What Is a Registered Office Address? What It Is and Why It Is Important

A registered office address is essential for sending documents to Companies House. You must provide one if you are applying to start a limited company.

Your registered office address isn’t always your business address. It could be somewhere else entirely. In fact, it might even be someone else’s home.

If you don’t have a UK address, your company won’t work.

Companies House provides a list of addresses where businesses can be found. These include places like offices, warehouses and factories. They’re called registered office addresses.

The Companies House register is open to anyone. Anyone can look up whether a company exists. And anyone can find out what the company’s registered office address is.

You can do this online. Just go to www.companieshouse.gov.uk/register.

Why does my limited company need a registered office?

A registered office is required under section 3(1)(a) of the Companies Act 2006. This is where directors must keep documents relating to the company such as minutes of meetings, accounts, contracts, etc. If you are a sole trader, it does not matter whether you use a post box or a letterbox. You don’t need a registered office.

An official address is needed for correspondence with HM Revenue & Customs, Companies House or other government departments. These include tax returns, VAT registration statements, notices of changes of name, etc.

Keeping records at Companies House makes these readily accessible to shareholders and creditors, and ensures they are kept up to date.

Does a limited liability partnership need a registered office?

A registered office is required if one wants to form a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). This is because it is where the company files documents such as articles of association, annual returns, etc.

An LLP will benefit from having one. For example, it will allow the company to deduct expenses related to running the office. In addition, having a registered office allows the company to claim VAT on its premises. Finally, having a registered office is important in terms of tax purposes.

Can I use my house as my official address?

A residential address is not ideal as a registered office. You need to make sure that people know where your company is located and what it does. If you are looking to register a company, consider using your current residence as a registered office. This way, you can attract potential clients and investors without having to pay rent.

If you choose to do this, there are some things that you must keep in mind. For example, you cannot use your house as a registered office if:

You live in it full-time;

Your children attend school in it;

You are renting out rooms in it;

You work from it;

You rent it out;

You have a separate legal entity.

In addition, you cannot use it as a registered office if it belongs to someone else. In such cases, you will need to obtain permission from the owner.

How are a registered office and a service address different?

A registered office is an official place where documents are sent by businesses and other organisations. This is usually the main office of the company, although it doesn’t always have to be. For example, a law firm might use a solicitor’s office as its registered office because it represents clients throughout England and Wales.

Service addresses are used for personal letters and for sending documents to individuals who control the organisation. They’re often known as “businesses’ addresses”, because they’re typically used by small firms such as freelancers, consultants, self-employed professionals and sole traders.

The term “service address” refers to both types of address. However, there is a legal distinction between the two. Under the Companies Act 2006, a registered office must be designated in writing by the directors of the company. In contrast, service addresses don’t require written consent.

What’s the difference between a business address and a registered office?

A registered office is where you receive statuary mail from government agencies, such as HMRC or the Inlander Revenue. A business address is where you send invoices and other correspondance.

There is no legal requirement to register a business in England and Wales, although it is recommended. If you do choose to register, make sure that you are aware of the potential benefits and costs of doing so.

Can I use a council house as my official address?

Companies House accepts any residential or commercial address as a registered office, regardless of whether it is owned by a resident or a third party. This includes rented properties, such as those used by landlords, estate agents, or letting agencies.

If you are renting your home, you must obtain your landlord’s consent before establishing a company at the property – even if you intend to run the business from there. You must also make sure that the activity conducted at the premises does not cause harm to the building or damage to surrounding areas.

Your landlord or local authority will reject your application if the activity carried out is considered unreasonable. For example, if you plan to operate a business from your home without making any alterations to the property, or running a business that requires excessive noise levels, or causes nuisance to neighbours.

Can I move the main office of my company to a different country?

A registered office cannot be moved from one part of the UK to another. However, it can be changed if all shareholders agree. Shareholders are required to give consent if the change affects their personal address.

Companies must choose one jurisdiction where the company will register their company. They can move their registered office within the same jurisdiction. Companies can transfer their registered office to another country or two, if they wish to expand into those countries.

The process of changing a registered office is called “relocating”. Companies must apply to Companies House to make the change.

If you want to change your company’s registered office location, you must contact Companies House. You can do this online, by phone or by letter.

Can I change the address where my business is based?

The law allows you to change your registered office address at anytime, as long as it doesn’t affect the date of incorporation. You must notify Companies House within 28 days of changing your address. If you are moving abroad, you need to inform the registrar of companies about the move within 14 days of the change.

You don’t need to pay anything extra to transfer your statutory records to the new address. They will be sent automatically. However, if there is a dispute over ownership of the company, the court will look at where the company was originally incorporated.

If you want to keep the same company name, you will need to apply for a variation of the company name. This process takes up to three months.

How to change a registered office

To change a registered office, follow these steps:

1. Go to www.companieshouse.gov.uk/change_office.

2. Enter your old address.

3. Choose whether you want to use Companies House form AD01 (for a UK company) or LLAD01 (for a limited liability partnership).

4. Click Continue.

5. Fill in the fields required.

6. Check the box next to Update my Company Details.

Where to display registered office details

Your registered office should be displayed prominently on all official documents and stationary. This includes letterheads, invoices, envelopes, etc. If you don’t have one, it’s probably because you haven’t set up your company properly. You need to register your company name and contact information with Companies House and update your online presence accordingly.

Make sure you have an easily recognizable sign at your registered office. A simple blackboard outside your front door isn’t enough — make sure there are clear directions to your registered office.

Don’t put your company’s registered office address on social networks. Facebook and Twitter are great tools for sharing news about your company and connecting with customers, but putting your company’s physical location out there could lead people astray. They might think you’re based somewhere else entirely.

You must keep legal records at a registered office address.

The law states that statutory records must be kept at the registered office addresses of companies. This includes accounts, minutes, resolutions, articles of association, etc. If there is no registered office address, the records must be kept at another location approved by the Registrar General.

In case of a private limited liability company, these records are stored at the registered office address. They include accounts, minutes, resolutions and articles of association.

These records must be kept for ten years after dissolution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Council House or rented space be used as a Registered Office Address?

Companies House can use either a residential or a non-residential address as a registered office address as long as the full postal address is given. This is true for both companies and partnerships with limited liability.

But it has to be in the same part of the UK as where the company was founded. For instance, if a company is set up in England, the registered office must also be in England.

If you rent from the city, you will need their permission before you can make it a registered office.

Can I Change My Company’s Registered Office Address to a Different Country?

Companies House operates in three separate jurisdictions: English law applies throughout the United Kingdom, while Scottish law applies in Scotland, and Northern Irish law applies in Northern Ireland. Each of these jurisdictions has its own court system, meaning that there are differences in how companies are regulated. For instance, you cannot register a company in one part of the UK without having a registered office in another part of the UK. Similarly, you cannot do anything regarding your company in one part of Britain without having done something about it in the rest of the UK. This is why you cannot simply move your company’s registered office address from England into Wales, even though both jurisdictions fall under the same jurisdiction.

In addition to the above, companies and partnerships are also allowed to trade in all parts of the UK, regardless of whether they are incorporated in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. This is because the Companies Act 2006 states that “the Companies Acts shall apply equally to every person carrying on a business.” Therefore, if you want to start a business in England, you don’t need to incorporate in England. You just need to comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. Likewise, if you want to carry out business in Wales, you don’t need a registered office in Wales. All you need to do is comply with the requirements of Welsh law.