But how many companies can be registered to any one address?
Perhaps you’re looking to start your own business empire from the comfort of your living room, with multiple limited companies being housed at your residential address (not something we’d recommend, but we’ll get to that later). Or maybe you’re looking into using an address that isn’t your own as a registered office – but you’re not sure if any other companies are registered there.
So, how many companies can share a registered office address?
The UK’s registrar of companies, Companies House, has no limit on how many companies can have the same registered office address.
Multiple companies having the same registered office address is normal, and not, as we’ll look at in more detail – a sign of fraudulent activity.
What’s more, there’s no requirement for these companies to be part of an overarching group. They need not have any relationship at all with each other. Completely different companies with totally different owners can share the same registered office address.
What about space limitations?
A company does not need to conduct trading activity from its registered office address. Nor do personnel from the company (such as directors, secretaries, shareholders, or company employees) need to be based at the address in any capacity. So, in this regard, there are no limitations on space.
The only possible problem is the handling of mail.
Any official correspondence that is sent to the registered office address (mail from government agencies such as Companies House, HMRC, and any court documents) must be seen by the company directors.
Before choosing your registered office address (if it is not going to be your residential address), take the necessary steps to ensure that you will be able to access the official mail that arrives for you.
Possible reasons to use a registered office address service
It is all too easy to conclude that if a company has no actual presence at its registered office address, it is partaking in fraudulent/illegal activity. However, this is unfair. There are a number of legitimate reasons why a company may not be using its own physical location as the registered office address.
Offices are no longer a must
The way we work has changed dramatically, particularly post-pandemic. Whole companies can now operate efficiently on a 100% remote basis. Whilst all companies do need a registered office, not all companies need an actual physical location where they conduct their trading activity. And so, in this instance, they use an alternative address as the registered office.
Protect a residential address
The registered office address is on the Companies House public register. This means any person who is interested can look up the address online within seconds. Understandably, many small business owners who run their company from home would rather keep their address away from prying eyes, so they choose a different address to use as the registered office.
Protect the office address
Likewise, a business that is trading from an office might decide that it doesn’t want the hassle of unwanted visitors turning up as and when they want, and so uses a different address as the registered office.
Boost a business’s chances
For purely commercial purposes, it’s possible that a home-based business would rather not advertise the fact that they are operating from a residential address. For some industries, this is acceptable (a business that sells homemade crafted items, for example) but for others, it may make the business appear amateur or small-time.
The business has no choice
To register a UK company, you need a UK-based address to use as the registered office. Some people – non-homeowners and non-UK residents, for example – simply won’t have access to an address that they can use. In this instance, a registered office service can make the difference between the company getting formed, or not.
What is a registered office address service?
UK-based accountants and company formation agents (such as us) will, for a fee, often allow their clients to use their address as their registered office address.
This practice is permitted by Companies House. As evidence of this, Companies House list registered office service providers on their ‘Your personal information on the Companies House register’ page, under the heading ‘How to protect your home address’.
About our Registered Office Address Service
Available for only £39.00 per year, 1st Formations offer a Registered Office Address Service, where you can use our London address as your limited company’s (or limited liability partnership’s) registered office address. Alternatively, if your company hasn’t been formed yet, we offer a number of company formation packages that include the Registered Office Address Service.
The service is ideal for anyone who:
- Requires access to a UK address to use as their company’s registered office address
- Wants to protect their residential address from the Companies House public register
- Would like to base their business in Covent Garden, London
What about my mail?
With the Registered Office Address Service, all official mail that is delivered to us for your company will be securely opened, scanned, and then emailed to you – free of charge.
If you would like us to accept all mail for your company, we offer a Business Address Service for £96.00 per year, whereby any standard mail is received by us and then forwarded to you, regardless of where you live in the UK or overseas (or we can securely open mail, take a scan and then email this to you).
Can I use the address as a service address?
Also known as a correspondence address, the service address is the official address for a company’s directors, shareholders, and people with significant control. If you would like to also use our address as a service address, you can purchase our Service Address for only £26.00 per year.
Find out more about our address services:
Thank you for reading
So there you have it. How many companies can be registered to one address?
There’s no limit.
We hope you have found this post helpful. If you have any questions about the registered office address or anything else related to limited companies and limited company formations, please leave a comment and we’ll be happy to help.
