What is a registered office address and why do I need one?

Introduction

Are you setting up a business and wondering if you need a registered office address? This guide will help by explaining that a registered office is a physical location where your business receives post and that it’s a legal requirement for UK limited companies. It can either be your home address or a virtual address, and it can be changed.

What is a registered office address?

A registered office address is a company’s statutory inspection and correspondence address. It must be a physical location in the country in which the company is registered.

For example, if you register your company in Scotland, its registered office address must also be in Scotland. Your company can trade anywhere in the UK and overseas, regardless of where its registered office is located.

The address must be ‘appropriate’. This means it must be possible for you, or someone representing your business, to receive mail that is sent there. The sender should also be able to receive confirmation that their post has been delivered to your business.

The address must be a complete physical address. You can’t use a Royal Mail PO Box address for your business, or any alternative from other providers.

Why do I need a registered office address?

You’re legally required to have a registered office address under Part 6 of the Companies Act 2006. If you don’t provide a suitable registered office address, your company could be struck off the register held by Companies House.

You must have your registered office address in place before registering your company. You’ll have to provide it, along with an email address, when you set up the company.

You’re legally required to display your registered office address on your website, business letters, order forms, and invoices. You also need to display a sign with your company’s name on it outside your registered office. If your registered office is at your home address, or if your company has been dormant since formation, this requirement doesn’t apply.

Privacy considerations

Your company’s registered office address will be publicly available on the Companies House register. This enhances openness and corporate transparency in the UK.

You also need to provide an email address for your company, but this will not appear on the public register. You must ensure that you read emails sent to this address. Companies House and other official organisations may use it to contact your business.

If you want to register your home address as your registered office address, it’s worth considering whether you want that information to be publicly available. There’s currently no option to make the information private.

Renting? Get permission first

If you rent your home from a private landlord or the local authority, you’ll need their permission to use your rented address as your registered office address. This is because the address will be made publicly available.

Can a home address be removed from the register?

In future, there will be the option to remove a residential registered office address from the Companies House register under new measures introduced in the Economic Crime & Corporate Transparency Act 2023.

Despite this development, it’s still preferable to use a non-residential address for your registered office. Using a commercial office address projects a more professional image to clients and investors, making your business appear more credible and trustworthy. It will also help your company appeal to a wider range of customers and investors.

Can I use a virtual address?

If you don’t want to use your home address as your registered office location, you can use the address of a solicitor or accountant if you have permission. Alternatively, a company formation agent can provide you with an address to use. For example, 1st Formations can provide you with a London registered office address for your business.

Statutory registers

You should store statutory registers at your registered office address and make them available to be viewed by the public. Alternatively, you can keep statutory records at a Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL) and make them available for inspection there. If you keep your statutory records somewhere other than your registered office address, you need to tell Companies House.

Can I change my registered office address?

Yes, you can change your registered office address if it remains in the same country that your company is registered in. Just follow these steps:

• If there are other directors of your company, they’ll need to approve the change. Ask them for their approval.
• File form AD01 with Companies House within 14 days of changing the address, either by post or using the Companies House WebFiling service. Companies House will verify the new address on the Post Office database, so make sure you provide the full address and include the correct postcode.
• Companies House will update its register and let HMRC know about the change.

The address details will be updated on the public register within approximately 24 hours. You’ll need to move your statutory documents to the new address unless you’re keeping them at a SAIL address.
You'll also need to make sure the new address is displayed on the relevant business documentation, and that a sign with your company’s name on it is displayed outside the new registered office address.

Do I have to trade from my registered address?

No, you don’t have to trade from your registered office address. As long as you arrange to have any post forwarded to you, you don’t even need to go to the location. It’s very common for companies to only use their registered office address for official correspondence, which saves money on rent and maintenance.