What is a Registered Office?
A registered office address is the official address of a limited company or LLP that is listed at Companies House.
Companies House, H M Revenue and Customs and other relevant government bodies use this address to send company notices, letters and reminders, etc. However, it does not need to be the main place of business.
It is important that you keep your registered office address up to date and that arrangements are made to have mail forwarded to someone who is dealing with the administrative duties of the company.
What address can I use?
The registered office address doesn’t have to be where your company conducts its actual business or trade. You can use any address as long as it is a physical address and in the same country where your company is registered, for example, a company registered in England and Wales must have a registered address in England or Wales.
You can use a PO Box but you must include a physical address and postcode after the PO Box number.
Can I avoid using my home/business address?
If you do not want to use your home/business address as your registered office, you can either approach your accountant who may offer the use of their address as part of their service, or you can use a registered office service, also known as a Virtual Office/Virtual Address.
If you or someone you live with are at risk of violence or intimidation because of your company’s work, you can ask Companies House to keep your registered address private.
Green & Co offer a Virtual Office service that allows other businesses to use their Pembroke House business centre as a registered office. In addition to this, they have meeting rooms available for hire, making it possible to hold meetings at your registered office.
Please note: This article is a commentary on general principles and should not be interpreted as advice for your specific situation.
