How to get a registered business address?

Every business and limited liability company needs an address with which they must be identified. It could be a physical office address or even a home address in the case of start-ups and small businesses. It could even be a virtual address like the address of the company accountant.

The truth of the matter is, during limited company formation or incorporation, it is legally required that they register with Companies House with an address of a location within the UK (in London for example).

Sole traders do not need to register unless they begin to have a taxable income higher than £1000, a point where they register with HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) and they can either choose to use their residential address or any other address where they can receive mail. This address should however not be a PO Box except it is the street address of the post office itself.

When registering with the government, it is preferable to register an office address that is not the home address. This is because registered office addresses are available in the public register and can be accessed by anyone who wants them.

What is a registered office address?

A registered office address is therefore the address which may be the address of one of the company’s directors, physical office address or a virtual office address which is registered with government organizations like Companies House or HMRC for receiving official correspondence like statutory letters and legal notices.

While a company’s registered office address may be different from its trading address, the registered address must be located in the same country in which the company is registered. For example, if your company is registered in London, your registered office address can be a physical location anywhere in the country. In other words, if you are a foreign company wishing to set up in the UK, you must register your company in the UK with a UK address.

How to get a registered office address in the UK?

The process is fairly simple. You can either choose to use the address of your company’s accountant (not in-house) – as has been done for decades before now, use the address of one of the company’s directors or secretary, buy or lease an office space or building, or buy a virtual office address.

We would strictly advise against using your residential address for this purpose for privacy reasons because once used to register with Companies House, it becomes public knowledge.

Using an accountant address or company director’s address is fairly easy since those are easily accessible anyway. For companies with more than one shareholder, using one person’s residential address may not be legal. In such cases, the director’s address would be the best option.

However, if your company is more traditional and you would prefer to have a physical office space, you can choose to buy or lease. The address can thus be registered to whichever government body you should register with. This option would generally not be advisable for new and startup companies that may not have so much initial capital. The cost of overheads and building maintenance may be overwhelming for small businesses. So, be sure this is what you need before you opt for it.

Also, while a PO Box cannot be used as the registered address, the physical address of the post office can be used. Of course, you must have paid to use this service beforehand.

There is also the option of a virtual office address. You need to find a reliable and affordable office provider. Before choosing a virtual office provider, you need to identify the needs of your company so that you can choose the right package.

If the address is strictly to be used as a registered address, you would not want to pick a package that includes phone call services, office space for meetings and conferences etc. Mail handling, sorting and forwarding via email and post usually come free when you buy a virtual address.

What are the benefits of using a virtual address as a registered office address?

There are many advantages to opting for a virtual office address. The first and obvious one is the fact that the cost of renting an office space is greatly reduced. Some providers give an option of managing your office address via a phone app as though you are running an actual physical office.

Most importantly, your company can get an address in a prestigious London location or anywhere else.

This is beneficial to your company in that it can compete with other well-established companies since it will be listed amongst them if someone does an online search for your business type.

The virtual addresses also come with services like mail handling, sorting and forwarding, phone call and answering services, dedicated local phone number, ready-to-use offices for meetings, customer service support, and much more. When a mail or package arrives for you, it is scanned unopened and sent to you via email. From there you can decide the fate of such mail or package.

In addition, some mail carriers would not deliver to a regular post office but a virtual office will be able to receive those without hassle.

Some of the services provided by the service providers are free. So, once you purchase an address from them, it is your choice to include other add-ons which will attract additional charges.

Is there a difference between a business address and a registered address?

Some large companies operate out of different locations in various parts of the country. Each of those locations would definitely have different addresses. These are trading or business addresses. The address of the headquarters may then be used optionally as the company’s registered address.

Therefore, a business address is the address that can be used for trading and also optionally serve as the company’s registered address. There is, however, no rule that says a registered address must be the company’s business address.

In other words, you can have a registered address with Companies House strictly for receiving official correspondence and nothing else.

What happens if my company changes address?

If your company operates out of a physical office space and needs to move, you only need to inform Companies House or HMRC of the change. However, to save you from the hassles of having to inform the government, your clients, and suppliers of the change, you may want to consider using a virtual office address as a registered address.

Since your company is not physically present there anyway, there would be no need to make any change even if your company changes location, except if you are moving out of the country.

In conclusion…

Whatever your company’s needs as an official location or address, there are solutions available everywhere. A registered office address may or may not be your trading address. It just must be a physical address located in the country where your company is registered.