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5 things to think about when using your home as your registered office

You’ve done the research and are ready to set up a company, if you are confident to set up your company online at Companies House there will be one question you need to think about.

What is a Registered Office Address?

It is the formal and official address of the company. All companies are legally required to have a registered office address.

What’s a registered address actually used for?

Companies House and HMRC will always write to a company’s official address. It is also a location that the public, shareholders, company directors and HMRC etc. can visit to inspect your company registers.

Is this the same as my trading address?

It does not have to be the same place as your trading address, but it has to be a real location.

What are the implications of using my home address?

  • The main concern about using your home address for your business is that it becomes publically available – your address is put onto the Companies House database, which is accessed by a large number of company search companies and can be found on many websites across the internet.
  • The companies name should be display at your registered office address, obviously this is not something you can do at your home. 
  • There are a number of records which need to be available at the company's registered office for inspection by the public and government departments. So, in effect, your neighbours can knock on your door to inspect your company records.
  • Your registered address needs to be on stationery, website and email, you will be publically displaying your home address, so you may get people turning up to speak to you, try to place an order for your products, or sales reps trying to sell your their products...

How can I avoid making my home address public?

  • The company may choose an alternative location to make these records available for inspection.
  • Use a registered office provider which will hold all your records and forward on your mail. Due to the relatively small amount of mail sent, many companies will include the postage within the fees.
  • Many accountants can also provide this, but check how much they are charging. Some will offer it free.

If you need any more information about our registered office service, please read our frequently asked questions. If you are interested in protecting your privacy we would also recommend looking into using a Directors Service address, you can find more details in the link below.


​If you require a registered office address, I-Support offers this service from £34.99, you can sign up today below, you can apply online and we will need some identification.

first published 02/02/2012, updated 4/10/23