Forwarding address for company/director address

[Deleted member 160124]

I registered a limited company a few months ago and I noticed that my private address, which I provided as the director's address as well as my place of business, is now plastered all over Google. I would thus like to get a forwarding address to hide my actual address. Ideally this would cover both the "Director's address" and my "Place of business". I already have a forwarding address for the registered office.

Does anybody have experience with this? Are there any legal issues I need to keep in mind for this? Can anyone recommend a reliable company?

 

[billmccallum1957]

see https://www.gov.uk/limited-company-formation/appoint-directors-and-company-secretaries

 

[Deleted member 160124]

That link doesn't really answer my question unfortunately. All they mention there is that I can get the address removed "if you or your family are at risk of abuse or harm because of your company’s work" which does not apply here.

 

[elad]

Why is your Director's address plastered all over Google? In all my time of directorship I have never had my home address online as a result.

 

[Deleted member 160124]

I don't know, but for example if I search for my name on checkcompany.co.uk I find my home address, occupation and date of birth.

 

[elad]

I don't know, but for example if I search for my name on checkcompany.co.uk I find my home address, occupation and date of birth.

I just searched my name there — My occupation and date of birth shows, but not my home address.

Companies House actually makes the occupation and date of birth of all directors public, and there is absolutely nothing you can do about that. The most you can do is change your occupation via Companies House to simply 'COMPANY DIRECTOR', which is actually what I have mine set to.

As for your home address, it looks like you must have submitted that to Companies House as a registered office or Director's correspondence address, because it shouldn't appear publicly on its own.

 

[Deleted member 160124]

It shouldn't be the registered office (when I look at my company page I see a different address for that) but the Director's correspondence address sounds like the likely culprit. Is that what it is showing for you on your page?

Is this something I can change to a forwarding address then? Or are there any legal requirements about me actually living at the address I give them?

 

[elad]

It shouldn't be the registered office (when I look at my company page I see a different address for that) but the Director's correspondence address sounds like the likely culprit. Is that what it is showing for you on your page?

Is this something I can change to a forwarding address then? Or are there any legal requirements about me actually living at the address I give them?

OK, I just checked Companies House and I can give you the correct information/wording now:

Each company has its own Registered Office Address, but then each director has two addresses listed: the Director's SERVICE ADDRESS (what I was referring to as a 'corresponding address'), and the Director's RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. The Residential Address is not displayed anywhere, but the Service Address will be. The Service Address should be the same as your registered office/forwarding address if you want your home address to remain hidden, but your Residential Address must of course be where you reside. As mentioned, the residential address won't be displayed anywhere online. It sounds like you may have used your home address as your Service Address when registering the company, so that's what you need to change! You definitely don't have to live at the registered office or service address.

 

[elad]

A few months after submitting the new information the hope would be that your home address slowly disappears from Google results as these company listings update themselves

 

[David Griffiths]

You have to provide Companies House with a service address as a director., You've evidently given your home address, and that is now appearing on the company record.

You can opt to give a separate address as the service address - typically the company's registered office. The registrar still needs to know your private address, but that is not put on the record.

YOu can file this changed service address now, but that won't remove your previous service address from the company record (and obviously not from external records of organisations outside Companies House)

It's a common mistake made by people who try to do everything themselves.

 

[Deleted member 160124]

OK, I just checked Companies House and I can give you the correct information/wording now:

Each company has its own Registered Office Address, but then each director has two addresses listed: the Director's SERVICE ADDRESS (what I was referring to as a 'corresponding address'), and the Director's RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. The Residential Address is not displayed anywhere, but the Service Address will be. The Service Address should be the same as your registered office/forwarding address if you want your home address to remain hidden, but your Residential Address must of course be where you reside. As mentioned, the residential address won't be displayed anywhere online. It sounds like you may have used your home address as your Service Address when registering the company, so that's what you need to change! You definitely don't have to live at the registered office or service address.

Great, I will do that then. Can you recommend any service for this? My accountants only offer a registered office forwarding service, but not a director's address forwarding service.

A few months after submitting the new information the hope would be that your home address slowly disappears from Google results as these company listings update themselves

Luckily I am moving soon, so that will not be so much of an issue...

 

[Deleted member 160124]

You have to provide Companies House with a service address as a director., You've evidently given your home address, and that is now appearing on the company record.

You can opt to give a separate address as the service address - typically the company's registered office. The registrar still needs to know your private address, but that is not put on the record.

YOu can file this changed service address now, but that won't remove your previous service address from the company record (and obviously not from external records of organisations outside Companies House)

It's a common mistake made by people who try to do everything themselves.

Thanks, I will look into this. I did have an accounting company set this up for me but clearly they did not do a very good job here...

 

[FirstClassVirtualOffice]

This is why many people who work from home use a virtual office address, so they can use it not only as the registered office address but as the directors service address. They will always have record of your home address but it will be kept private and its the directors service address that is made public. Our service is £120/yr and includes £10 postage credit. Visit http://www.firstclassvirtualoffice.co.uk for more details and to download the application forms.

 

[TODonnell]

- You could get a Director's Service Address at the same place as your Registered Office, perhaps?

If not, we offer this in London: https://www.registeredaddress.co.uk/registrationoptions

Currently, Companies House is 'giving away the farm' here: http://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk

I would hope that, if you changed the Director's Service Address, your home address would gradually drop out of those (private) databases that pull from the Companies House database.