Based on Royal Mail help pages and Parcelforce October 2025 disabled-consumer policy, checked 1 November 2026. Parcelforce contact number 0344 800 44 66 as published in the policy.
The three settings you can register
Royal Mail accessibility service offers three options: more time to get to the door, a louder knock or more rings of the doorbell, and leaving an item in a designated SafePlace. These settings apply to the whole household, and Royal Mail states that they will also automatically apply to Parcelforce deliveries. Parcelforce policy describes the same idea in its terms: Delivery Preferences give consumers more control over the doorstep experience, including asking for more time to get to the door or for the driver to knock loudly, and a Deliver Without Signature option that provides a photograph on delivery instead of relying on the recipient ability to sign. For parcels, Parcelforce also offers in-flight options to deliver on an alternative day, to a neighbour, or to a convenient post office, for people who cannot get to the door.
How to set them up, and how long they last
In the Royal Mail app, go to the account section, manage account, select address and delivery preferences, then set a SafePlace or an accessibility requirement and save. Royal Mail says you need to renew your accessibility requirements every year, so setting a reminder for the renewal date is worth doing, and you can amend or delete the service in the app or via customer service at any time. Parcelforce works the same way: once a preference is registered, its drivers carry a handheld device that alerts them to the preference at your address, the preference is followed for one year, and customers are notified before it expires so they can confirm they want it to stay. If you do not have a smartphone, Royal Mail says it can set up accessibility requirements on your behalf if you contact customer service, and Parcelforce says its customer service advisors can register Delivery Preferences for people without app access.
Royal Mail or Parcelforce: what differs in practice
The two brands share a group and a policy, but the details worth knowing are different. Royal Mail offers more time at the door, louder knock or more doorbell rings, and SafePlace, with renewal every year and customer service setup if you cannot use the app. Parcelforce offers the same doorstep preferences plus Deliver Without Signature with a photo on delivery, drivers alerted by handheld device, a one-year validity with a notice before expiry, and in-flight options for an alternative day, neighbour, or post office. Parcelforce policy covers relevant parcels, defined as packets larger than a letter and weighing no more than 31.5 kg. If a parcel needs a signature, age check or ID verification, SafePlace may not be available, so checking the tracking page or the card left by the driver is the fastest way to find out where your parcel is and how to get it redelivered.
If it still goes wrong
If a driver ignores a registered preference, Parcelforce says its customer service advisors will take ownership of complaints and that customers can get in touch by post, telephone, webform or email, including via Relay UK for deaf, hearing or speech impaired customers, and that it will respond in other formats such as braille or large print if requested. Royal Mail help pages point to the same route: change the delivery options from the tracking page or the card left behind, book a free redelivery, or collect from a local post office. Keep a note of the date you registered the preference and the renewal date, because a preference that expired quietly is the most common reason a previously smooth delivery suddenly starts going wrong.
