UK postcodes very often cover multiple properties over large areas which can make specific properties very hard to find. Hashpoint was originally designed in response to difficulties faced by GPs and other local services and professionals who need to locate rural properties from house names and postcodes alone. As the concept developed it became clear that many rural businesses would also greatly benefit from a better way of finding properties and being found themselves.
For GPs, out-of-hours doctors, taxis and even your visitors, describing your exact location in rural areas is often difficult. This can be compounded by poor mobile phone coverage so those trying to get to you can’t always phone and even when they can, landmarks can be hard to find.
Increasingly, many of us are having goods delivered to our homes. This is especially true in rural communities where access to shops may be limited. Postal workers are normally very familiar with an area, whereas many delivery companies struggle in rural areas and this often leads to delays and lost goods.
In an emergency, a few seconds can be critical. Emergency services have access to better positioning tools than the public but often have problems where the best access to a property is not the nearest point in a direct line to the road. If this might apply to your property we can help you to provide your local knowledge in an appropriate data-based format help emergency location of your property.
Hashpoint is built around highly detailed satellite images. When you register you will be shown a satellite view of your postcode and can simply mark the front door of your property on the map. This position is then automatically assigned a Hashpoint which can be used in conjunction with the postcode to find you. This combinations is referred to as a 'Hashcode'
You will be asked for a postcode, email address and password to manage your information. You then simply use the interface to locate your property’s front door on the satellite image. A letter (or occasionally two) will automatically be assigned to your property which, when combined with your postcode, exactly describes the location (see usage). Further information like house name or resident's names can be added to help locate you properly but this is not required (See privacy tab above)
If you have the Hashpoint of a property you can use the simple online tool on the homepage to quickly locate the property. Also, you can also often just type the Hashcode into google or another engine to find the property’s position page (eg GL63BE#A) . (This depends on the search engine indexing it*). Even without the Hashpoint, you can try the first line of the address or names of residents to see if those are registered.
Privacy is an issue for many people who could benefit from this technology so there are a number of options when it comes to setting up your listing. Please note all information you provide (apart from your email) will be publicly available.
The Hashpoint is completely anonymous and so must be given to the person trying to find the property. You can see how we recommend doing this here.
The most common way to use the system is to add the first line of your address to the listing, this can normally be used with your postcode to find your exact location without your Hashpoint. This is especially useful where you have a house with a name, not a number.
Many people choose to add the names of the adult residents in the house as this can help confirm the correct location. This information is probably publicly available anyway unless you have opted out of the electoral register, however the electoral register won't help anybody locate your property.