Our London Registered Office Service allows business owners to use our Covent Garden address as a registered office for their company. There is no requirement to form a company with 1st Formations to be able to use our this address service.
It is available to all companies and limited liability partnerships (LLPs) incorporated in England and Wales, regardless of whether they were set up through an accountant, another company formation agent, or directly at Companies House.
What is a registered office?
A registered office is the official address of a limited company (or LLP). It is the location where Companies House, HMRC, and other government bodies send official correspondence to 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 same UK jurisdiction where the company is incorporated
- it is a full, verifiable postal address that satisfies the ‘appropriate address’ conditions set out in the Companies Act 2006
- the company has permission to use the address as its 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 a registered office, provided that all of the above criteria are met. However, whilst permitted, it is not recommended because placing your residential address on the public register can affect your privacy.
Why use 1st Formations London Registered Office Service?
There are a number of reasons why you should consider using our London address as your company’s registered office – namely privacy, professional image, and practicality.
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 further protect your home address by teaming our Registered Office Address Service with our Director Service Address and Business Address Service. These three address services are 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 cannot remove it entirely from the public register (though this is set to change in the near future). However, 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’s HQ. 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 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 to 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 onto 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.
Please note that the information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or professional advice. While our aim is that the content is accurate and up to date, it should not be relied upon as a substitute for tailored advice from qualified professionals. We strongly recommend that you seek independent legal and tax advice specific to your circumstances before acting on any information contained in this article. We accept no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage that may result from your reliance on the information provided in this article. Use of the information contained in this article is entirely at your own risk.
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