Limited companies in the UK have to use a registered address by law. Companies House stores this address and it used by HMRC and other government entities for statutory mail and legal documents. You may think this is a simple and unimportant admin task.

But choosing the correct registered address for your limited company is vital to ensure privacy, safety and smooth business operations.

Choosing a registered address

Before choosing your registered address, remember that the details will be public and are available via Companies House. Anyone who wants to search for your details will be able to see it.

Therefore, many businesses decide not to use their residential address for privacy and security reasons. In lots of cases, accountants agree to be the registered address for companies. This means they receive official mail on behalf of their clients and forward it on when necessary.

Using the home address of a director would perhaps make life simpler – but there are many positives when using a non-residential address.

Using a non-residential address

The first positive point of using an address other than your home is that you won’t get unwelcome visitors or mail at your home address.

Secondly, a non-residential address gives a much more professional image to perspective clients.

Thirdly, a non-residential address creates a clear distinction between your personal and work life. It ensures you will not be bombarded with business-related paperwork at home.

And lastly, a registered address in a prestigious location could increase your business opportunities.

Using a residential address

If you do decide to use a residential property as your registered address, there are a few things you should bear in mind.

Firstly, you must get the property owner’s permission, so if you’re renting a home you should speak to the landlord. If your local council or housing association owns your home, you need written permission from them too.

Secondly, while you are not able to use a PO Box number as your registered office address, you can use a PO Box address if you provide Companies House with the complete, physical postal address.

Your accountant’s address

If you decide to ask your accountant to use their offices for your registered address, you can have the security that all official and important documents will go to them.

Your annual confirmation statement – which tells Companies House about your directors, and what shareholdings in your company they have, etc – are stored and in one place.

For HMRC, references, tax codes and tax bills are sent to the registered address.

These documents usually end up with your accountant, so get them sent straight there and they can be dealt with immediately?

If you would like to speak to us about using our address for your business, contact us today.