Google streetview shows the wrong house - UK
July 21, 2013 4:14 AM Subscribe
Is there anything I can do to get google street view and satellite to show the correct location for my house in the UK?
Our house in a rural part of the UK is currently for sale. The house has a name but no number. The websites that list it all have google street view embedded and when you click on street view it displays a similar but not as nice cottage as ours down the street. I wonder if this might be putting off buyers and what I can do? I've tried reporting it to google using the "report a problem" link but they won't change it. The link to edit the location when I search for the cottage and then click on the I formation bubble is greyed out. Any other ideas? Thank you.
Our house in a rural part of the UK is currently for sale. The house has a name but no number. The websites that list it all have google street view embedded and when you click on street view it displays a similar but not as nice cottage as ours down the street. I wonder if this might be putting off buyers and what I can do? I've tried reporting it to google using the "report a problem" link but they won't change it. The link to edit the location when I search for the cottage and then click on the I formation bubble is greyed out. Any other ideas? Thank you.
I would say that the easier way is to get the URL that does show your cottage (perhaps via Lat/Lon in google maps) and give that to the listing websites. Getting google to correct will be a lengthy, if not impossible task. (or as the previous poster said now that I read it)
posted by nightwood at 5:43 AM on July 21, 2013
posted by nightwood at 5:43 AM on July 21, 2013
Sometimes the Canadin google site (.ca) displays differently. You might try that.
posted by SLC Mom at 7:15 AM on July 21, 2013
posted by SLC Mom at 7:15 AM on July 21, 2013
Best answer: Jessamyn had the same problem, google tech support were not helping, but writing a song did!
link
posted by ellieBOA at 7:48 AM on July 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
link
posted by ellieBOA at 7:48 AM on July 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
If it's any comfort I take it for granted that Google will not show me the correct house, and that I'll have to cast around in the street a bit looking at visible numbers to get the exact one. Most of your potential buyers have probably realised the same thing.
posted by Segundus at 8:50 AM on July 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Segundus at 8:50 AM on July 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: i have had the same problem for five years. i have an office space for which google shows the location as being a block away, past a jog in the street. if i send the address to people, i have to include a big DON'T PUT THIS INTO GOOGLE warning. doesn't matter; people still do and they end up wandering the neighborhood, bothering the neighbors.
in google maps on my browser, there is a "move marker" menu item you can choose. i've done this about 20 times over the years... correcting the address to be where it should be. you get a little "save" button and after pressing it, a message says "Thank you. Your edit has been saved and will be visible after it has been reviewed". my edits have never become visible. i sorta wish they'd just get rid of the button; my hopes have been dashed so often.
posted by bruceo at 9:45 AM on July 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
in google maps on my browser, there is a "move marker" menu item you can choose. i've done this about 20 times over the years... correcting the address to be where it should be. you get a little "save" button and after pressing it, a message says "Thank you. Your edit has been saved and will be visible after it has been reviewed". my edits have never become visible. i sorta wish they'd just get rid of the button; my hopes have been dashed so often.
posted by bruceo at 9:45 AM on July 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
I live in a major metropolitan city in the US in a rowhouse neighborhood with a house number, and Google won't show me the correct house either.
posted by desuetude at 9:51 AM on July 21, 2013
posted by desuetude at 9:51 AM on July 21, 2013
As bruceo describes, you can submit an error report right through the Google Maps interface, complete with where the address you entered should point.
Except, they seem to completely ignore such reports. I've submitted that they have my own address wrong by about two miles (I live right at a town line, and apparently Google has the town line on the wrong side of me) no fewer than a dozen times, and have yet to even get an acknowledgement that I've tried to contact them.
If you do find a good way to handle this (short of writing a song :D ), let me know!
posted by pla at 10:00 AM on July 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Except, they seem to completely ignore such reports. I've submitted that they have my own address wrong by about two miles (I live right at a town line, and apparently Google has the town line on the wrong side of me) no fewer than a dozen times, and have yet to even get an acknowledgement that I've tried to contact them.
If you do find a good way to handle this (short of writing a song :D ), let me know!
posted by pla at 10:00 AM on July 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I have twice submitted error reports to Google maps that were indeed corrected within a few days, both for businesses that I frequented which weren't correctly shown on maps (in one case, the pin appeared a few blocks from where the actual business was; in another, Google didn't know about an incredible new Danish bakery and didn't have a pin at all). Could be coincidence, I guess? But it is definitely not unprecedented for it to work. It might be harder for a residence, though.
posted by town of cats at 10:18 AM on July 21, 2013
posted by town of cats at 10:18 AM on July 21, 2013
Response by poster: I think I have fixed it! Maybe! Tech support were no help but I did manage to sign into my google account, search for the house in satellite view, and then I could select edit. I moved the marker and my edit was listed as "pending" and a couple hours later was published. Now when I search google maps for my address it comes up correctly! Only problem is the house selling websites still show the old location in street view so I guess they don't refresh their location each time someone clicks. I may ask my estate agent to delete and resubmit the ads though not sure they'll agree. Anyway, thanks all.
posted by hazyjane at 12:25 PM on July 21, 2013
posted by hazyjane at 12:25 PM on July 21, 2013
They're probably just using your postcode to plug into street view. Certainly rightmove has a disclaimer on the embedding page: "You're in the centre of the property's postcode. Start exploring the local area from here."
So you'll get within 50 or so houses, and the searcher has to look for the one that matched the picture on the brochure. Since that picture's right above the street view on the page, I'd hope they'd figure it out!
posted by doiheartwentyone at 8:11 AM on July 24, 2013
So you'll get within 50 or so houses, and the searcher has to look for the one that matched the picture on the brochure. Since that picture's right above the street view on the page, I'd hope they'd figure it out!
posted by doiheartwentyone at 8:11 AM on July 24, 2013
Of course this is more annoying in rural areas. It's possible your estate agent may be able to tweak the location the websites give to google, since they submitted the listing.
posted by doiheartwentyone at 8:13 AM on July 24, 2013
posted by doiheartwentyone at 8:13 AM on July 24, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
My only suggestion is that you bookmark the correct location (click the chain-link icon) and get all the listing sites to update their Street View links.
posted by epo at 5:20 AM on July 21, 2013 [1 favorite]