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How to Change a Registered Office Address

How to Change a Registered Office Address

Oftentimes, offices are moved from one place to another due to expansion, adjustment to new operations or rising costs of currently registered offices. However, not many business owners understand the need for having an updated company registered address. Only a handful of startup companies recognise how significant it is to have a registered business address especially if they have plans to consolidate their businesses. Interestingly, here is a full guide on all you need to know to change your registered company address in the UK.

What Does A Registered Office Address Mean?

A registered office address is the most important company address a business can have. It is a place where all official correspondence and formal notices from HMRC, Companies House and shareholders will be sent to. According to the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006), every company, partnership, and limited liability partnership in the UK is required to have a registered office address for the maintenance of transparency. Although your office address has to exist physically, it doesn’t have to be a place you always visit. Rather, you can always choose to have a virtual address instead.

Can A Residential Address Be Used As A Registered Office Address?

You can use a commercial or residential address however, it is important to make sure you fill in the complete postal address and not only a part as you won’t be able to use a P.O box number unless the address is complete. Nonetheless, not all business owners are comfortable enough to use their residential address as a registered company address. This is because, after successful registration, your address would be made public to anyone interested. Besides having to deal with tons of unwanted junk mail, you would also have to deal with unwarranted visits from the government, cold callers and strangers which could put your safety at risk.

Can A Registered Office Address Be Changed?

Absolutely! A company’s registered office address can be changed in the UK by filling out some forms online after which the updated details would be uploaded to the public records within the next twenty-four(24) hours. If you prefer the traditional method of submitting physically, the forms can be printed out, filled manually and submitted via mail which takes longer.

Unavoidable Reasons Why You Need To Change Your Registered Office Address

New opportunities and challenges are invariably prevalent in the business world, thus, the need to change an office address consistently arises. Some of the common reasons are summed up here: • Business Expansion As your business grows, you need to make sure your company address remains aligned. Whether you are moving offices, or you are upgrading, the necessity of changing your company address cannot be overemphasized as every official correspondence from the HMRC and Companies House will be sent there. • Change in Ownership If there is a change in your business ownership, you must update your registered address with Companies House If you are the new owner, changing your company’s registered office address is integral as you would want to ensure that the previous owner does not have access to confidential mail and information about your business. • For Privacy and Professionalism Although using your home address as a registered office address is not always advisable, it is an easy way for startup companies to meet the legal requirements of the government without spending overboard. Although as your business grows, you would need to consider changing your company address for personal privacy, and security. Moreover, for your business to be considered legitimate; your customers will expect a professional business address which is a crucial factor in the business world. • A modification in Business Operations A modification in your company’s management or operations is a good opportunity for you to review your registered office address and readjust your company information if need be.

How to know the limitations to changing a Registered office address

Before you can change your company’s registered office address, you need to consider the jurisdiction of the new office address as there are restrictions on the office address your company can use. • The new office address can only be approved if it is in the same part of the UK where the company was incorporated. For example, A company incorporated in Edinburgh cannot have a new registered company address in England and Wales as they are located in different parts of the UK. • If the business is moved to another jurisdiction, the company has to be re-incorporated before a change in office registered address can be approved.

How To Change your Company Registered Address

If a company decides to change its registered office address due to any of the aforementioned reasons, the Companies House must be notified via the submission of an AD01 form. The AD01 form requires filling in the company name, and company number and completing the newly registered office address. • Please note that the AD01 form can only be used by limited companies while the LLAD01 form is used for LLPs (Limited Liability Partnerships). Filling the form is a simple process that can either be done

Online

• For those who have never used the Companies House service, you can quickly register. • Go to webfilling on the Companies House website by logging in with your email address and security code. • Access your company by inputting your company’s registration number and authentication code. (You can always request another code if you have forgotten). • Then complete the registration by filling in the necessary details as mentioned above

Or Offline

• For companies who prefer the traditional method, download the AD01 form There is no fee attached to changing your registered office address as downloading AD01 is free. • Fill in the required information and make sure to append your signature on it after completion • Post to Companies House.

List of Organizations/People to Notify After Change in Office Registered Address

It is advisable to take the necessary steps to secure your company’s changed office registered address. As soon as your office registered address is changed, you need to update government agencies and the appropriate set of people to prevent unanticipated events from happening. Some of which are: 1. HMRC – You need to update the HMRC of the changes in your company’s registered address as soon as it is finalized. Failure to report any changes after 30 days attracts a financial penalty and may also affect your VAT, corporation tax, share schemes and PAYE. 2. Financial organizations e.g banks, pension providers, credit card companies, insurance companies etc. 3. Legal advisers 4. Your employees and Shareholders 5. Company Communication Channels eg company’s website, email correspondences, company letterhead, envelopes and business cards. Doing this ensures that you don’t miss out on important mail and official documents that will help your business run smoothly.

Getting A Prime Office Location

Now that you are changing your company registered address, what is most important is to select a prime location. Since your company deserves only the best business exposure to keep thriving, changing your office address shouldn’t be a problem. W1 Virtual Office allows you to focus and channel your expertise towards managerial tasks while we provide you with premium commercial locations and reliable staff in the UK to accelerate your business goals in the shortest time possible. Get a virtual address now at shockingly low costs.