Registered Office Address Service in the UK: Rules, Prices, How to Choose
Every UK limited company must maintain a registered office that satisfies section 86 of the Companies Act 2006, and since 4 March 2024 that address must also pass the stricter "appropriate address" test inserted by the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023. A registered office address service meets both requirements with a staffed commercial building that receives and signs for statutory mail. Our catalog lists 83 qualifying locations in London, 11 in Manchester, 11 in Birmingham and 6 in Edinburgh, with plans from $74 per month at centres run by Regus, Spaces, Signature and HQ.
What the law demands since 4 March 2024
Section 86(2) of the Companies Act 2006 now defines an appropriate address with two tests: a document delivered there by hand or by post must, in the ordinary course of events, be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company, and the delivery must be capable of being recorded by an acknowledgement. Companies House applies both limbs to every one of the addresses on its register, and a company sitting at a non-compliant address is committing an offence. A staffed reception at a centre such as Fleet Street — a Regus building in the City of London and one of 83 catalog locations in the capital — satisfies both limbs, because a named receptionist accepts the letter and the operator logs the delivery.
The same reform banned bare PO Boxes: since 4 March 2024 Companies House refuses them as registered offices, although a third-party agent's street address remains explicitly permitted. Enforcement is not theoretical. Where the registrar decides an address is inappropriate, it can move the company to a default address at Companies House itself, and if the company fails to file a compliant replacement within 28 days, the registrar may begin strike-off proceedings under the Companies Act 2006.
What a registered office service costs in 2026
Start with the state's own numbers. Since 1 May 2024 Companies House charges £50 for a standard online incorporation and £34 for the annual confirmation statement filed electronically — the filing where you now also confirm your registered email address. Those fees are fixed; the variable cost is the address itself, and that is where providers differ by an order of magnitude in prestige for similar money.
Across our UK catalog, virtual office plans that include a registered-office-grade address start at $74 per month, with a median of $161. London offers the widest choice — 83 buildings, from One Canada Square in Canary Wharf, where Signature operates the 37th floor, to Spaces Canary Wharf and Regus Fleet Street. A director paying the from-price of $74 per month spends less on a Canary Wharf-postcode address than many firms pay for a single hour of City legal advice.
Outside the capital the from-price does not move: Manchester lists 11 buildings from $74 per month, including Regus King Street and Spinningfields plus Spaces Deansgate, and Birmingham matches it with 11 locations from $74, led by Edmund House and the Lewis Building. For a company trading nationally, registering in Manchester at the same $74 entry price as London is a legitimate way to signal a regional headquarters.
How to choose a compliant provider
First, check supervision. A business supplying registered office or correspondence addresses is a Trust or Company Service Provider under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 and must be supervised for anti-money laundering purposes — by HMRC on its TCSP register, unless it is already overseen by the FCA or a professional body. An unsupervised provider can be shut down, taking your address with it and starting your 28-day default-address clock.
Second, respect jurisdiction. A company incorporated in Scotland must keep its registered office in Scotland, so a Scottish company needs one of Edinburgh's 6 catalog buildings — Regus Princes Street, George Street or Spaces Lochrin Square — rather than any of London's 83. Third, prefer providers that can prove the s86(2) acknowledgement test in practice: IWG-network centres such as Signature at One Canada Square run staffed receptions during business hours, log deliveries and scan statutory mail, which is precisely the evidence trail the Companies Act 2006 asks for.
Finally, look for identity-verification support. Since 18 November 2025, new directors and persons with significant control must verify their identity with Companies House, either directly through GOV.UK or via an Authorised Corporate Service Provider (ACSP). A provider that is also a registered ACSP can bundle the verification with the address, which matters for the roughly 12-month transition window Companies House gave existing directors.
Switching addresses: form AD01 and the 14-day rule
Moving an existing company onto a service address is a single filing: form AD01, submitted to Companies House online, including a statement that the new address is appropriate within the meaning of section 86(2) of the Companies Act 2006. The change takes effect when the registrar registers it, and the company must notify the change within 14 days. Remember the parallel duty introduced on 4 March 2024: every company must maintain a registered email address, which Companies House keeps off the public record and uses for compliance notices — keep it current when you change providers, or penalty warnings will go unread.
FAQ
Can a virtual office legally serve as a registered office address?
Yes. Companies House explicitly accepts a third-party agent's address provided it meets both limbs of the section 86(2) test — mail reaches a person acting for the company and delivery can be acknowledged. What changed on 4 March 2024 is that a bare PO Box no longer qualifies; a staffed centre with a street address, available in our catalog from $74 per month, does.
What happens if my registered office is ruled inappropriate?
The registrar can substitute a default address held at Companies House, and the company then has 28 days to file an appropriate replacement with supporting evidence. Miss that window and Companies House may begin striking the company off the register; operating without an appropriate address is also an offence for the company and its officers under the Companies Act 2006.
Is a registered office the same as a director's service address?
No — the Companies Act 2006 requires both: one registered office for the company plus a service address for every director, and each appears on the public register while the director's home address stays protected. In practice one plan covers both, since the catalog's UK packages from $74 per month let directors reuse the building — for example King Street in Manchester — as their service address.