SAIL addresses and company records: keeping AD02 and AD03 in sync

A single alternative inspection location, usually called a SAIL address, can be useful if you want some company records kept somewhere other than the registered office. That sounds simple, but founders often blur three separate things: the company's registered office, the public SAIL address and the separate notification of which records are actually kept there. Those are not the same step, and treating them as interchangeable can leave your filings out of sync with what is happening in practice.

For companies registered in England and Wales, the key point is this: a SAIL does not replace the registered office, and filing an address does not by itself move every company record. You need to decide whether using a SAIL is worthwhile, identify what records will in fact be held there, and make sure the Companies House position matches your internal handover. A SAIL is also public, so it is not a privacy fix if you were hoping to hide a home address by using one. This article is general information only and is not legal advice.

Registered office, SAIL and record location are different

Your registered office remains the company's official address. It is the address associated with the company on the public register and it continues to matter even if you use another location for inspection of some records.

A SAIL is different. It is another address the company can choose to use to hold some records for inspection at a separate location. In other words, a SAIL is about where certain records are kept available, not about changing the company's core official address.

That distinction matters for administration. Changing or adding a SAIL does not change the company's registered office. Equally, moving a filing cabinet or asking an accountant to store records does not automatically alter the company's public register details.

A simple way to think about it is:

• the registered office is the company's official public address
• the SAIL is an optional separate public address for inspection of some records
• the records themselves still need to be identified and handled correctly

This is why founders can run into problems when they say, "we moved our records to our accountant" but only changed one part of the Companies House picture.

Why the forms AD02 and AD03 are not the same thing

The form names are technical, but the split is practical.

AD02 is used to notify Companies House of the single alternative inspection location itself. It tells Companies House that the company has a single alternative inspection location.

AD03 does something different. It is used to tell Companies House which of the company's records are held at that SAIL address. So AD03 is about the location of records, not just the existence of the address.

That is the point many businesses miss. Filing AD02 does not mean every relevant record has now been notified as being at the SAIL. Equally, deciding internally that records will be kept there is not the same as notifying the address.

If you are changing an arrangement rather than creating one from scratch, keep the sequence clear in your own mind:

• first, decide whether the company will use a SAIL at all
• second, notify the SAIL address
• third, notify which records are actually held there

That does not mean every company needs every possible record moved. The official wording is that a company can choose another address to hold some of its records for inspection. The practical lesson is to avoid broad assumptions such as "all records go to the SAIL" or "the SAIL filing covers everything".

Where the form requirements or the record categories are material to your situation, it is sensible to check the current AD03 wording carefully or get legal review so the filing reflects the company's actual record-keeping setup.

Does a SAIL help with privacy?

Only to a limited extent, and often not in the way founders first expect.

A SAIL address is public. Companies House makes the company's registered office address and SAIL address publicly available. If you use your home as the SAIL, that home address may still be visible on the public register.

So a SAIL is not a way of making an address private. It is better viewed as a record-location tool.

This point matters when a founder is trying to tidy up their personal information on the Companies House register. If the concern is, "I do not want my home address to appear publicly", the better starting question is whether your registered office, service address arrangements or SAIL are using a home address in the first place. Simply adding a SAIL will not hide an address that is already meant to be public.

For example, if a founder uses their flat as the registered office and then files a SAIL using the same flat, nothing has really improved from a privacy perspective. If the company instead uses a suitable business address for the registered office and a different suitable address for any SAIL, that may reduce use of personal addresses on the public register. But the chosen SAIL itself will still be public.

What should you actually move to the SAIL?

This is where legal compliance and business housekeeping overlap.

For a clear administrative record, identify which records, if any, are held at the SAIL and compare that inventory with the Companies House notification. If the exact record categories matter for your situation, check the current AD03 form guidance or get legal review before assuming a particular document belongs in that filing.

Operationally, the company should know what documents are physically or digitally stored there, who controls access and how the records can be produced when needed.

Not every founder needs an elaborate records project. But you do need a reliable inventory. That is especially true if you are moving from one professional adviser to another, or from an old serviced office to a new one.

A practical inventory might cover:

• what records, including the articles of association, are currently kept at the registered office
• what records are held by accountants, company secretarial providers or another adviser
• which records the company wants held at the SAIL going forward
• whether any records remain elsewhere for working purposes, with clear master-copy arrangements
• who is authorised to deal with inspection queries or Companies House correspondence about those records

This is also the point to separate physical storage from public filings. For instance, you might scan historical records into a secure platform for internal convenience, while separately reviewing which records are notified as being at the inspection location. A convenient internal scan and a Companies House location notification do different jobs.

If your current arrangements have grown informally over time, resist the urge to describe everything as being "with our accountant" or "on the cloud". Those descriptions may be true in a loose business sense but still be too vague for company record-keeping.

A practical handover when the record keeper or address changes

One of the most common moments for a SAIL issue is a handover between providers or addresses.

Imagine a small company whose previous accountants handled company secretarial administration and kept certain records at their office. The company now appoints a new firm and wants the records transferred to the new firm's address, while leaving the registered office unchanged at a separate business address.

The handover should not start with a form. It should start with a clear list of what is actually moving.

A sensible process would be:

• confirm the registered office will stay where it is, so no one accidentally changes the wrong public address
• identify the records currently being kept at the old location and check what the company wants moved
• agree who at the new location will be the day-to-day contact for access, post or record queries
• set out authority for the transfer, especially if an external provider is releasing files to a new one
• keep evidence of what was submitted to Companies House and when
• check the public company record afterwards to make sure the address and records position reflect the intended setup

That last point is often overlooked. Founders may assume the administrative job is done once documents are emailed to an adviser. In practice, you want a straightforward audit trail: what changed, who approved it, what forms were submitted and what the public record now shows.

There is also a difference between law and good housekeeping here. The law may deal with the notified address and location of records. Good housekeeping includes naming an internal owner, retaining copies of submissions and confirming retrieval arrangements if the relationship with the adviser later ends.

What a SAIL does not do

A lot of confusion disappears once you are clear about the limits of a SAIL.

A SAIL does not replace the registered office. The registered office remains the official address.

A SAIL does not automatically move every company record. The company chooses to use another address to hold some records for inspection, and the inventory and notification should be checked together as part of the handover.

A SAIL does not make a home address secret. If a home address is used as the SAIL, that SAIL can be publicly available.

A SAIL does not remove the need to manage access and administration. If records are meant to be inspected at another location, the company should still know who is responsible, how records are produced and how future address changes will be handled.

A SAIL also should not be treated as a catch-all filing shortcut. Founders sometimes assume that once a SAIL exists, future company records will automatically be treated as held there. That is too casual. Internal records management and Companies House notifications still need to line up.

FAQ

Can we use a SAIL even if our registered office stays with a formation agent or office provider?

Yes. A SAIL is separate from the registered office. The key is keeping the arrangement clear so the official address stays correct and the company has checked its records inventory against the location notification.

Do we have to move all company records to the SAIL?

No. The official guidance refers to using another address to hold some company records for inspection. You should decide what is actually being kept there rather than assuming everything must move.

Will filing AD02 alone cover the records we keep there?

No. AD02 is for notifying the SAIL address. AD03 is used to notify which records are held at that SAIL address.

Can a SAIL be our home address?

It can be used as an address, but that does not help privacy because the SAIL is public. If avoiding publication of a home address matters, choose a different suitable address instead of relying on a SAIL to hide it.

Should we keep proof of the filing and handover?

Yes, as a practical matter. Keep confirmation of what was submitted, internal approval for the change, an inventory of what moved and a note of who now controls access. That creates a cleaner record if an adviser changes or the public record later needs checking.

Key Takeaways

• A SAIL is an optional public inspection location for some company records, not a replacement for the registered office.
• AD02 notifies the SAIL address, while AD03 notifies which company records are held at that SAIL address.
• Using a SAIL does not make a home address private, because the SAIL itself is public.
• Do not assume all records move automatically. Decide what will actually be kept at the SAIL and make sure practice matches the notification.
• When changing advisers or addresses, keep a clear inventory, authority trail and submission record so the public filing and the real-world handover stay aligned.

If you are setting up a new company administration arrangement, moving records to a professional address, reviewing your registered office position or checking Companies House filings after a handover, Sprintlaw can help with company secretarial administration. For a fixed-fee consultation on company setup documents, governance housekeeping and Companies House filing support, contact us on 08081347754 or email team@sprintlaw.co.uk.