RP07 filed against my company

Companies House have lots of forms!! Each one has its own code - RP07 - is an application form which applies to have a companies registered office address changed if there is a dispute over the address. The form is completed by one company or individual against a limited company, which believes the company has no right or authority to be using the address as a registered office address.

There could be many reasons for the address to be disputed, for example a virtual office provider may complete an RP07 if one of its clients had missed a renewal payment and was using the address without payment, or, the address was being used without the address owners permission or payment, or, if the clients was breaking the terms of their service and abusing the address. The company making the application is required to provide the details of the dispute and also provide evidence to back up their claims.

Once the form has been submitted to Companies House, they will notify both parties that an RP07 has been filed, it will contact the company to request proof that they are entitiled to use the address and submit bank statements, utility bills, emails etc, to back up their proof. They will be given 28 days to provide this evidence. If the company fails to provide Companies House with any evidence or proof, then the registered office address will be changed to the default Cardiff address. The company can also choose to change their registered office address to another location, but this has to be done within the 28 days.

Having your registered office address as the default address means that the company will not receive any Companies House mail, and as it is a legal requirement to have a contactable registered office address, after a few months Companies House may then proceed to have your company disssolved.

We tend to use these as a last resort... We always aim to contact the companies directly by email and phone. We allow a few weeks after renewal, as we know that people are busy and can forget to renew. After about 6 weeks, and if the client is still using the address without payment, we will start the RP07 process. 

We also complete an RP07 if any company is using our address without approval. Sometimes we do get companies cybersquatting at our address - we move very quickly to remove them from our address.

If the company in question has genuinely forgotten to pay and the RP07 notice has reminded them into action, then we can contact Companies House and stop the application.. however, if  this is after 28 days we are unable to withdraw the application and the default address will be used. If you receive a letter from Companies House regarding an RP07 make sure you contact us as soon as possible.

This very much depends on the circumstances, in most cases yes, however the invoice would be backdated to include all the missed months that the address was being used. If you have been using the address without permission, it is very unlikely...

We would recommend contacting us to discuss.

To get the address changed back from the default address does require you to complete some paperwork and also provide proof that you are entitled to use the address, this can be provided by us in the form of an approval email and a copy of an invoice.