As a company director, can I keep my home address private?

If you set up a limited company, you might not want the directors’ residential addresses to appear on the public record.

Fortunately, limited company directors can provide a separate ‘service address’ to Companies House.

More privacy afforded to company directors

The Companies Act 2006 was the largest piece of legislation ever created. An earlier implementation removed the obligation of limited companies to appoint a company secretary.

Another important measure contained within the Act provides an extra degree of privacy for limited company officers.

This service address option – which took effect from 1st October 2009 – allows directors to provide an alternative address to appear on the public record. This is a correspondence address.

The service address can be your accountant’s address or a mail forwarding address. It can also be any other address which meets Companies House guidelines (see below).

If you are a company director, you must provide both your residential address and a service address to Companies House.

For many directors, the service and residential address are the same, but you may prefer to use a serviced office or other address to appear on the public register.

Important notes about the service address rules

• You can choose any address as your service address, but you must be able to receive documents at this address, and it cannot be a PO Box or DX number.
• It can be the same as your company’s registered address, but it doesn’t need to be.
• Unlike your company’s registered address, a service address can be anywhere in the world.
• It can be a commerical or residential address.
• You must provide Companies House with your usual residential address. This address is kept private and can only be viewed by specific public bodies, and credit reference agencies who need to carry out Money Laundering checks.
• In some cases, your residential address can be kept confidential from credit reference agencies, if you submit a confidentiality order, or have past or current links to the security services, for example.
• If you provide the same address for both residential and service purposes, the fact that the two are the same is also ‘protected information’.
• You can change or update a director’s service address at any time via WebFiling.

You can find out more about how your details are used by Companies House.

Service address options for limited company directors

If you set up a limited company, broadly speaking you have three choices when it comes to choosing a registered address for both the company itself, and for your service address (as a director).

1. Use your residential address for the company and/or you (as a director). This is a simple solution for many, but not a good option if you want to keep your residential address private.
2. Use your accountant’s address. Many accountants let you use their trading address for both the company and the directors’ service addresses. One bonus of this option, aside from privacy, is that official documents from Companies House and HMRC will arrive directly on your accountant’s doorstep, without you having to scan and forward them.
3. Use a third-party registered address service. This is a widely available option – one you can choose during the formation process, or at any time if you have already set up a company. This provides privacy, and typically a prestigious address for your company (e.g. Central London).