What is a director's service address?

Did you know that all company directors are required to have a director's service address when registering with Companies House, when notifying a Person with Significant Control (PSC) or when appointing a new director? 

Well, a director has the option of either picking a residential or a commercial service address to act as a service address. However, we would recommend the use of commercial (non-residential) addresses due to issues related to privacy. 

Remember, while the home address is kept on a private register at Companies House during registration, the service address is made available to the general public.

What is a Service Address?

The service address is a registered address through which a company director receives statutory correspondence. This can be any official notices or letters from HMRC, Companies House, courts, and Insolvency Services among other government agencies. 

It is the point of contact between government agencies and a company director with regard to his role in the company.

So, do you need a Director’s Service Address? Well, you have two options here. You can take the difficult hunt for a space within Central London, but you are likely to find spaces that are either too expensive or too small for your liking. Or you could take the easier option by seeking the services of business address service providers within the city. 

You’ll never go wrong with these address service providers since they have access and are already established in the most lucrative parts of London. 

Therefore, buying a service address with a service provider will not only give you access to lucrative locations within London but also open your business prospects exponentially.

Who needs to provide a director’s service address?

In addition to company directors, other high-ranking officials within a company need to have a service address account. They include:

• Company secretary

Since the primary role of company secretaries is to offer direct assistance to the company directors, having a service address package would be an effective way of keeping them in the information loop. This promotes their efficient discharge of duties.

• Subscribers (shareholders or guarantors who form the company)

Shareholders may not be directly involved in the day-to-day running of a company, but they remain an important part of the company. The service address is the best way to keep them informed of what’s going on in the company. For instance, having a service address would enable subscribers to get important details and notifications that require their attention such as tax notifications from HMRC.

• LLP members

Since there is no set limit to the number of people who can form a Limited Liability Partnership, some companies may have a hundred or more members. Remember, not everyone can or would want to participate in the day-to-day running of the business, but for the active LLP members, a director’s service address would come in handy if they want to receive statutory mail or information on the LLP.

• People with Significant Control (PSC) in a company or LLP

They too need to be up to date on what is happening even without being physically present at the company or LLP operations premises. It is therefore for them to have a director’s service address.

What is the difference between a registered office address and a director’s service address?

A registered office address is an official address where a company receives statutory letters and legal notifications, while a director's service address is the official point of contact between government agencies and individual directors of a company or a Limited Liability Partnership. 

While registered office addresses must be located within the UK, the same does not apply to the director’s service address and does not have to be within the country.

Is it possible to change a director’s service address?

You are legally allowed to change your director’s service address anytime. But this will only happen after you’ve informed Companies House using form CH02 if you are a corporate director, or form CH01 if you are a natural director.

What are the advantages of using a business address provider?

Rather than focusing solely on the benefits of hiring a business address provider, we should also understand why it is important to hire a business address provider. Here are some of the benefits and reasons why you should hire a business address provider.

1. Privacy

This is a major concern for those who use their home address as a service address. Business address providers will provide you with a registered office address or director’s service address separate from your residential address, which is also ideal for a display to the general public. 

This allows you to keep your residential address private.

2. Security

Business address providers are experts when it comes to masking or all minimizing the amount of personal information linked to your business address or displayed to the general public. 

This reduces your chances of being a victim of targeted attacks on your residence.

3. Prestigious address

As a business, you probably dream of getting a business address in Central London. 

Getting the right business provider brings you one step closer to getting lucrative locations within London since they have tons of these locations at their disposal waiting to be sold to the right people.