1. What is a Registered Office?

A Registered Office is the official address of your company, to which Companies House letters and reminders will be sent. The registered office can be situated anywhere in England and Wales (or Scotland if your company is incorporated there). The Registered Office must always be an effective address for delivering documents to the company, and therefore Post Office Boxes are not allowed. If your company wishes to change its Registered Office address after incorporation, the new address must be notified to Companies House on form 287.

2. What is the minimum number of officers your company requires?

Every company must have formally appointed company officers at all times. A private company must have at least:

• one director;
• one secretary - formal qualifications are not required. A company's sole director cannot also be the company secretary.

*Please note that this will change under the new Companies Act 2006 - see "News". 

After incorporation, you must inform Companies House about:

the appointment of a new officer - use form 288a;

an officer's resignation from the company - use form 288b;

changes in an officer's name or address or any of the other details originally registered on Form 10 - use form 288c.

3. Can anyone be a Company Director?

In general terms, yes, but there are some rules. You can't be a company director if: you are an undischarged bankrupt or disqualified by a court from holding a directorship, unless given leave to act in respect of a particular company or companies;

There is no minimum age limit in the Companies Act for a director to appointed in England or Wales however, he or she must be able to consent to their own appointment. *Please note that this will change under the new Companies Act 2006 - see "News".

In Scotland the Registrar will not register for any company the appointment of a director under the age of 16 years old. Some people not of British nationality are restricted as to what work they may do while in this country.

4. Do I need to be a Limited Liability Company?

The reasons for incorporating a limited liability company are varied, for example, it could involve ownership of a property, obtaining investment funds, taxation or contractual relationships. Many businesses function satisfactorily as sole traders or partnerships however their personal assets are at risk in the event of a failure.

The key point to recognise is that a company is a separate entity.

This means that it is a legal person in its own right. 

It is separate from those who own or run it, and has 'limited liability'.

5. What does Limited Liability mean?

Limited liability gives the owners of the company (its shareholders/members) protection should the company fail.

This means that if a company is put into liquidation, the people who own the company will only be required to pay what they have already paid or agreed to pay towards settling its debts.

6. How to set up a Limited Liability Company

Simply let us check that your chosen name is available, and then incorporate the company for you on-line today

7. What responsibilities will I have towards Companies House?

Every company director has a personal responsibility to ensure that statutory documents are delivered to the Registrar of Companies as and when required by the Act. In particular:

• accounts (only for limited companies);
• annual returns (Form 363);
• the appointment of a new director or secretary - use Form 288a;
• an officer's resignation from the company - use Form 288b;
• changes in an officer's name or address or any of the other details originally registered - use Form 288c.
• Notice of change of Registered Office use Form 287.

8. Why does Companies House need this information?

In exchange for the benefits of trading with limited liability, companies must deliver certain information about themselves to the registrar. He must then make this information available for inspection by the public so that they can make informed decisions about companies that they may wish to invest in or do business with.

Remember, delivery of documents does not take place until they reach the Registrar.

9. What information must I display on my stationery

As from 1st January 2007 the following applies to –

Business Stationery

Whether in hard copy, electronic or any other form a company must state its name, in legible lettering, on the following -

• all the company's business letters;
• all its notices and other official publications;
• all bills of exchange, promissory notes, endorsements, cheques and orders for money or goods purporting to be signed by, or on behalf of, the company;
• all its bills of parcels, invoices, receipts and letters of credit

On all of its business letters, order forms or any of the company’s web sites*, the company must show in legible lettering –

• its place of registration
• registered number
• its registered office address
• and if it is being wound up, that fact,

*A web site is not a company’s web site if, it’s content is determined solely by persons other than the company, or it does not relate to the company, its business or operations

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