Calling All Company Directors… protect your home address

Picture the scene. You’re having a relaxing evening at home, just settled down to eat your dinner, a glass of wine perhaps when the doorbell rings. It turns out to be an eager customer of your online business who can’t wait to finalise a purchase. How, you wonder, has this person found your home address? Easy, he’s found it on the public record.

October 1st saw a number of changes within the Companies Act; a major one was the introduction of a “service address” for company directors. Any filing of a director’s details for incorporations now has to include both the director’s usual residential address and a service address. The service address will be on the public record; the residential address will be protected information. A director may choose to use their residential address as their service address in which case it will be available on the public register.

Regardless of when the company was formed this is an issue.

A director can choose any address as their service address – it can be a home address or perhaps the registered office of the company – or an alternative address.  However, it must be an address where documents can be delivered and an acknowledgement or receipt provided if required.  It cannot be a PO Box or a DX number.

Of course some people will not mind their home address being accessible but it’s important everyone is made aware of this change. It may just save an evening or two.

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