Data sources
Settings → Data sources lets your organisation bring its own Ordnance Survey API key for full address-to-UPRN property resolution, on top of the free register HousingSurvey Pro already uses.
What it is
A single field for your organisation’s own Ordnance Survey (OS) API key. Most UK housing associations qualify for free access to it under the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA). This is your organisation’s own key, stored server-side and never a shared platform key — property resolution using the free register and postcodes.io continues to work either way; this key is additive, for full UPRN matching outside your imported stock.
Before you start
Data sources requires organisation-admin access to Settings at a higher level than General or Branding — no specific plan is required.
How to do it
- Open Settings → Data sources.
- Paste your Ordnance Survey API key and click Save key.
- Click Test key to confirm it works — this fires a single real lookup against a fixed postcode.
- Click Remove to delete the key entirely; address resolution using your own key stops immediately, with no effect on the free register.
How it integrates
Once saved, the key is never returned to any client and never logged — only a “key set” flag and its last four characters are visible in the portal, so you can confirm the right key is on file without anyone being able to read it back out.
Common problems
- Test key says the key was rejected. Check it was copied correctly, and that the Places API product has specifically been added to your Ordnance Survey Data Hub project — it isn’t enabled by default even once you have an account.
- Test key says quota exceeded. You’ve hit the usage limit on your own Ordnance Survey Data Hub plan — check your usage there, or try again later.
- Test key says it couldn’t reach Ordnance Survey. This is usually transient — try again in a moment.