Another company is using your address as its registered office: what to do

Finding an unfamiliar company attached to your address can create immediate problems: misdirected post, customer confusion, and concern that your property now appears on the public register for a business you have nothing to do with. The first step is to save the Companies House entry and confirm exactly which address field is involved.

From there, the route depends on the filing. Companies House has an online process for reporting an address used without consent. If the issue is the company's registered office, an RP07 application is a separate process for asking the registrar to rectify an address you say is not appropriate.

Neither route removes the entry on demand. Companies House may ask for evidence connecting you to the address, and the registrar will assess the material provided before deciding what to do. This guide focuses on that procedural removal issue, including what to gather, which route fits the problem, and what may happen next.

This article is general information only and is not legal advice.

Check exactly how your address appears on the register

Before reporting anything, confirm what has actually been filed. The right process depends on whether your address is listed as the company's registered office, a correspondence address, or a home address.

• Search the company on the Companies House register and note the company name and company number.
• Check each public address field carefully rather than assuming every address entry is the registered office.
• Save or print the register entry so you have a record of what appears online.
• Record when you first noticed the issue and whether you ever gave permission for the address to be used.
• Keep any post sent to that company at your address, including envelopes showing the delivery details.

This first check helps you identify the address category and describe the correct problem in your report.

When use of the address may be a compliance problem

A company must keep its registered office at an appropriate address in the correct UK jurisdiction. In practical terms, that means post sent to the company should come to the attention of someone acting for the company, and it should be possible for delivery to be acknowledged.

Government guidance also makes the position on third-party addresses clearer than many business owners expect. If a company uses another person's address, such as an accountant's or solicitor's, it must have that person's permission first. If a company uses a service provider's address as its registered office, the address must still meet the registered office address requirements, and it must already be in place before the company is registered.

That does not mean every address dispute will be resolved automatically in your favour. It does mean that unauthorised use of a third party's address can raise a real Companies House compliance issue, not just an inconvenience for the property owner or occupier.

What evidence is worth gathering before you report it

Companies House may ask for evidence showing that the address is yours. The registrar's published guidance also explains that an applicant should provide information or evidence to support the case and explain why the registered office is not appropriate.

Useful evidence can include documents showing your proprietary rights to the property, such as freehold or leasehold documents. The guidance also gives examples including a written agreement entitling a person to use the address, and a recent utility bill showing the address details.

In practice, it usually helps to send a consistent set of documents rather than relying on one item alone. For example, if you are a tenant in business premises, a lease together with recent utility evidence and copies of wrongly delivered company post may be more persuasive than a single document in isolation.

If you run a registered office or company secretarial service, include any records showing whether there was ever a valid address service arrangement. If permission ended, explain when it ended and why the company no longer had authority to keep using the address.

If the issue concerns a home address being used without your knowledge, the guidance indicates that Companies House may still require evidence of proprietary ownership before it can act.

Choosing the right Companies House route

Where a company has used your address without consent, Companies House says you should report it through its online process to report a company using your personal details without permission. That guidance specifically covers a company using your address without consent as a registered office address, a correspondence address, or a home address.

This is the main route to use when you are the address owner or occupier and another company has put your details on the register without authority. Companies House says it will ask about the company involved and, for address reports, it will also ask for evidence showing that it is your address.

There is also a separate rectification process under the registrar's rules and powers for a disputed registered office address. The published guidance says any person may apply to rectify a company's registered office address if they believe it is not appropriate, using form RP07, with supporting information and an explanation of why the address is not appropriate.

These routes can overlap in practice, but they are not identical. The online report is directed at unauthorised use of your details. An RP07 application is specifically about rectifying a registered office that is said to be inappropriate. Companies House assesses the evidence and decides how to proceed.

The key point is not to treat this as a routine filing update. You are reporting another company's use of your address, rather than changing the registered office of your own company.

What may happen after Companies House receives your report

Do not expect the entry to disappear immediately. Companies House says it may contact you for more information or evidence, and that it will email you once the case has been processed. It also warns that duplicate reports can delay matters.

Where an RP07 application is made, the registrar will consider the merits of the application. If the registrar is not satisfied that the registered office is not at an appropriate address, the application can be rejected.

If the registrar is satisfied that the registered office is not appropriate, the registrar may change the company's registered office to a Companies House default address without giving the company a period of notice. The registrar may instead give the company notice so it can object with evidence or file a new registered office.

If notice is given, several outcomes are possible. The company might provide a new address, it might object and satisfy the registrar that the address is appropriate, or the registrar may still decide to move the registered office to the default address if not satisfied by the company's response.

Prevention for address-service providers

If you provide registered-office services, keep a clear record of each company's permission to use the address and when that permission ends. For businesses choosing a provider, our guide to using a virtual business address in the UK covers setup and mail handling. It is a prevention resource, not the remedy for an unauthorised entry already on the register.

Key Takeaways

• Check whether the entry is a registered office, correspondence address or home address before reporting it.
• Where your address has been used without consent, Companies House says you should use its online reporting process and provide evidence that the address is yours.
• If the disputed entry is the company's registered office, form RP07 is a separate rectification route for an address said to be inappropriate.
• Companies House may ask for more information, and the registrar may reject the application, invite a company response, or move the registered office to a default address.
• If you provide address services, keep clear records of permission and when it ends.

If you need help dealing with unauthorised use of your address, reviewing registered office service terms, preparing a response to Companies House, or tightening your company administration documents, Sprintlaw's legal team can help. Call 08081347754 or email team@sprintlaw.co.uk.