Any business starting up or being registered in the United Kingdom will have to have a physical and valid postal address. And being in the right location will also be part of building the brand image.
This is a legal requirement for companies and partnerships to have a registered address in the United Kingdom. This is the place where all your companies’ legal documents, statutory registers for inspection in case of any inspections. So what is a registered office? This is the place where you receive all legal correspondence from HMRC, Companies House, the courts and any other company related mail.
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This address can be different from your trading address, office address meaning. Still, it must be a complete postal address in the same jurisdiction where the company is registered, i.e., England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
There are three Jurisdictions in the United Kingdom:
- England and Wales – companies incorporated in England and Wales must have their registered office in this jurisdiction.
- Scotland – companies incorporated in Scotland must have their registered office in this jurisdiction.
- Northern Ireland – companies incorporated in Northern Ireland must have their registered office in this jurisdiction.Check the site Filmygod
It is not mandatory that you must do the trading from this address; you can trade anywhere in the United Kingdom. You can even run your business overseas provided the address is operational/maintained for the period the company is trading.
It is advised that you keep your home address separate from your business address, but then it will be your choice. If you are using a formations company to handle the registration, then it is advised that you should be that they will be comprehensive registered office service address.
In the United Kingdom company law, it is a requirement to have a registered office address; you will not run a private limited company or a limited partnership without a registered address. This will be placed onto the public record to achieve corporate transparency. You are permitted to change this address at any time as long as this address is in the United Kingdom. As a limited company requires, an LLP must also have a registered office address in the United Kingdom.
Company name must be displayed at the registered office address and any other place where the company trades from and must be visible to customers or public members. This is interpreted as that the company name must be displayed outside the registered address and readable at a given time, not just when the business is open. This is one of the Companies House requirements.
Dormant companies do not need to display this.
There is no restriction to use a residential address to be a registered address for a limited company, but it is not recommended. Therefore, it is always advised that you should have your business address separate from your residential address; this looks more professional and also keeps your residential address private.
Some of the main benefits of having a separate business address instead of a residential address.
- This will have a corporate disclosure to the address, and you could sometimes have unsolicited visitors and mail.
- The registered office address in a prestigious location can increase your customer base and suit potential investors.
- The company will have a professional image with a registered professional address.
- If the registered address is in a prominent city, it allows you to extend your reach to smaller towns and villages.
UK law must declare the office address for company registration and the Director’s service address. The service address can be the same as the office address. The Director’s service address is where the Director receives personal statutory mail from Companies House and HMRC. A service address can be anywhere in the world. Also, note that you cannot use a P O Box number to register your company in the UK.
You are allowed to use your residential address to register a company as long as it is safe to do so and you have the business authority. If you are the owner of the residential property, then you do not need any permission. Still, if you are rented or living in a Council property, you need to be very careful and follow the terms of your contract.
You also need to be careful with the below points if using a residential address for business:
- Being a nuisance to the neighborhood
- Causing any offences
- Be careful and not to have an unsafe/hazardous environment
- People footfall limit
Always avoid the above and declare it to your landlord; otherwise, he/she will not authorise the use of the residential address as a business address company registered address implications. Be careful that you will not be able to have billboards for Advertisement at the residential address. If you are a tenant in a council property, you must have written consent from the council. The council will require:
- Business plan
- If there are any alterations planned, the purpose
- Any exterior building required for the business
- Will there be the usage of commercial vehicles?
- Business hours and level of noise during business hours
Once you get the approval, you might have to pay business rates if part of the property is being used for business purposes.
The other option is to use a virtual office address that you can pay for so that all mail can be forwarded to you as and when it is received, your agent can explain to you how it works. Virtual offices have been used for an extended period. This is an alternative to have a leased property paying business rates and a lot of other overheads.
When doing business, you have to put your location address on the Letterhead/business cards, Adverts, website, etc. List your home address on this does not look professional and can be a downside for the business. Hence virtual registered office address can be an ideal place for you if there is no alternate available. You will have to pay a nominal price, but it is cheaper than renting a place and paying extra overhead expenses. In addition, this will keep your professional and personal life separate as required.
When you have a virtual office, the following are the benefits:
- No commuting – This takes a lot of your time with delays in trains or traffic jams on the road. Staff can be responding to clients from home, and this can be more productive.
- Professionalism – When you give your address in a landmark building in a well-known city, the image is instantaneously there. Your office stationery and other adverts will fall into the public’s eyes much better, and this will be better than giving your home address.
- Privacy – Virtual offices provide you with Privacy to keep your personal and business data separate. This is also supporting the accounting liabilities different and can be a headache at later stages.
