If you used your home address when setting up your company, you may be surprised to discover exactly where it appears. Companies House makes certain company and officer information available on the public register, which means your home address could be visible if it has been used as a registered office, service or correspondence address. The good news is that there are ways to apply for certain personal details to be removed, as well as steps you can take to keep your home address private in future.
Key takeaways
- Your home address can appear publicly if you’ve used it as a registered office, service or correspondence address.
- Companies House now allows individuals to apply to remove certain personal details from eligible documents.
- The current SR01 fee is £34 for each document included in an application.
- If you’re still actively appointed to a company, you may need to provide a replacement address.
- Using a separate registered office and service address can help keep your home address out of future public filings.
In this guide
1. Why Does Your Home Address Appear on Companies House?
When you set up a company, Companies House requires certain addresses to be provided. These can include your company’s registered office address and a director’s service address. A service address is the address used for correspondence and appears on the public register
If you use your home address for one of these purposes, it can therefore become visible to anyone searching the Companies House register.
Your usual residential address is different. Companies House requires directors to provide it, but it is kept on a private register rather than being displayed publicly.
The issue can become more complicated when an address appears across multiple historical filings. Changing your current registered office or service address doesn’t automatically remove every historical document containing the old address.
That’s why some business owners only discover the extent of the issue when they search their company’s filing history themselves.
Expert Tip
💡Check your filing history before submitting an application.
Companies House recommends searching your company on the register to identify which documents contain the personal details you want removed. You’ll need this information when completing your SR01 application.
2. What Personal Information Can You Remove?
The rules have changed significantly in recent years.Companies House currently allows individuals to apply to remove certain personal details from eligible documents on the public register.
These include:
- Your home address
- Your signature
- The day of your date of birth in eligible historical documents
- Your business occupation
You can also apply to remove a home address where it has previously been used as a registered office address, subject to the relevant requirements.
This is particularly useful for people who previously used their home address when starting a company and have since moved to a separate business address.
Good to Know
✉️If your home address was used as the current registered office of an active company, you need to change the registered office address before applying to remove the old address.
If the company has already been dissolved, Companies House says you generally need to wait six months before applying to remove an address that was used as its registered office.
3. Who Can Apply to Remove Their Details?
The SR01 process is designed for individuals whose personal information appears on eligible documents on the Companies House register.
This can include:
- Company directors
- Company secretaries
- People with significant control
- LLP members
- Other individuals whose personal details appear on eligible filings
The exact information that can be removed depends on the document and the circumstances in which the information was originally provided.
Companies House recommends checking the filing history first so you know exactly which documents contain the information you want to suppress.
4. How Does the SR01 Application Work?
The process starts by identifying the documents on the public register that contain your personal information.
You then complete form SR01, providing details of the documents and the personal information you want removed.
For each document, you’ll need information such as:
- Company number
- Company name
- Document type or filing
- Registration date
Companies House says you should search the company’s filing history to find these details.
If your home address was used as the company’s registered office, there’s an important detail to get right.
You need to list the original filing that gave the home address as the registered office. Companies House specifically says not to list the later filing that changed the registered office to another address.
Once you’ve completed the application, you need to pay the relevant fee before submitting it.
The process at a glance
Find the documents containing your personal details.
If your home is still the registered office of an active company, change it first.
List the relevant documents and details.
The current fee is £34 per document.
Companies House provides instructions for submitting the application and payment reference.
5. How Much Does It Cost?
The current fee for an SR01 application is £34 per document.
This means the total cost depends on how many documents you need to include in your application. For example, if you need to apply to remove your personal information from five separate documents, the total fee would be £170.
Before submitting your application, it’s worth checking your company’s filing history carefully so you can identify all the eligible documents that contain the information you want to remove.
The fee is charged for each document included in the application, so identifying the relevant filings in advance can help you understand the total cost before you apply.
Your business address says more than you think
Why use your home address when you can give your business a professional Mayfair address instead? A registered office and director’s service address at 45 Albemarle Street can keep your home address separate from your business while giving your company a prestigious London presence.
View our packages →6. How Long Does the Process Take?
Once Companies House receives your application, the processing time can vary depending on the circumstances and the documents involved.
Companies House advises that applications can take at least 30 days to process, while more complex cases can take considerably longer.
It’s therefore worth allowing plenty of time if you need your personal information removed for a particular reason or before a specific date.
Good to Know
✉️Make sure your application contains the correct document details and supporting information. Checking your filing history carefully before applying can help avoid unnecessary delays.
7. How Can You Keep Your Home Address Private in Future?
Removing your home address from existing documents can help deal with information that is already publicly available. But the best way to protect your privacy in the future is to avoid using your home address for business filings where you don’t need to.
A separate registered office address can be used for your company’s official correspondence and public Companies House information, while a director’s service address can keep your residential address separate from your public company details.
This can be particularly useful if you work from home, run your business remotely or simply don’t want your home address associated with your company online.
Keep your home address separate from your business
A professional registered office and director’s service address can give your business a London presence without using your home address for public-facing company information.
Explore our virtual office packages →Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can apply to remove your home address if it has been used as a service or correspondence address, or as the company’s registered office. You can also apply to remove an address that was previously used as a registered office, subject to the relevant requirements.
The current fee is £34 per document. If your personal information appears on five eligible documents, for example, the total fee would be £170. You need to pay for each document included in your application.
You need to complete form SR01 and identify the documents containing the personal information you want removed. You should search your company’s filing history first, then provide the relevant document details on the form. The £34 fee must be paid for each document before submitting the application.
Yes. Changing your current registered office or service address does not automatically remove your old home address from eligible historical documents. You can apply separately to remove your personal information from documents that Companies House allows to be suppressed.
A registered office address must meet Companies House requirements and be an appropriate address for receiving official company documents. A professional registered office service can provide an alternative to using your home address, helping to keep your residential address separate from your public company information.
No. Changing your registered office updates the company’s current address, but it does not automatically remove your home address from historical filings. If your home address appears on eligible documents, you may need to submit an SR01 application to have those details removed.
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