Director service addresses and privacy

A director's service address is used for correspondence and appears on the public company record. It is distinct from the usual residential address provided through the relevant filing process. Choosing a suitable service address before an appointment can reduce unnecessary public disclosure of a home address.

Distinguish service and residential information

The service address needs a reliable arrangement for receiving correspondence. The registered office may be used where appropriate, but it is not automatically every director's service address. Check the individual filing rather than assuming the company's office entry controls all personal entries. ^[1]

Residential information is handled differently, but a home address used in a public field may become visible. Review forms carefully and understand which sections are published before submitting them.

Check an address provider's practical service

Ask how post is received, forwarded and escalated. Confirm that legal and official correspondence will reach the director promptly, including during holidays or after a staff change. Record who can request originals and how the service ends.

A service address arrangement should continue to work even if the director leaves the company or changes advisers. Review any dependency on an accountant's office or a former employer's premises before making the address part of a long-term record.

Understand historical disclosure

Changing a current address does not automatically remove the previous address from documents already filed. Companies House has a separate application process for removing certain personal details from the public register, subject to the applicable rules and evidence. ^[2]

Identify each affected document and the detail to be removed. Do not assume that an application removes every mention across all records or erases information held by third-party websites.

Privacy review checklist

• Check the current public service address for each appointment.
• Confirm that residential details were entered in the correct fields.
• Review historical filings where a home address may appear.
• Use the current removal or protection route where applicable.
• Retain submission and decision evidence securely.
• Update correspondence arrangements when roles change.

Deal with incorrect appointments separately

If the concern is that the person never agreed to be a director, that is different from wanting a legitimate appointment's home address removed. Use the appropriate unauthorised-information process and explain the facts accurately.

Review all appointments, not only the current company

A director may use different service addresses across several companies. List each appointment and check the displayed address against the actual correspondence arrangement. Moving one company's registered office does not automatically establish that every personal service address has been updated. Include former appointments where historic disclosures are part of the privacy concern.

Ask the address provider whether its service covers the individual, specified companies or only a particular registered office subscription. A director with several appointments should not assume that one payment covers every role. Confirm the arrangements before relying on the address for official correspondence and retain the provider's agreement.

Examine documents before requesting removal

Identify where the home address appears: a current public field, an older appointment document or a historic registered office entry. The current official guidance permits applications for specified personal details, with conditions depending on the use and company status. For an active company's home address used as its registered office, the registered office must first be changed. ^[2]

Prepare a document list with dates and references. This helps distinguish the information covered by an application from material outside it. Check the current form, fee and evidence requirements directly rather than using an old downloaded application. Avoid assuming that removing one document's address will remove the same address from every other filing.

Choose a service that works after departure

Consider what happens if the director resigns, the company changes advisers or the provider stops trading. Agree how correspondence already received will be forwarded and how originals can be recovered. An address that is convenient while everyone works together can become unreliable after a dispute or sudden departure.

For example, a former director may still receive correspondence concerning their period in office. If the former company's accountant supplied the service address, clarify whether that arrangement continues and what replacement is appropriate. Do not depend on informal goodwill without understanding the provider's terms and the relevant record-update process.

Keep the internal privacy arrangements consistent

Use a restricted location for residential details and identity documents. Board papers can refer to verification completion without reproducing personal codes. When an adviser changes, review who still has access and whether copies need to be retained for legitimate obligations. Avoid sending a complete identity pack to everyone involved in a simple correspondence-address decision.

If the problem is an appointment made without permission, read Removing an incorrect company appointment because the reporting route differs. For legitimate company-record changes, Director and PSC changes can help organise the filing steps; describe the affected appointments without including sensitive documents in an initial general enquiry.

Privacy planning should also include internal records. Identity documents, personal codes and residential details do not belong in a general board distribution folder merely because some director information is public. Give access only to people who need the information for their role.