Do I need to tell Companies House when I move house?

If you are a company director or Person with Significant Control (PSC), you must tell Companies House when you move house, even if your home address is not used as a registered office or service address. You can notify Companies House of a change of address, free of charge, using our Online Company Manager.

• Keep your home address private - with a registered office service
• Service addresses for company directors
• The SAIL address explained

The open and transparent nature of setting up and running a company in the UK necessitates that directors and PSCs provide certain details to Companies House, which includes residential addresses. This information should be kept up to date at all times.

Why do I have to provide my home address to Companies House?

In order for the UK to improve corporate transparency and combat economic crime, companies must disclose information about their business activities, as well as details of the individuals who set up, manage, and control these businesses. Therefore, when you register a company in the UK, you will be asked to provide information about every director, shareholder, and PSC.

All of this information, with the exception of residential addresses (unless used as a registered office or service address), and the day element of dates of birth, will be added to the UK register of companies, which is a matter of public record. This register is available online and can be searched free of charge using Companies House Service.

If you are a director or PSC, you will be required to provide two addresses when setting up your company: your usual residential address, and your service address. You may use the same address for both requirements, but service address details will be on public record. Your home address will be kept on a private register that is not available to the public – unless it is used as a service address or registered office.

Companies House only provides details of home addresses to credit reference agencies and certain public authorities (e.g. the police) under strict circumstances and only if required by law. In exceptional cases, it may be possible to prevent Companies House from disclosing your home address to credit reference agencies. We discuss this in more detail below.

How to tell Companies House when you move house

Updating details registered at Companies House is pretty straightforward. With the exception of changing your company name, there is no fee. Where applicable, updates will be reflected on public record within approximately 24 hours of notifying Companies House.

The quickest and easiest way to tell Companies House when you move house is to use 1st Formations’ free Online Company Manager, which is available to both customers and non-customers. Simply log in or create an account to change your home address online. This service can also be used to update other information about your company and file annual Confirmation Statements.

Change a director’s home address

To update a company director’s home address, you must complete form CH01 ‘Change of director’s details’. This should be submitted to Companies House within 14 days of the change taking place. The quickest and easiest way to do this is online through our Online Company Manager. You will need the following details to hand to complete the form:

• Company Registration Number (CRN)
• full company name
• month and year of director’s birth
• director’s full name
• date of change of home address
• new residential address, incl. postcode
• new service address

This form should also be used if you need to make changes to a director’s name, service address, country/state of residence, nationality, or business occupation.

Change a PSC’s home address

To change the home address of a person with significant control, you should complete form PSC04 ‘Change of details of individual person with significant control (PSC)’. Again, the best way to notify Companies House is online, and you must submit the form within 28 days of the change of address. The details required are:

• CRN
• full company name
• month and year of PSC’s birth
• date of change of home address
• new residential address, incl. postcode
• new service address
• date on which the address was updated on the company’s PSC register
• if relevant, declare that the individual PSC is exempt, or has applied for exemption, from disclosing his or her home address to credit reference agencies.

You will also use this form if you need to change other details relating to an individual PSC, including country/state of residence, nationality, and the nature of the PSC’s control over the company.

If a PSC has applied for protection from having his or her details disclosed on public record, you cannot use form PSC04. Contact [email protected] to request the correct form.

Companies House exemption from disclosing the home address

It is not possible for Companies House to remove your home address from the company register if it is used as your company’s registered office. However, in some circumstances, directors and PSCs can ask Companies House to remove their home address details (when used as a service address) from the public record and/or withhold this information from credit reference agencies. You must apply for each of these exemptions separately and pay a fee.

Download form SR01 to ask Companies House to remove your home address from public record. You will be required to post the completed form to Companies House and include a cheque or postal order for £30.

If you are at risk of violence or intimidation as a result of your company’s activities, you can ask Companies House to withhold your address from credit reference agencies. To qualify for exemption, you will have to provide supporting evidence, such as:

• a police incident number
• documentary evidence (e.g. photos or recordings) of a threat or attack
• evidence of potential disruption or targeting
• proof that you work for a particular organisation, such as the Secret Intelligence Service, whose activities place you at risk

To apply for this exemption, you must request an application form by emailing Companies House at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can request a form by calling 0303 1234 500 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 6pm). A £100 fee will apply when you submit an application.