Under new regulations, companies registered with Companies House must use an ‘appropriate address’ as their registered office. An appropriate address is one where, in normal circumstances, documents sent by hand or post are expected to reach someone acting on behalf of the company. The address must also allow for the recording of document delivery through an acknowledgement receipt.
Companies House may take action if a company’s registered office does not meet these criteria. This could involve changing the registered office to a default address, with the company then having 28 days to provide a suitable address or risk being struck off the register.
Companies using an agent’s address or third-party service must ensure it meets the requirements. Royal Mail PO Boxes and similar services are no longer acceptable as registered office addresses.
The Companies House registrar now has enhanced powers to challenge and remove incorrect, incomplete, or fraudulent information more swiftly. Stronger checks will also be implemented on company names to prevent misleading or false impressions.
These changes are part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023, which aims to improve data accuracy on the Companies House register and combat economic crime.
Failure to comply with these rules may result in a fine of up to £1,000, an annotation on the company’s record, or prosecution. Companies House is also working to clean up the register by removing inaccurate information and enhancing identity verification processes.
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