Last checked against Companies House guidance: 16 October 2026
Setting up a limited company throws up one question earlier than most: what address do you put down? Your home is the obvious answer, and it's free. It's also published online for anyone to find, forever, unless you pay to have it removed.
Here's what the rules actually say, what changed in 2024, and how to choose.
The short answer
- Limited companies and LLPs must have a registered office address. It's a legal requirement, and since March 2024 it has to be an "appropriate address" where someone will actually receive your post.
- You can use your home. It's legal and common, but the address goes on the public register.
- Sole traders don't need one. You don't register with Companies House, so there's no registered office to provide.
What is a registered office address?
Your registered office is your company's official address on the public record at Companies House. It's where the government and anyone taking legal action against the company can send letters and formal notices, and those notices count as served once they're delivered there.
In practice it's where you'll get post from Companies House and HMRC, plus a steady stream of mail from people who've scraped the register.
A few things people often don't realise:
- It doesn't have to be where you work. Your trading address can be anywhere. The registered office just needs to meet the rules below.
- It must be in the right part of the UK. A company registered in England and Wales needs an address in England or Wales. Scottish and Northern Irish companies need one in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
- It shows up in more places than the register. You have to display it on your website, business letters, order forms and emails, so it isn't just a line in a government database.
- Your company records live there by default. Statutory registers (members, directors and so on) are kept at the registered office unless you tell Companies House about a different inspection address.
The "appropriate address" rules (since March 2024)
On 4 March 2024, the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act changed the rules. Every company now has to keep its registered office at an "appropriate address" at all times. Under section 86 of the Companies Act 2006, an address only counts if both of these are true:
- Post delivered there by hand or by post would normally reach someone acting for the company.
- Deliveries there can be signed for, so there's a record they arrived.
That sounds dry, but it rules out a few things people used to rely on:
- PO Boxes are out. Nobody can sign for a delivery to a PO Box, so they no longer qualify.
- "Mailbox only" address services are risky. If no one is there to take a parcel or a recorded letter, the address may not pass. Companies House has publicly warned that some providers' packages don't meet the rules.
- An empty unit or a relative's house you never visit won't do. The test is whether the post would actually reach you.
What happens if your address doesn't qualify
Companies House can move your registered office to a default address it holds. You then have 28 days to give a proper address, with evidence of your connection to it. If you don't, it can start striking your company off the register.
Not keeping an appropriate address is also an offence for the company and any officer in default, punishable by a fine. When you change your registered office, you also have to confirm the new one meets the rules, so it's worth checking before you file.
Can you use your home address?
Yes. Using your home as your registered office is completely legal, and plenty of small companies do it, especially in the first year. It meets the appropriate address rules because you live there and can sign for post.
The catch is privacy.
- It's public. Anyone can look your company up on Companies House and see your home address, free, with no account needed.
- It's on your website and invoices. Because you have to display it, every client, supplier and stranger who visits your site knows where you live.
- It attracts post and visitors. The register is scraped constantly, so expect marketing letters and the occasional cold caller at the door.
- It sticks around. Changing your registered office later doesn't wipe your home address from documents you've already filed.
Getting your home address off the register later
You can apply to remove it, but it takes effort and money. First you change your registered office to a new address. Then you apply to Companies House on form SR01, paying £34 for each document that shows your home address. Even then, the first half of your postcode stays visible on documents where it was used as a former registered office.
A company that has filed incorporation papers, a few confirmation statements and some appointments can easily have ten or more documents on file, so it adds up.
Your director's address is a separate thing
Don't confuse the registered office with your own details as a director. Companies House already keeps your usual residential address private. What it publishes is your service address (sometimes called a correspondence address), which can be anything that receives post, including the company's registered office. If you've put your home down for both, both are public.
Worth checking before you use your home
Some tenancy agreements, mortgages and home insurance policies have conditions about running a business from the property. Registering a company there usually isn't an issue, but it's worth a quick look at the small print.
What about sole traders and partnerships?
If you're self-employed as a sole trader, or in an ordinary partnership, you don't register with Companies House, so you don't need a registered office. HMRC has your address, but it isn't published anywhere.
There's one exception to keep in mind. If you trade under a name that isn't your own ("Harbour Lights Design" rather than "Jane Smith"), the business names rules say you must show your name and an address where documents can be served on your invoices, letters and website. That address doesn't have to be your home, which is why lots of freelancers use a business address for it.
If you're weighing up freelancing locally, our guide to freelancing in Folkestone covers the rest of the practical stuff.
Your options compared
There's no single right answer. It depends on how much privacy matters to you, and whether you want somewhere local to pick up post and meet clients.
| Option | Cost | Home address public? | Meets the 2024 rules? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your home | Free | Yes | Yes | Starting out, if privacy isn't a worry |
| Your accountant's address | Often included, or a small fee | No | Yes, if they agree to receive and pass on your post | Companies already working with an accountant |
| Formation agent address service | Varies, usually billed yearly | No | Only if someone is there to receive post - check | Companies run from anywhere that just want an address |
| Local virtual office | From £25+VAT a month at The Workshop | No | Yes, where staff are on site to sign for post | Local businesses wanting a real address, post collection and meeting rooms |
| PO Box | - | - | No | Not allowed as a registered office |
One thing to watch with an accountant's address: if you ever change accountant, you'll need to change your registered office too, and your old address stays on the record.
While you're on Companies House: ID verification
The same law brought in identity checks for directors and people with significant control (PSCs). New directors have had to verify since 18 November 2025. Existing directors and PSCs were given a 12-month transition period, which ends in mid-November 2026.
Your own deadline may be earlier, because for existing directors it's tied to your company's next confirmation statement. The safest move is to look up your company on the Companies House register, where your due date is shown, and verify now.
Verification is free through GOV.UK One Login, or you can go through an authorised agent such as your accountant. Once it's done you get a personal code to link to each company you're involved with. Miss it and your filings can be rejected.
Using The Workshop as your registered office
If you're based in or around Folkestone and want your home off the register, our Virtual Office gives you a business address at 32-40 Tontine Street, in the Creative Quarter, for £25+VAT a month. You can use it as your registered office and as your directors' service address.
- It meets the rules. Our team is in the building Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 7pm, so post reaches a real person and recorded deliveries get signed for.
- Post handling is included. We take in your mail, log it and hold it securely for you to collect. If something looks urgent, we'll give you a shout.
- It's a real place. You can pop in to collect post, book one of our meeting rooms for a client meeting at member rates, or grab a day pass when you need a desk.
- Monthly rolling. No long contract if your plans change. We do a quick ID check when you sign up, because it's a registered address and we do it properly.
Want to see it first? Book a tour or just drop in and ask for Haydn.
Quick answers
Can I use a PO Box as my registered office?
No. Since March 2024 a registered office has to be somewhere deliveries can be signed for and will reach someone acting for the company. A PO Box can't do that.
Does my registered office have to be where I work?
No. It can be your home, your accountant's office or a virtual office address. Where you actually trade from is up to you.
Can my company in England use an address in Scotland?
No. The address has to be in the same jurisdiction your company is registered in, so England and Wales companies need an English or Welsh address.
How do I change my registered office address?
File form AD01 with Companies House, which you can do online for free. The change takes effect once it's registered, but documents can still be validly served at your old address for 14 days afterwards.
If I change from my home address, does it disappear from the register?
Not on its own. Your home stays on documents you've already filed. To hide it, apply on form SR01 and pay £34 per document.
Is my registered office the same as my director's service address?
No. The registered office belongs to the company. Your service address is where you, as a director, can be contacted. Both are public, but they can be the same address, and neither has to be your home.
Do sole traders need a registered office?
No. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships don't register with Companies House. If you use a business name, though, you need to show an address for documents on your invoices and website.
Can Companies House reject my address?
Yes. If it decides your address isn't appropriate, it can move your registered office to a default address. You then have 28 days to give a proper one, or your company could be struck off.
Sources
- Companies Act 2006, section 86: duty to ensure registered office at appropriate address - legislation.gov.uk
- Removing your personal details from the Companies House register - Companies House, GOV.UK
- Apply to remove your personal details from the register (SR01) - Companies House, GOV.UK
- New rules for registered office addresses - NI Business Info
- Millions of directors still unverified: the 17 November deadline is closer than it looks - Law Debenture
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. If you're unsure about your own situation, speak to an accountant or solicitor.