What to Know
- An identical "Nottingham Lane" street name has led to confusion and frustration for Hatboro and Horsham residents.
- Residents in both towns, which are only miles apart, say they've received unwanted mail and service disruptions due to the mixup.
- A state representative says he's working on finding a solution but Hatboro officials warn that it would be costly.
Windshield wipers, a new refrigerator and trashcans. These are just some of the strange deliveries Nathan Bailey and his family have received at their home on 17 Nottingham Lane in Horsham, Pennsylvania, in the past few months.
“We got windshield wipers and were told to keep them,” Katie Bailey told NBC10. “Waste management tried to drop off cans to start a new service."
It turns out those items were sent to the right address, but the wrong house.
The Bailey family moved to their Horsham home three years ago. Yet it wasn’t until August when the unwanted mail began to show up. The reason for the confusion? A new neighborhood only five miles away in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, with an identical 17 Nottingham Lane address.
The new development built in Hatboro Township in August, contains several units on a “Nottingham Lane.”
“These units have virtually identical addresses to our own,” Nathan Bailey told NBC10. “In fact the only difference is a transposed “4” (19040 vs. 19004). Because of this, along with the two townships being located just a few miles apart, this has caused perpetual confusion and disruption.”
Along with the unwanted mail, the Bailey family says they’ve also had their Verizon service terminated due to the company believing a change of residence had occurred, a State Farm insurance agent showing up and surveying their property and Comcast arriving to set up service. They also say other homeowners on their street have had their properties listed as “newly sold” on websites such as Zillow.com.
“We’re left to wonder what’s next,” Nathan Bailey said. “A tax issue? A mortgage issue? Identity theft? Repossession? Search warrants? An issue with our children’s schooling because both addresses are in the same school district?”
Residents on the new Nottingham Lane in Hatboro have also complained that their mail isn’t showing up. Horsham residents told NBC10 they tried to return the mail when they showed up at a meeting in Hatboro last week. The Horsham residents claim they weren’t allowed to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting however since they don’t live in Hatboro.
State representative Todd Stephens (R-151) is working with Hatboro residents and said a major fix could be as simple as adding a “1” in front of house numbers, changing, “17 Nottingham Lane” to “1-17 Nottingham Lane.”
Hatboro officials say they are open to make changes to addresses but warn that it would be an expensive process. For now, Nottingham Lane residents in both towns will have to continue to deal with the confusion.
