National Address Database: the bedrock of any property analysis

No serious property analysis exists without a reliable address. France's National Address Database (BAN) is the public reference that normalises, geocodes and links every French address to its town and its plot. Here's how it's built, what it changes for buyers, and why BienCheck has placed it at the core of its engine.

Source: IGN + Insee + La PosteCertified INSEE codePlot-level geocodingOpen data

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What the BAN is

The BAN is France's official, public reference for every postal address. It's co-produced by the IGN, Insee, La Poste and Etalab, with each town contributing via its Local Address Database (BAL).

For every address it provides: normalised street name, number, postcode, town, INSEE town code, GPS coordinates (lat/lon) and a permanent identifier. It's the single, trusted version of each French address.

The BAN is fully open data. The entire official stack (Géorisques, Cadastre, DVF) relies on it to join an address to other datasets. Without it, linking a property to its risks, local EPC or real prices would be impossible.

How the data is produced

Each town maintains its Local Address Database, listing streets and numbers. These BALs flow up into the BAN, are merged, normalised and published continuously.

Quality varies: 36,000 towns contribute at their own pace. Big cities have impeccable coverage; some small rural towns have gaps or slightly off coordinates. The BAN exposes a per-address quality score.

BienCheck calls the BAN through its official API (adresse.data.gouv.fr) and stores a permanent address identifier for each user. When local data improves, your report inherits the update automatically.

Why a precise address improves the analysis

Buying 500 m further out can mean moving from a flood zone to a safe one, from a median EPC of D to F, from one €/sqm to another. A precise address isn't a detail; it's the foundation.

When buying

We anchor the property to the right town, neighbourhood and plot. Local risks and prices become readable with precision.

When selling

A normalised address avoids portal mismatches and improves the listing's visibility on Google and aggregators.

For rental investment

We measure rental demand and tension at neighbourhood level, not just citywide. The difference is huge in big metros.

On financing

Banks use the BAN to validate the exact address in loan and insurance files.

On insurance

Insurers use fine address data to fine-tune premiums by precise local risk (flood, burglary, wildfire).

On works

Zoning, easements and building rules apply at plot level. Without BAN, you'd read the wrong zoning.

On resale

A precisely identified, well-rated neighbourhood lifts value. A normalised address feeds DVF comparables.

How BienCheck uses the BAN

As soon as you fill the BienCheck form (address, town, postcode, neighbourhood), we call the BAN API to normalise it: official spelling, INSEE code, lat/lon, quality score.

That geocoding triggers everything else: a call to Géorisques for the town's risks, ADEME for the local energy context, DVF for comparables. Without the BAN, those joins would be impossible or fragile.

If the BAN returns a degraded quality score (partial address, ambiguous town), BienCheck flags it and proposes a suggestion. Essential to avoid analysing the wrong property.

The BienCheck form is built around four fields that map cleanly onto the BAN: address, postcode, town, neighbourhood. Each plays a specific role in pinning the right property.

Common address mistakes

Entering an approximate address
Without a number, you land on a random point in the street. All cross-checks lose precision.
Confusing town with merged sub-town
After mergers, some former towns persist as delegates. The BAN decides, not intuition.
Ignoring the INSEE code
Two 'Saint-Martin-de-X' coexist in different departments. The INSEE code prevents any mix-up.
Assuming every address is perfectly geocoded
Rural areas and new developments can lag 6–12 months in the BAN.
Mixing geocoding and cadastre
The BAN locates an address; the cadastre identifies a plot. For bare land, the latter trumps the former.

BienCheck reflexes

Always validate the address with BAN autocomplete
The form offers official suggestions. Pick the one that matches exactly.
Prefer a precise number to 'hamlet'
A hamlet ID centres you on the hamlet, not on your plot.
Check the town on the map
When the BAN proposes two possible towns, look at the GPS pin to decide.
Report a missing address to your town hall
Local BALs grow by contribution. A missing new street usually gets fixed in weeks.
Cross-check with the cadastre for land
For a land purchase or zoning analysis, the plot reference (section + number) beats the address.

Buyer questions

Why does BienCheck re-ask my address when it's on the listing?

To pass it through the BAN filter. Listing spelling can be sloppy and a wrong INSEE code skews risks and comparables.

My address isn't recognised, what now?

Enter the closest match and flag it. BienCheck keeps your input and completes it once the BAN updates.

What's the typical geocoding precision?

House number in urban areas, street or hamlet in rural ones. BienCheck displays the quality score.

What's the role of the INSEE code?

It unambiguously identifies the town, even when names overlap. Every public dataset uses it as a key.

Does the BAN cost anything?

No, it's open data. BienCheck uses it for free via the official API.

Investor questions

Can I analyse multiple properties in bulk via the BAN?

Yes, via the BAN batch API. It's the foundation of any multi-property arbitrage pipeline, planned for BienCheck Pro.

Does the address identifier change over time?

No, it's permanent. Past reports stay linked to the address even after a town renumbering.

How do I link BAN and DVF?

Through the cadastre and INSEE code. The bridge is automatic in BienCheck but takes engineering on raw open data.

Can I geocode a plot without an address?

Yes, via the cadastre, using section + plot number. Useful for land or very large farm parcels.

What granularity for a neighbourhood analysis?

In Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Insee's IRIS units are finer than the administrative neighbourhood. BienCheck blends both.

Owner questions

My home has no number, is that a problem?

Not for daily life, but for selling yes: insurance, deliveries, emergency services. Ask the town hall for a number; it's free.

Does the BAN link to my property tax?

Indirectly, via town and plot. Tax is computed by the tax office, not the BAN.

My address changed after renumbering, what about the old one?

It stays in the historical record. The BAN tracks history, so old reports keep working.

How do I check my official address?

On adresse.data.gouv.fr or via the town's search engine. BienCheck offers the same validation in its form.

Are new housing developments in the BAN?

Yes, as soon as the town files them. The lag between build and BAN publication can run a few months.

BAN and geocoding glossary

BAN: France's National Address Database. The open, official source of every French address geocoded to GPS coordinates.
INSEE code: 5-character official code assigned by INSEE to every French municipality. Essential to join public datasets.
Geocoding: Converting a postal address into GPS coordinates and matching it to a cadastral plot.
Cadastral plot: Land unit identified in the French cadastre by a number and a town. The key linking DVF sales records to a precise piece of land.
PLU (zoning): Local urban plan. The town-hall document defining what can be built on each plot and the easements that apply.
DVF: France's open land-value database, published by the Ministry of Finance. Lists every property sale of the last 5 years with the real net-of-fees price.

The BAN by territory

Every French town and department is geocoded via the BAN. Click to see the property profile of the territory.

Analyse a precise address

Enter your exact address in BienCheck: risks, local EPC, DVF prices and works plan flow automatically.

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