Here at The Edinburgh Office, we try to simplify things as much as possible when it comes to the different services we offer our clients. However, for people just starting out or new business owners, address terminology can be a little confusing because the phrases ‘Registered Office Address’, ‘Director Service Address’ and ‘Business Address’ are all fairly similar. But fear not – because the purpose of this blog is to clearly explain the differences between the three of our most basic services and which of them are essential for your business.

Registered Office Address

A Registered Office Address is the official correspondence address for a company. This address is where all statutory letters, Court documents and legal notices from government agencies, such as Companies House, HMRC, Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Office for National Statistics will be delivered.

Keeping a Registered Office Address is a legal requirement of all limited companies and LLPs incorporated in the UK, including companies that sell online or conduct all business activities outside the UK.

When you form a company, you are required to provide Companies House with a Registered Office Address. This must be a physical address located in the same part of England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland where your company is incorporated. However, your Registered Office Address does not have to be where your company carries out its day-to-day business operations. 
Your company’s Registered Office Address can be:

• Your home address
• Your solicitor’s or account’s office address
• A non-residential or commercial premises from where your business trades
• A Registered Office Service offered by a company formation agent
• Any other residential or non-residential address you have permission to use as a Registered Office Address
• A PO Box (if you include the full address and postcode of the building in which the PO Box is located, the address is verified using Royal Mail’s Postcode and Address Finder or the mail can be presented to someone who will accept mail on the company’s behalf)

To offer full transparency, all Registered Office Addresses are included on the Companies House central register and made available to the public. This is worth bearing in mind if considering using your residential address as a Registered Office Address that a residential address may not create the same level of professionalism as a non-residential commercial address.

A company’s Registered Office Address can be displayed on all forms of communication, including letterheads, emails, invoices, bills, receipts, cheques and websites. Companies are also required to display their registered name at its Registered Office Address. The responsibility for this lies with the company director, secretary, Person with Significant Control (PSC) or an LLP member.

Director Service Address

Companies House requires a Director Service Address for everyone appointed to a company, including:

• Directors
• Company Secretaries
• First Shareholders or Guarantors
• People with Significant Control (PSCs)
• LLP members

A Director Service Address is where all official statutory communications are sent regarding his or her role in a company. This correspondence will come from government agencies, including Companies House and HMRC. Unlike a Registered Office Address, a Director Service Address does not have to be in the country where the company is registered. This can be a residential or non-residential address anywhere in the world; usually wherever is most convenient for them to receive their official mail.

It is worth remembering, to ensure transparency, all Director Service Addresses are listed on the public record with all other publicly accessible company information. The address is also included in the company registers kept at the Registered Office Address. There is, however, no requirement to include the Director Service Address on the company website, stationery, letterheads, etc.

Because of the public nature of the Director Service Address information, it is advised to use a non-residential address to protect the privacy of the individual. You can change a Director Service Address at any time but this change must be updated at Companies House and company registers as soon as possible.

Virtual Business Address

We see some confusion stemming from the term ‘Business Address’ because its meaning is quite vague. It is common for people to think a Business Address is the Registered Office Address and/or trading address of the company, but this is not always the case.

A Business Address is simply the correspondence address where non-statutory communications can be received – for example, from clients, suppliers, manufacturers, banks, other businesses, etc. This refers to any mail that is not from Companies House or other government agencies, such as HMRC, the courts, Department for Work & Pensions (DWP), Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Office for National Statistics.

Business Addresses are not listed on the public record, so there are no requirements for this address to be in the same area or even country as the Registered Office Address. However, it is important for the Business Address to be visible on a company website to enable people to be able to find or contact the business. Companies may have multiple business addresses in one or more countries, to represent different office branches or a chain of shops in different cities or countries.

Using our Virtual Business Address service is ideal for new businesses as it generates an image an established business with its own premises. A virtual office provides huge savings when compared to traditional office space and all its associated costs, such as rent, utilities, insurance and staff costs.

Although ‘Business Address’, ‘Registered Office Address’ and ‘Director Service Address’ services have different purposes, many companies prefer to use a single address for all three services. Therefore, many of our clients purchase our most popular service, our Virtual Business Plus which covers all three uses.

Every company is different, with different address requirements, so please take the time to discover what you need for yours. The friendly staff at The Edinburgh Office are happy to discuss each of our services with you, to ensure you only sign up to the service/s you need.

Speak to one of our friendly team on 0131 516 2337 or email us on contact@theedinburghoffice.com. Alternatively, click here for Live Chat.