Should I Use My Home Address as my Registered Office Address?

You've launched your business in the UK! The future looks bright, but where will your official business mail and documents reside? Using your home address might seem convenient, but are there potential downsides?

A registered office address is required by law for all UK limited companies and LLPs. It is the ‘official’ address of your business and where your business receives all statutory mail from the UK governing bodies. A registered office address also has other regulatory requirements such as:

• Must be a physical address in the UK, no P.O. Boxes are allowed. 
• Must be within the same jurisdiction as your company.
• Will be public on the Companies House register.
• Your registered office address must be able to acknowledge post as delivered.

Due to the requirements, many business owners choose to use their home address as their registered office address. This is because it’s an easy and cost-effective option for a registered office, but there are a few serious disadvantages. For example, it can affect a company’s professional image, blur the lines between work and personal life, and cause privacy issues.

This blog will examine using your home address for your registered office address, highlighting the issues which arise. The blog will also examine alternative options for a registered business address in London and the rest of England and Wales.

Home Sweet…Business?

Using a home address as a registered office address is a cheap and convenient way to have a compliant registered office address. However, it does open your home address up to unwanted attention. 

Public Record 

Your business’ registered address is public information and unfortunately, there is no way to ask Companies House to remove your business’ registered office address. When a company uses a home address as their company’s registered address, this means the home address becomes public information and accessible to anyone. 

Marketing and Solicitation 

Your home address can be picked up by cold-calling companies as a business. This means your home address will receive marketing materials and solicitation calls. This can be extremely inconvenient for yourself and those who share a home with you.

Security Concerns 

Most crucially, other details are listed alongside a company's registered office. Such as the full name of any company officers like your director, their date of birth and other personal details. This means a simple online search of a company director’s name can expose their home address. This can open your home address up to some serious security concerns. 

Personal and Business Mail Mix-up 

Your registered address is where your company will receive all statutory notices from UK regulatory bodies. Post which is crucial to your company and its operations will arrive here. It can be easy to miss important documents if they get mixed up with your personal mail and unwanted marketing materials. 

The Importance of a Professional Image

When building a business every little detail counts. Everything you do adds to your company’s reputation and branding including your registered office address. Since your registered office is your business’ official address, using a home address can be perceived as unprofessional and imply your company is a much smaller and newer organisation.

For example, clients and partners may perceive a business with a home address as unestablished or untrustworthy. Which means you can lose out on business. Secondly, you must list your registered office address on your website per the Companies Act 2006, this can also make a business seem less professional. This also applies to any other marketing materials such as brochures or business cards. Finally, potential investors may be more apprehensive about a business with a home address as its registered office address.

Managing Unforeseen Visits 

A publicly listed address can attract unwanted visitors. You may find customers or delivery persons at your door, which can be difficult to manage for yourself and others who live with you. There is also the potential for official visits from agents representing the Companies House, UK courts, HMRC, and more. Finally, there is an obvious safety concern for your home and those you live with. 

Overwhelming Mail Overload

A new business receives a lot of mail, from statutory letters to cold marketing assets, coupled with your personal post this can create a huge amount of post for you. Secondly, the increased volume of post will also increase your admin time when sorting and organising mail. Finally, it can be easy to lose or miss documents with an increased volume of post. 

Violating your Tenancy Agreement 

If you rent your home, using your home address as a registered office address may be violating your tenancy agreement. Many agreements forbid the use of its address for commercial purposes. Secondly, your landlord may be uncomfortable with having their property’s address online. 

What is my Other Option?

Of course, there are ways to keep your home address off the Companies House register without renting an expensive commercial space for its address. Such as a registered office address service!

A registered office service is where a business can use the service provider’s address as their registered office address. This office address will be up-to-date with all regulatory requirements, ensuring the companies who use their services remain compliant with company law. The service provider will process all of their client's statutory mail safely and securely, often sending it via email or an online portal to its director and other company officers.

There are a number of benefits to using a registered office service, such as:

• Credibility and Trust: A registered office service will be a commercial address and most likely based in bigger cities. This can boost your company’s professional image as it implies your company is an established operation with an office. 
• Client Confidence: Having a commercial office address can also inspire trust and confidence in your clients and partners.
• Professional Boundary: Your registered office will receive all of your business’ post. This can allow you to draw a clear boundary between your work and personal life. Secondly, some service providers may offer meeting rooms or co-working options where you can host your clients or more. This allows you to manage your business interactions at a separate location. 
• Flexibility: A registered office service provider will process all of your important post and send them to you digitally. This means, you can access your post from anywhere in the world, while still having a registered office in the UK (a legal requirement). This can be particularly useful for non-resident directors. 
• Privacy: Finally, the biggest perk to a registered office service is privacy. A registered office service is a cost-effective way to keep your home address off the public register without paying rent for a commercial space. 

Setting up a Registered Office Address 

So there you have it! Our answer to ‘Can I register a business at my home address?’ In summary, you can, but not without its risks. These include a lack of privacy, damaging your professional image, blurring your work/life balance, and an influx of mail and unsolicited visitors.

However, as mentioned above, there are ways to keep your costs low and still retain your privacy: a registered office service. Such as the one provided by us– Companies MadeSimple.

We can help you protect your privacy while benefiting from using our central London address. Our registered office address is based near Old Street, which means you’ll benefit from an address in a prestigious area. Additionally, our registered office address service is suited for both UK residents and non-residents, we’ll safely and securely process your mail for you and send it via email. We also have a modern co-working space and meeting rooms available for hire! This means you can host clients, team away days and much more in your registered office.