Published 23 August 2026 · updated 9 September 2026 · 5 min read
People buy "a company address" as though it were one product. It is four, they do different jobs, and only two of them are published.
Registered office: the company's official address
Statutory. Every company must have one, in its jurisdiction of registration. It is published on the register and it is where Companies House and HMRC write. It belongs to the company, not to you. More on registered office addresses.
Director service address: the person's official address
Also published. It belongs to the individual director, secretary or person with significant control — not to the company — and it is recorded per person, per company. Without one, a director's home address goes on the public register. A director of three companies needs it recorded against all three. More on service addresses.
Business trading address: the commercial one
Not filed anywhere, not published. This is what goes on invoices, on the contact page, on the bank mandate. It exists for commerce, not compliance, and it needs to take ordinary post and parcels. More on trading addresses.
Correspondence address: everything else
Optional, unpublished, useful when directors are overseas or move often. More on correspondence addresses.
The mistake almost everyone makes
Buying a registered office and assuming it covers the directors. It does not — those are separate records at Companies House, and a registered office service does not put a service address on the register for anybody. If your name is on a company and you have not specifically arranged a service address, open the register and check what it says next to your name. It is free to look.
What to ask an address provider
- How many companies are registered at this address? A shared address with thousands of companies attracts scrutiny that lands on you.
- Do you verify identity before activating an address, or after taking payment?
- Do you monitor the register for companies using the address without arranging it?
- What happens to post after the service ends?
- Is the price on renewal the same as the price today?
Our answers are capped, before, yes, returned to sender after notice, and yes. The prices are published.
Nothing here is advice about your situation
It is general information about how UK company registration works, written to be accurate at the time of publication. Rules and fees change. Where a decision matters — tax, structure, an insolvent company — take advice on your own facts.