How to Decide on Your Registered Office Address
Starting a new business is exciting. But, there is a lot of admin you have to deal with first before you can start offering your products or services. In particular you are going to have to choose a registered office address. Just as the name suggests, this is going to be the official address of your office. It will appear on Companies House and customers will be able to see the address for your new business.
So, how do you decide on your registered office address? This might be something you are not sure about if you are going to start a business from home. There is a misconception that you have to work and trade from the registered office address that you have. But, we are going to clear that up right now. This is not true. You are able to operate from home or other located in the UK.
Simply, your registered office address is what is going to appear on the public register and it is where you will receive office correspondence. It does not mean that you have to operate from there full-time. So, what options do you have if you start a business from home? Let’s take a look?
Can You Use a Virtual Office?
One option that you might have heard a lot of business owners talking about recently is using a virtual office. Is this an option you can use for a registered office address? The answer is yes. This can be a good way to acquire a prestigious address somewhere that customers are going to recognise. For instance, W1 Virtual Office has amazing office locations across London and the UK. This means that you can have an impressive registered office address that will allow your business to be reputable distinctive to customers. A virtual office still means that you are able to run your business from home. But, this is where your official correspondence will be.
It is important to note that you can change your registered office address at any time. For instance, this can be done online. You are not stuck at the one address forever and even if you are using your home address at the moment, you are able to change this. For instance, if you decide that you like the idea of a virtual office, you can update your address today or in three months. The decision is yours.
Certainly, a lot of business owners like using a virtual office since they can enjoy the advantages of having an address in a prominent area of the country. For example, everyone loves London and this is a city that is known for being a business hub. So, if your brand is based here, there is an immediate prestige that you gain.
Do You Really Want to Use Your Home Address?
If you run your business from home and work remotely with your employees, you may think that you have no choice but to use your home address. First of all, know that you can use your home as a registered office address. There is nothing stopping you from doing that. But, note that you are not obligated to do this if you do not want to. There are other options for you.
there are some factors you need to think about when it comes to using your home address. Let’s take a look at them so that you can make the right decision.
The Public’s Perception
The first thing you should think about is what the public is going to think about you using a home address. Customers do their reach when it comes to using a business and they can be deterred by a residential address. This does not come across as professional. So, if you want to make a good first impression, it may be best to think about using a different address for your business.
The Need for Privacy
You have to remember that choosing a registered office address is an important task. In particular, this is something that is going to appear on the public register and be available online. You need to consider whether this is something you are comfortable with when it comes to security and privacy. There are a lot of business owners that do not like to use their home address if their family also lives there. If this is a concern for you, it is best to choose another registered office address.
