Choosing a registered office address is one of the first decisions that you will make when setting up a limited company. Initially, it may seem like an inconsequential requirement of company incorporation, but your choice of registered office should be given careful consideration.
You can use your home address as a registered office if it’s located in the same UK jurisdiction where your company is incorporated, but this may not be the best business decision.
Also, it’s important to bear in mind that Companies House publishes registered office addresses on the public register of companies. This information can be accessed online and is available to everyone. Using your home address could, therefore, impact your personal privacy.
Moreover, a residential registered address may hinder your ability to establish a professional and credible corporate profile, thus impacting the success and growth of your venture. Whilst your company may be small, your business image needn’t reflect that.
What is the best type of address to use as a registered office?
Invariably, the best type of address to use as is a non-residential address in a well-known, reputable area. People trust what they know, particularly when dealing with new or unfamiliar SMEs. As a startup or small business, however, leasing commercial premises may not be a feasible or necessary.
In such instances, using a professional registered office service from a reputable address provider is the ideal choice.
At Quality Company Formations, our London Registered Office Service in Covent Garden is available for just £39.00 (+VAT) per year. Suitable for new and existing limited companies, LLPs, and charities incorporated in England & Wales, our service provides a number of benefits, including:
- A prestigious company address in a world-renowned location
- Personal privacy by keeping your home address off the public register of companies
- No unsolicited mail or visitors arriving at your private residence
- A prominent corporate address linked to your company on public record
- Projecting a superior professional image
- Boosting the status of your company
- Building trust and confidence in your business
- Establishing and maintaining a competitive advantage
- Creating a geographical business presence
- Physical premises where statutory correspondence can be delivered
- All statutory company mail scanned and emailed to you within one working day of receipt at your registered office
- A reputable address to display on business communications and websites
- Same-day set up
- No lengthy contracts, expensive lease commitments, or hidden costs
- No overheads or maintenance costs
- Optional on-site services, including meeting space and conference room hire
This address service is available to new customers during the company formation process, as well as owners of existing companies registered in England & Wales.
Legal requirements of a UK registered office address
As per the Companies Act 2006, every limited company and LLP must provide a registered address when incorporating at Companies House. It must be a physical address (but not a PO Box) in the same part of the UK where the company is formed (i.e. England & Wales, Wales only, Scotland, or Northern Ireland).
You can change your registered office at any time, but you must notify Companies House immediately using the form AD01 Change of Registered Office.
As a company director, you will be responsible for maintaining a registered office for the duration of your company’s existence, ensuring that statutory registers are kept there and made available for public inspection upon request – unless you use a SAIL address or choose to maintain your registers at Companies House.
You’ll need to display your registered address on all forms of company stationery, including letters, emails, websites, and promotional material. Additionally, your company’s name must be displayed clearly at the registered office. However, this is not a requirement for dormant companies.
Bottom line
You can use your home address as your registered office, but make sure you understand the implications of doing so. You can always change your registered office later, but the address will still remain visible on the public register as a historical filing.
It is not currently possible to remove residential addresses from the public register if they have been used as a registered office. However, under new measures in the Economic Crime & Corporate Transparency Act 2023, anyone who used their home address as a registered office in the past will soon be able to request the suppression of these address details from historical documents on the register.
