb when an accident causes third party injury.

Its been a long time since I worked in insurance but having seen major claims turned down its a lesson well learned for me by seeing the trauma of others.

That is concerning if you are correct. Suspect the only way to find out for sure will be to contact insurance companies directly, or as advised above via a broker - suggestions for a good broker will be appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to respond, it is appreciated even if it isn't good news!

[Ronaldo47]

I wonder how travellers get on with taxing and insuring their vehicles? Many are constantly on the move with no permanent home address.  

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I got stopped by the police the other month. Police wanted to know what a car registered with an address in Sussex was doing in Halifax. I explained I was on my way home from work. I live locally on my boat and I travel around bla bla bla and the car is registered at another home address. He waved me on my way. 
 

I thought it odd. But then it was close to midnight and I’d just dropped a work mate off on a corner. Made me wonder if he was checking I weren't one of they county line drug dealers?

 

[roland elsdon]

21 minutes ago, PCSB said:

That is concerning if you are correct. Suspect the only way to find out for sure will be to contact insurance companies directly, or as advised above via a broker - suggestions for a good broker will be appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to respond, it is appreciated even if it isn't good news!

Absolute candidness is vital . We went through brokers for day insurance, and on one occasion for one months cover only ( third party only) when we had let our house and technically not uk residents. They bled us dry but..

I have done the maths a few times and unless you commute to work , if you live aboard and move a great deal a car is a pita, and not worth the hassle. Hiring is quite cheap. ( we have wandered in to b and q and hired their van a few times for a few hours before now).

10 minutes ago, Ronaldo47 said:

I wonder how travellers get on with taxing and insuring their vehicles? Many are constantly on the move with no permanent home address.  

Im sure they pay the bond. I believe its £500000  or so.

[Idle Days]

With regard to car insurance I simple telephoned the company and explained the situation. So for correspondence they now use my BoatMail address as my abode but recognise my Northampton location where our car is kept and use that for the purposes of calculating the premium.

 

 I had a bit of a tussle with the DVLA regarding changing my licence address to my correspondence address. Initially they refuse, so I explained that I didn't mind if my new licence didn't have an address on it, so they capitulated on that point.