UPRN
What is a UPRN?
A UPRN (Unique Property Reference Number) is the canonical 12-digit identifier assigned to every addressable location in Great Britain. It is allocated by local authorities through GeoPlace and published by Ordnance Survey under the Open Government Licence as the OS Open UPRN dataset.
Every house, flat, garage, mast and addressable object has its own UPRN. The number stays the same when a property is split, merged, renamed or renumbered, which makes it the most reliable key for joining datasets such as Land Registry titles, EPC certificates, council tax records and planning applications.
UK government bodies adopted UPRNs as the mandatory location identifier in 2020 under the Open Standards for Government programme. If you handle UK property data, the UPRN is the field you want to key on.
What this means in practice
Take 10 Downing Street: UPRN 100023336956. The number was issued by Westminster City Council, lodged with GeoPlace, and stays attached to that addressable object even if the building is renamed, sub-divided, or merged with the Cabinet Office next door. Compare that to the postal address, which has changed format three times since 1990, or the Land Registry title number, which differs for the freehold and any leasehold flats. One UPRN, one row, one join key — that is why the Office for National Statistics and 408 local authorities standardised on it for the 2021 Census.
Related questions
Is a UPRN the same as a USRN?
No. The UPRN identifies an addressable property — a flat, house, garage, mast. The USRN (Unique Street Reference Number) identifies a street, also issued by GeoPlace and published as OS Open USRN. Every UPRN sits on a parent USRN, so the two together describe both a property and the street it fronts. Highways authorities and street-works systems key on USRN; property data keys on UPRN.
Do new builds get a UPRN before completion?
Yes. Local authority street naming and numbering teams allocate a UPRN at the planning or layout stage, often months before practical completion. The record sits on AddressBase as a "Provisional" or "Plot" address until the property is built, occupied and confirmed, at which point it becomes a "Postal" address. Conveyancers, utilities and Royal Mail all rely on this early allocation, which is why a brand-new home can be searched on AddressBase before its first sale completes at Land Registry.
Related reading
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