Companies Act 2006 Objecting to a Registered Office Address – Consultation
Open date: 25 Nov 2009
Closing date: 19 Jan 2010
This consultation seeks your views on whether and how we should change the law to reduce the risk of companies incorrectly using the addresses of other businesses or private individuals as their registered office address and sets out a process for third parties to challenge the information on the register.
Background to consultation
There is some evidence that companies may incorrectly use, as their registered office address, the address of another business or private individual with whom they have no connection. While it appears that the scale of the problem is small, the impact on an individual or business who finds that their address is being misused can be significant and distressing.
Purpose of consultation
This consultation seeks your views on whether and how we should change the law to reduce the risk of companies incorrectly using the addresses of other businesses or private individuals as their registered office address and sets out a process for third parties to challenge the information on the register.
Comments and questions
If you want to discuss policy issues raised in the consultation, please contact:
Maureen Beresford
Department of Business, Innovation and Skills
Corporate Law and Governance
Bay 564
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET
Tel: 020 7215 3342
Email: maureen.beresford@bis.gsi.gov.uk
Update - December 2010
The Government is sympathetic to the problems caused for individuals and businesses in the small number of cases where an address is used for a company to which there is no connection. However the introduction of a legal mechanism to allow for the removal of a Registered Office address from the register would require primary legislation and would involve considerable resource, in particular given the legal and practical complexities which arise from the reliance on the Registered Office address by a broad range of regulatory authorities and others. The Government does not therefore consider amendments in this area as a priority, but will consider the case for such a mechanism, should a suitable primary legislative vehicle become available.
Summary of Responses
Companies Act 2006: objecting to a registered office address, summary of responses to the consultation (PDF, 75 Kb) .
Download the consultation
