Virtual address for company

[Lifestyle_natural]

Hi,

I am planning to set up an Internet based retailing site from home. I am looking for a virtual address provider for registering the company - any thoughts welcome.

Also, can the registered address of the company be different from the sales return address? As I understand the sales return address is mandatory when selling products online..?

Many thanks
Mal
Lifestyle Natural

 

[mkgreenfield]

I used a company called payasyougopost.com for my company registered office.

Cost me £35 for the year and I've been pleased with the service.

I don't see why your sales return address couldn't be different.

Matt

 

[Lifestyle_natural]

Thanks for the help.

Mal

 

[vvaannmmaann]

From Companies House website.No mention of a 'returns address' though!

What is a registered office (RO) address?
All companies must have a registered office, which must be a situated at a physical location in their country of registration. It can be your business address, the address of your accountant or any other address you choose. However, it must be an address at which you will be able to deal with all official letters and notices that you receive.

Can a PO Box be used for the registered office address?
Yes, provided the full physical address is given including the postcode.

 

[StevensOnln1]

Loads of companies use a different address for their registered office to where they are actually based.

Sent from my GT-P1000 using UK Business Forums

 

[TODonnell]

We offer this service. See below. And the returns address can be different from the Registered office, certainly.

 

[Lifestyle_natural]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies.

What I am looking for is a virtual address that I can use as a trading address as well. The address would be displayed on my product labels and used for VAT.

Any suggestions in this regards?

Thanks
Mal

 

[Bryan_Centurica]

There are several companies providing "virtual office" services where they'll provide you with not only an address to use as your registered address, but one that you can use anywhere, coupled with mail and package forwarding.

Just google for "UK virtual office" and you'll have tens and tens of options.

I would suggest you to do very thorough pricing research before signing, though. I have experience with several virtual office providers that attract clients with low monthly fees but charge horrendous amounts when it comes to receiving/forwarding mail and packages. One of such companies I was using charged me £50 a year for basic service (a quite OK price), but £11 for each parcel received, assuming I would pick it up from their office (more when I asked them to forward it to my address)

Hope this helps.

Bryan

 

[TODonnell]

What I am looking for is a virtual address that I can use as a trading address as well. The address would be displayed on my product labels and used for VAT.

We offer this BUT we may not be suitable for your returns. Unless you are selling small-ish items? Like, can they fit through a normal letterbox and are they under 750g?

 

[fisicx]

What I am looking for is a virtual address that I can use as a trading address as well. The address would be displayed on my product labels and used for VAT.

My wife always checks out the company before buying anything online. If they are selling widgets and their address (via google maps) looks like a virtual office then she won't use them.

Talking to many people over the years and they like to see: 'Unit G, Bloggs Trading Estate, Burnley' as it feels real. Especially if there is a local number to go with the address. It helps to build trust.

Nothing wrong with trading from home - I'm happy with a home address as long as there is trust. I brought some tools off a bloke trading out of his garage. He wasn't hiding behind a PO box and 0800 number.

 

[rik_rs]

Let's see if I got it all the right way.

Point 1
it's completely legal.

I've found this on the HMRC website

MLR3C10465 - Trust or Company Service Providers (TCSPS): What is a "Virtual Office" package? Virtual Office packages are a range of services that are usually offered by companies that operate from prestige buildings in prime city centre locations. In addition to providing a registered office and mail receiving facility to clients these businesses also offer telephone/receptionist services, mail forwarding, meeting and conference room hire, secretarial services and the use of office suites with internet and telephony services. The attraction for clients is that they are spared the high capital costs of setting up their own office and employing their own staff.

hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/mlr3cmanual/MLR3C10465.htm
(sorry I can't insert active links because I'm new and this forum prevent me from doing that)

Point 2
There are 2 plans:
the first is useful only to hide the home address to the public, but useless for insulation from HMRC, because as stated in another thread

When using a virtual office with HMRC you should also provide them with your home address.

Right?


Point 3
I don't know how it works, however the other possibility is the complete insulation

not only an address to use as your registered address, but one that you can use anywhere

On this regard I'm wondering what happens for home office expenses: if it really could insulate home even from HMRC, it would also prevent the deduction of the expenses of the real home-office, wouldn't it?

Many thanks

 

[FirstClassVirtualOffice]

There should be no reason you can't supply your home address to HMRC but the virtual address is supplied for communication purposes.

You will still claim expenses as working from home, as that is where you are physically based and carry out the work, but you use the virtual address purely for reasons such as marketing, mail forwarding, communications, branding, etc.

We offer a virtual office address service but we don't accept customer return parcels if that's what you need. If you get a lot of returns you are best off using a local virtual office so you can go and collect them as it will start costing you a lot to have returns forwarded on to you. Depending on size and weight, and Royal Mail prices these days, parcels can be expensive to send.

 

[rik_rs]

There should be no reason you can't supply your home address to HMRC but the virtual address is supplied for communication purposes.

I've never seen the UK registration form for starting a business, so I beg your pardon but I have difficulty with the overall view and for this reason I'm surely going to ask weird questions.


Question 1
From what you are saying there must be at least 2 different address: real address + communication.
If I have to give HMRC the home real address, what is the benefit of giving them another address for communication purposes? I see a benefit only with the opposite situation: receiving their mail at home (quicker + cheaper + safer) being registered as virtual office elsewhere (avoiding HMRC people at home).


Question 2
Probably this is only true for ltd companies... I don't know... however
how do we accomplish this?

It is a requirement of the Companies Act that a company must display its name at its registered office.

hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/mlr3cmanual/mlr3c10470.htm
If the registered address is a virtual office I imagine you should expose the company name at your virtual office.


Many thanks!

 

[FirstClassVirtualOffice]

Ok what I mean is that you give HMRC your residential address so they have it on record. But they will send all letters of communication to your virtual office address as this is your "trading" address.

Re Companies House Act, that requirement expired a few years ago now. No need to display the address at your business premises anymore.

Yes it is quicker to receive your mail at home, but the point of why people use a virtual office is because they don't want their home address to be used for various reasons. This could be: want to keep home address private so customers, etc, don't come knocking at their door, landlords don't allow business to be run from home, they want to commit some kind of fraud or just behave dishonestly or improper to some degree, and think (albeit wrongly!) they can't be traced, they don't want to be traced by people they owe money or goods to and are trying to put a barrier between them and who is after them, they want to give a professional office image (especially if they live in a dump of an area if anyone was to view the area on Google earth it don't look great!) ....I could go on.

 

[rik_rs]

Yes it is quicker to receive your mail at home, but the point of why people use a virtual office is because they don't want their home address to be used for various reasons. This could be: ......

Yes, obviously, that's the only thing it was absolutely clear for me.

The "quicker" I was talking about was only referred to the unclear concept of giving HMRC home address for registration + virtual office only for communication: I was only arguing why not the opposite since HMRC communication at home are quicker+safer. But thanks to your last reply I've now understood that is because home address is only a mandatory owner information.

So question 1 & 2 are now clear!


I live in a very good area near ASDA, B&Q, SCS,and lots of facilites, but I have already a lot of sellers knoking to my door for Sky, alarms, conservatories, etc: I don't want to add also B2B sellers!!! So I'll surely go for a virtual office.
Thanks

 

[FirstClassVirtualOffice]

You won't get B2B sellers at your door if you use your home as a trading address. They only go to commercial premises such as offices, etc.

 

[BusinessTeam]

Sorry for late reply - our vote goes for www.firstclassvirtualoffice.co.uk it's well worth getting in touch with the team there to see how they can help.

Richard