Every UK limited company is required by the Companies Act to maintain a registered office address. This is the address where official correspondence from Companies House and HMRC is sent, and the address that appears on the public Companies House register, accessible by anyone. For founders working from home, the choice of registered office is the difference between a private home address being public information and not. This guide covers the practical implications and the three viable options.
What the registered office actually is
The registered office is a legal requirement, not an operational requirement. It does not need to be where you work. It does not need to be where your team is. It does not need to be where customers visit. It does need to be:
- A real physical address in the UK (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland, depending on where the company is registered).
- An address where mail can be received and acknowledged.
- Maintained throughout the company's life and updated whenever it changes.
Companies House sends notices, statutory reminders, and confirmation statements to this address. HMRC sends corporation tax notifications. Court documents, if any are ever served on the company, are sent here. If the address goes stale (mail is returned, the address no longer exists), the company can be struck off in extreme cases.
Option 1: Home address
The cheapest option. Free. Quick. Works at incorporation if you do not want to spend on a service yet.
The downsides:
- Public on the Companies House register. Anyone can find it by searching the company name.
- Receives unsolicited mail from third-party service providers ("we noticed you registered a company; here is a £100 invoice for compulsory insurance you do not actually need to buy").
- Receives occasional debt-recovery letters from companies you have nothing to do with that share your postcode.
- For founders with families, exposes the home address to anyone the company interacts with: customers, suppliers, disgruntled former employees.
- Does not look credible to enterprise customers performing supplier checks.
For solo founders running a low-profile business with no enterprise clients and no plans to raise investment, home address is a defensible choice. For most startups it is a false economy.
Option 2: Registered office service
A third-party provider gives you their address as your registered office. Mail is received there, scanned or forwarded to you, and you maintain privacy. Most formation agents offer this; many startup accountants offer it bundled with their services.
Costs and features:
| Provider type | Annual cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Formation agent (basic) | £30 to £60 | London address, mail forwarded weekly |
| Formation agent (premium) | £80 to £120 | Address, scanning, same-day forwarding for HMRC mail |
| Accountant-bundled | £0 to £50 (often included) | Accountant's address, accountant handles routine mail directly |
| Virtual office service | £100 to £300 | Address, phone answering, occasional meeting room access |
For most early-stage startups, the basic formation-agent service is adequate and cheap. Upgrade if you start receiving substantial volumes of important physical mail.
Option 3: Serviced office or co-working space
If your company has a real physical location (a co-working membership, a serviced office, or a leased space), use that as the registered office. You get the privacy benefit and the address often signals more substance than a registered-office-only service.
The trade-off: serviced offices and co-working memberships are far more expensive than registered office services. £150 to £400+ per month for the cheapest plans, which is hundreds of pounds per month versus tens per year. Worth it only if you would have the workspace anyway.
The credibility angle is real
For B2B startups selling to enterprise customers, supplier checks are common. A central London or Manchester registered address looks different from a residential address in a small town. The cost of a basic registered office service is small enough that the credibility benefit alone usually justifies it.
When you can change the registered office
At any time, by filing form AD01 with Companies House (no fee). The change takes effect on Companies House acknowledging the form, which is typically within 24 hours of online filing. There is no penalty for changing. Many founders start with their home address and switch to a service later.
When changing, also update HMRC, your bank, your insurance providers, your suppliers, and anywhere else the address is held. The Companies House change is the legal change; the operational changes need to follow.
Common questions
Can I use a P.O. box?
Generally no. The registered office must be a physical address where mail can be physically received. P.O. boxes do not satisfy this in most circumstances.
Can my registered office be in a different country?
No. It must be in the UK, in the same jurisdiction (England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland) as the company is registered in.
Will my home address still appear anywhere if I use a service?
Director residential addresses are collected by Companies House but kept private (the public-facing address is the service address you provide). Directors must keep their residential address up to date with Companies House but it is not on the public register. Use a registered office service for the company; use a service or office address as your director service address; keep your residential address private.
Set up a private registered office for under £50 per year
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Continue the series
The Founder's Guide to UK Company Formation and StructureRead the complete guide and the rest of the series.