The Companies Act of 2006 establishes the legal criteria for a company address in the United Kingdom. The most recent act, which went into force in 2009, lays out the requirements that must be observed by all UK businesses.
In today's post, we'll define a registered office address and go through the most important legal prerequisites for your company to get one.
What is a ‘Registered Office’ and why would my business need one?
A registered office address serves as your company's official location for receiving statutory mail and legal papers from Companies House, HMRC (HM Revenue & Customs), and other government organisations, in addition to maintaining your company's statutory registers for examination.
Your registered office location does not have to be in the same region as your main business, but it must be a complete, real postal address in the same UK jurisdiction as your business (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland).
As aforementioned, a registered office address is a legal necessity under UK Company Law; without one, you cannot form or operate a private limited company or limited liability partnership in the UK. The data of your registered office address will be made public in order to promote corporate transparency.
Which address can I use?
When selecting a registered office, it is essential to consider privacy and professional image. First and foremost, your registration address will be made public on Businesses House's public register of companies.
It's important to remember that you want to make a strong first impression on potential clients and investors.
You may use almost any address you like as long as it's a genuine postal address (not a PO Box Number) in the same UK nation as your company's registration. Make sure to provide the entire address, including the postcode. Here are a few examples:
- Your residential address;
- The address of your accountant;
- The address of your lawyer;
- Non-residential/commercial locations where your company is based;
- A company formation agency, secretarial firm, or business centre may provide a registered office service.
Can I make changes to my registered office address?
Companies House, the Registrar of Companies for the United Kingdom, operates in three independent jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, each of which is controlled by a different court system.
If a corporation is involved in legal procedures, the matter will be heard by the Court of the controlling jurisdiction under the Companies Act of 2006. As a result, a registered office can only be found in the nation where your company was founded.
Because England and Wales are under the same jurisdiction, you can change a registered office address from England to Wales and vice versa unless your business was incorporated in ‘England only’ or ‘Wales only’ in which case the business’ members must accept the relocation to another nation.
In all other circumstances, you can modify your registered office, but you can't move it to another nation once your business has been founded.
How can I make changes to the address?
To change your company's registered office address, you must file a Form AD01 with Companies House. If your business is registered for WebFiling, you may submit Form AD01 online.
In line with the company's articles of organisation, a change in registration address must be approved at a board meeting or by adopting a directors' resolution.
Keeping statutory records at your registered office address
All private limited companies must retain their statutory records at their registered office address unless they are held at a SAIL address, which includes the certificate of incorporation, the memorandum and articles of organisation, and, if appropriate, the share certificates.
Here are the required documents that should be stored at the registered address:
- Members' database;
- Company directors' register;
- Secretaries' register;
- Register of People with Significant Control (PSC);
- Service contracts for directors;
- Indemnities for directors — protection against liability claims or legal fees;
- Copies of resolutions are available;
- Minutes of meetings are kept;
- Contracts for the acquisition of one's own stock;
- Documents referring to a private company's redemption or purchase of its own shares out of capital;
- Registrar of Debenture Holders;
- Instruments for generating charges and a charge register.
These records may be retained in the physical copy (in a bound or loose-leaf book) or in digital format. Other statutory records that your company keeps must also be kept at your registered office address.
Persona Finance strives to add value to your company by providing you with crucial accounting services. Persona Finance can manage all of your critical tax and requirements, from company formation to VAT returns. Please contact Persona Finance at [enquiries@personafinance.co.uk] for more information on how we may assist your company.
