Directors of UK limited companies have to provide a ‘service address’ and their home address to Companies House.
Limited companies registered in the UK must have at least one Director. Before the Companies Act 2006 all Directors had to provide their home address to Companies House to be declared publically. However, changes were made in the Companies Act to protect Director’s personal details. This allows directors to provide a correspondence address separate from their personal address, known as a Director’s Service Address (DSA).
What addresses are recorded at Companies House?
When registering a new company you have to provide two addresses for the company directors being appointed.
Home Address
This must be the director’s residential address. It is only accessible by Companies House, some government bodies, credit checking agencies and the police. If you do not provide an accurate home address you may find getting a company bank account difficult.
Service Address
This is the address made available to the public online and in the company registers. If directors do not want their home address added to the online public register then it is recommend that they provide a separate service address.
The DSA can be any address as long as the address is effective and the Director has permission to use it. It is quite common for companies to use the Registered Office for this purpose, especially when using a service provider.
Many company directors purchase an address service from a company formation agent like Simple Formations. Their statutory mail is delivered to a professional mailing address that is registered at Companies House as their service address. Their mail is then forwarded to them at any alternate address of their choosing. This is a good way of protecting their privacy and creating a professional, corporate image.
The difference between a Registered Office and a DSA is that the DSA is required by all limited company directors as an official correspondence address. Their personal statutory mail from Companies House and HMRC is delivered to their service address. It can be located anywhere in the world. Conversely, a Registered Office address is the official address of a limited company or Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). All statutory mail and legal notices addressed to a company or LLP will be delivered to their registered offices. A registered office address must be located in the same part of the UK in which a company or LLP is incorporated.
Can you use your home address as the service address?
There are no legal restrictions that prohibit directors using a residential address as a service address; however, many directors prefer to maintain their privacy by keeping their home addresses off public record. This will help to prevent unsolicited mail and unexpected visitors arriving at your home.
If you want to keep your home address private then you should consider using a business address as the service address or using a mail service.
FREE Directors Service Address
If you purchase a registered office from Simple Formations when forming your company, you can also use the registered office as the DSA. Simply select one of our great value registered office services and use the address for your company directors.
