Updating your company registered office

Changing a company's registered office requires a Companies House update. Moving the business, redirecting mail or editing the contact page on a website does not by itself change the registered address. Plan the formal change and the practical handover together. ^[1][2]

Confirm that the new address is appropriate

The address must meet the registered office requirements and be in the permitted jurisdiction for the company. An appropriate address allows delivered correspondence to reach someone acting for the company and allows delivery to be acknowledged. A PO Box alone is not sufficient. ^[1]

Check the provider's actual arrangements for receiving and forwarding letters. A low advertised fee is of little help if urgent correspondence remains unopened. Agree who receives scanned post, how originals are handled and what happens when the service ends.

Distinguish the different company addresses

The registered office may differ from trading premises, a director's service address or the location of certain inspection records. Decide which entries should change. A director who used the old office as a service address may need a separate update.

The registered email is another distinct record. A physical move may leave that email unchanged, but a change of accountant or address provider can also affect control of the mailbox.

Approve and submit the change

Check who has authority under the company's arrangements to approve the address and instruct the filer. Confirm the company number, full new address and effective filing process. Retain the decision and submission evidence, then check that Companies House has recorded the change. ^[2]

Do not rely on a draft form, an invoice from the provider or a message saying that the work has been requested. Those items are useful evidence of preparation but are not the same as an accepted filing.

Manage the correspondence handover

• Maintain access to mail already sent to the old address.
• Notify HMRC and other organisations where separate updates are needed.
• Check bank, insurance, lending and professional body records.
• Update invoices, letters, website disclosures and relevant contract notices.
• Record the change date and the person monitoring the new address.

Consider privacy before filing

A registered office is public. If a home address is proposed, understand the disclosure consequences before submitting it. Changing to a commercial address later does not automatically erase the old address from historical documents.

Build an address-by-address change plan

A move from an accountant's address to your own premises can involve several distinct records. List the registered office, director service addresses, the location of inspectable records, trading correspondence and tax contact details. Against each entry, record whether it uses the old address and which update process applies. Avoid sending one generic instruction saying change all addresses when some individuals wish to retain a separate service address.

Companies House says that it informs HMRC when an approved registered office change is made. That does not establish that every tax service, trading address or adviser contact has been amended. Check the records relevant to your business and use any separate process required. Keeping this distinction clear prevents both unnecessary duplicate requests and gaps in communications. ^[2]

Check the provider before ending the old arrangement

Ask the incoming provider how it identifies your company, who can collect originals and how urgent documents are escalated. Confirm that the address can lawfully be used for the intended purpose and that the service covers your precise company. A subscription for one group entity should not be assumed to cover every subsidiary using a similar name.

Review the outgoing provider's notice period and forwarding arrangements. Request a final list of uncollected correspondence and confirm a contact for letters that arrive after departure. These are commercial handover arrangements, not a substitute for the formal registered office change. Retain enough overlap to manage mail already in transit without leaving the former provider responsible indefinitely.

An illustrative move with several dependencies

A company incorporated in England and Wales relocates its trading team to Edinburgh. The team cannot simply use its Scottish trading premises as that company's registered office. It needs an appropriate registered office within its incorporation jurisdiction, while the trading location can be recorded separately. This is a reason to check jurisdiction before ordering stationery or terminating an existing address service.

The same company may have directors using the former registered office as their service address. Ask each affected director what address should now receive official communications. Do not publish their home address by default because it is the only alternative already present in the administrator's files.

Close the move with a practical check

Confirm that the accepted register entry matches the approved spelling and postcode. Then ask the designated mailbox owner to confirm receipt and forwarding of genuine correspondence as it arrives. Record any problem with missing scans or inaccessible originals while the provider can still investigate it promptly.

For the personal address distinction, read Director service addresses and privacy. For help managing the company record change, see Companies House filing review and describe the proposed move and incorporation jurisdiction.

A successful move leaves both the public record and the internal mail process working. Review the first few weeks of correspondence to confirm that important letters are reaching the right person promptly.