Before renewing your registered address service, confirm three things: your permission to use the address will continue without a gap, important post will reach the right person, and the renewed package covers what your company needs.
If you intend to move, arrange the replacement address and registration change before the existing service ends. Cancelling a subscription does not remove the old address from the company register.
For a UK limited company, renewal is a useful opportunity to check the arrangements behind the address. Here is what to organise before committing to another term.
1. Confirm the expiry date and renewal conditions
Check your service agreement rather than relying entirely on a reminder email. The payment deadline, cancellation deadline and date your permission to use the address ends may be different.
Ask the provider to confirm:
- The current service end date.
- Whether renewal happens automatically or requires approval.
- The renewal price, including any applicable VAT.
- The cancellation notice period.
- What happens if payment fails or arrives late.
Check that the saved payment method remains valid and renewal notices reach someone who can approve payment.
Do not assume there is a grace period. If you need extra time to decide, request a written extension covering both address use and mail handling.
2. Check exactly what the renewed package includes
A registered office service does not necessarily cover every way your business uses an address.
Before paying, confirm whether your agreement includes company statutory correspondence, directors’ service addresses, ordinary business mail or several companies. Permission for one company should not be assumed to cover another.
Also establish whether the arrangement includes opening letters, scanning documents, forwarding originals or simply notifying you that post has arrived. Ask about any exclusions affecting parcels, overseas forwarding or storage.
Interface Accountants’ registered address service states that mail forwarding is included, with postal and administrative charges covered. When arranging renewal, confirm the current terms against your actual requirements, particularly if your business receives more correspondence than when you first joined.
3. Make sure the address remains suitable
Your company must maintain an appropriate registered office. Documents delivered there should come to the attention of someone acting for the company, and senders must be able to obtain confirmation of delivery.
A provider accepting your renewal payment is therefore only part of the arrangement. You also need confidence that correspondence will reach you reliably.
Ask whether the provider expects to relocate during the next service period and how any move would be handled. If mail has previously arrived late, establish what will change before renewing.
For a replacement address, check that it is valid for your company’s jurisdiction of incorporation. A company registered in Scotland, for example, cannot simply switch its registered office to an address in England.
4. Update forwarding details and responsibility for letters
An active address service can still fail your business if letters are forwarded to an old office or notifications go to a former employee.
Review the provider’s records and confirm:
- Your company’s legal name and registration number.
- The postal destination for forwarded originals.
- The email address used for notifications or scans.
- The main contact and a backup contact.
- Who may authorise changes to these instructions.
Give one person responsibility for reviewing incoming correspondence and passing it to the appropriate adviser. Arrange cover for holidays and absences.
Where scanning is offered, check how long documents remain available and whether originals are retained or destroyed. Download important correspondence before access expires if you are leaving the service.
5. Prepare any documents needed for renewal
Ask whether the provider needs updated identification, proof of address, ownership information or other verification documents. Requirements depend on the provider and your circumstances, so obtain the list before the payment deadline.
Flag changes since the previous term, such as a new director, a company name change or a different person managing the account. These can affect the provider’s records and instructions.
Use the provider’s secure submission process for sensitive documents.
Keep the renewal invoice, payment receipt and written confirmation of the new service period together. This gives your team a clear record of the agreed coverage and helps resolve questions about whether the service remained active.
6. If you are switching, arrange the handover first
Start by obtaining permission to use the replacement address and confirming when its service begins. Then agree who will submit the registered office change.
The address does not officially change until Companies House registers it. Allow time for submission and acceptance, and check the public company record rather than treating an order confirmation as proof of completion.
Arrange an overlap where practical. Documents can still be validly served at the former registered office for 14 days after the change is registered. Agree how the outgoing provider will handle that correspondence and any later arrivals. This legal service period does not create a free forwarding arrangement.
Also check whether directors or people with significant control use the outgoing address as their service address. Those entries may require separate updates.
7. Update the records affected by a move
If you renew at the same address and nothing else changes, there is normally no registered office change to file simply because the subscription has renewed.
If you move, update the registered office details shown on your website, business letters and order forms. Review bank, insurer, supplier and contractual records wherever the previous address appears.
Companies House informs HMRC of a registered office change. However, check separately whether business correspondence details or individual tax records also need updating; do not assume every address held across different services has changed.
Keep a short checklist showing who owns each update and when it was completed. This prevents an old address remaining in everyday use after the formal change.
8. Plan around outstanding correspondence and deadlines
Before the current term ends, ask whether any letters or originals remain awaiting collection or forwarding.
Tell the provider if you are expecting a particular document. An unresolved tax query or legal notice deserves specific handover instructions, especially when switching.
An address service and an accountancy engagement may also have different scopes. Receiving a filing reminder does not necessarily mean someone has been appointed to prepare the filing. Confirm responsibility for upcoming accounts and tax work with your adviser, including any support arranged through Interface Accountants’ accounts service.
Frequently asked questions
1. Do I need to notify Companies House when I renew?
Normally, no. Renewing the service at the same registered office does not itself change the company’s registered details. A change of address requires a separate filing.
2. What if the service has already expired?
Contact the provider immediately to establish whether address use and mail handling can continue. If not, secure a suitable replacement and arrange the registration change promptly.
3. Can a dormant company let its address service lapse?
Dormancy does not remove the requirement to maintain an appropriate registered office. You can change arrangements, but the company still needs a compliant address.
4. Does cancelling the service close my company?
No. Ending an address subscription does not dissolve the company or end its obligations. Keep suitable address arrangements in place while the company remains registered.
5. Can I replace the service with my home address?
Potentially, if it meets the requirements and you have any necessary permission. Remember that a registered office address appears on the public register, so consider privacy before filing.
Renew with the next service period in mind
A sound renewal arrangement gives you continuous permission to use the address, clear mail handling instructions and a named person responsible for correspondence. If you are switching, secure the replacement and complete the handover before ending the existing service.
Once everything is confirmed, record the next cancellation deadline and set an earlier review reminder. That gives you time to assess the service next year without rushing into another term or risking a gap.