Our registered office service allows business owners to use our Covent Garden address as the registered office address for their company.
There is no requirement to form a company with 1st Formations to be able to use our London registered office service. This address service is available to all companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) incorporated in England and Wales, regardless of how they were set up. Whether this was direct with Companies House, an accountant or another company formation agent.
What is the registered office?
It is the official address of a limited company and where Companies House, HMRC and other government bodies will send official correspondence for the company.
Despite this, no representative from the company needs to be based at the address, nor does any trading activity have to take place there. The only requirements are that:
- The address is based in the UK
- Any official correspondence (including court documentation) that is sent to the address is seen by company directors
- The business owners have permission to use the address as the registered office
As soon as a company is incorporated, the address (along with other company information) is immediately placed on the Companies House register. This means that with just a few clicks (and within a matter of seconds), anyone can find out the address.
Residential addresses can be used as the registered office provided all of the above criteria are met (if renting, permission should be sought from the landlord). However, whilst it is permitted, it is not recommended – as having a residential address on the public register can have repercussions on your privacy.
Why use 1st Formations’ registered office service?
There are a number of reasons why you should consider using our address as your company’s registered office:
Protect your home address from the public register
As mentioned, the registered office address is placed on the Companies House public register. By using our address – instead of your own – you are hiding your home address from the public gaze.
If your company has not yet been formed, you can give your home address complete protection by teaming our Registered Office Address Service with our Director Service Address and Business Address Service – all included with our Prestige and All Inclusive company formation packages.
If your company has already been formed using a residential address as the registered office, you can not remove it entirely from the public register but you can still make it harder to find with our registered office address service.
Build a bold corporate identity
Covent Garden is the perfect place to base your company. By using our address, you are showing your potential customers, suppliers and business partners that you mean business.
Generally, it’s very easy to tell a residential address from a corporate address. Being obviously based from home may be right for some industries (for example, making and selling homemade goods) but there are many industries where it would project an unprofessional impression.
If you’re living outside of the UK, you need a UK address
To incorporate a UK limited company you must have a UK-based registered office address. If you’re not living in the UK we can help you get your limited company off the ground with our Non-Residents package.
The package includes everything a non-UK resident will need to start a limited company, including the registered office service.
How to buy our Registered Office Address Service
If your company has not been formed yet we recommend taking a look at our company formation packages. A number of packages include the registered office service so you can pick up the service at the same time as getting your limited company formed.
To buy the service for a company that has already been formed, simply follow these steps:
- Visit our Registered Office Address Service page
- Click on the green ‘Buy Now’ icon at the top of the page
- Choose a start date for your registered office service
- Select the address service required – ‘London Registered Office (paid annually)’
- Enter your details
- Checkout and pay
Within two working hours, you will receive a welcome email and receipted invoice. All official government mail received at your new registered office will be scanned and emailed to you within 24 hours of receipt.
You must notify Companies House of your new address within 14 days of the start date. You can do this online using Companies House form AD01.
We do not notify Companies House on your behalf unless you register an account with us and import your company to our Online Company Manager system.
How to register for 1st Formations’ free Online Company Manager
Our Online Company Manager is a free facility that enables you to import and manage your company (or companies) online. Through this facility, you can:
- View your company details on a private ‘Customer Dashboard’, including your company registration number, authentication code, filing dates for confirmation statements and annual accounts, and details of all company officers
- View and download your company incorporation documents, including your certificate of incorporation and articles of association
- Update and notify Companies House of changes to directors and company addresses
- Buy/renew products and services for your company, including our Registered Office Address Service, Service Address for directors, Confirmation Statement Service, Business Telephone Services, and much more
- Access our digital mail storage system, where all of your registered office mail is stored in PDF format
- Register new companies quickly and easily using the information saved on your account
To register for 1st Formations’ Online Company Manager, you will need to complete a short application form to create your free account on our website.
Next, you will be taken to your private Customer Dashboard, where you can import your company to our system.
Thereafter, you will have access to all of your company details and a range of 1st Formations services and facilities, making it easy to manage your company online.
Thanks for reading
We hope you have found this blog post helpful.
If you have any questions about this post, our address services or company formations in general, please leave a comment and we’ll be happy to help.
