PO Box

[SodaPop]

Hi,
I am currently in a situation where I don't know if the company I setup is actually going to get any money coming into it.

I am loathed to spend money on an accountant until I am sure that I will actually get any money in, so I have been doing things myself so far (basically just zero VAT returns for the past two quarters, so far).

However, this means that I have been using my home address as the company address (not having an accountant to use instead).

I want to stop doing this, so I was thinking about using a PO box instead. I believe that I can submit a change of correspondence address at companies house (while still having to have my actual address registered, but hidden from public access).

I have had a look at PO boxes through Royal Mail, but they seem to be tied to a single residential address, and change if you move address.

What I really want is a static PO box (which doesn't change if I move address), and which nobody (aside from law enforcement, HMRC) can get my residential address from.

Just wondered if anybody had any experience of this, and could please advise me.

[suityou01]

Regis provide a geographical address service.

HTH

[Sands of Time]

Mailboxes etc

Mailbox Rental - Rest of the United Kingdom

Personal Business Premier
Package Up to 2 mailing names Up to 4 mailing names Up to 10 mailing names
3 Months £69.00 £108.00 £144.00
£23.00 pcm £36.00 pcm £48.00 pcm
6 Months £126.00 £198.00 £264.00
£21.00 pcm £33.00 pcm £44.00 pcm
12 Months £204.00 £312.00 £432.00
£17.00 pcm £26.00 pcm £36.00 pcm
2 Years £360.00 £576.00 £720.00
£15.00 pcm £24.00 pcm £30.00 pcm
5 Years £840.00 £1320.00 £1680.00
£14.00 pcm £22.00 pcm £28.00 pcm

Registration fee £10.00 (one off) Key replacement £5.00
Each additional mailing name £5.00 per name, per month 24 hour access fee £10.00
Mail forwarding £3.50 (plus materials, postage/courier costs) Registered company address £25.00 per annum
Mailbox key deposit £5.00 (refundable upon return) Package holding fee £0.50 per item per day
Late payment fee £10.00 Mail handling fee £25.00 per '000


Quite good in my experience - spose it depends on the office you deal with.



Bing!

[thunderlizard]

My answer from last month still stands:
http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...ss-needed.html

[SodaPop]

My answer from last month still stands:
http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...ss-needed.html

Hi Thunderlizard. Thanks for that.

I was just about to sign up for the registered office only with yourcityoffice.com, but it looks like you have to take it as an annual subscription if you only want the registered office.

Which package do you have with them?

[Clare@InTouch]

What I really want is a static PO box (which doesn't change if I move address), and which nobody (aside from law enforcement, HMRC) can get my residential address from.

If you originally set the company up using your home address as your registered office address then your details will always be available on the incorporation documents, which anyone can get for £1.

The benefit of using an accountant from the start is that you can use their office as your registered and service address, meaning your home address is never on public record in the first place.

You could sign up with an accountant as an annual client - that way they should let you use their address but not actually charge you anything until you want some actual work done (check before signing up, obviously!)

[SodaPop]

If you originally set the company up using your home address as your registered office address then your details will always be available on the incorporation documents, which anyone can get for £1.

You could sign up with an accountant as an annual client - that way they should let you use their address but not actually charge you anything until you want some actual work done (check before signing up, obviously!)

Thanks Clare. Yes, I did consider it at the start and probably should have done so. However the accounting firm that I used for the company formation, did have a monthly fee, which I believed I would pay regardless (might have been wrong about that).

Anyway, I have recently moved residential address, which is why I think this might be a good time to have a non-residential registered office.

I will investigate the accountant angle again though.

[thunderlizard]

Hi Thunderlizard. Thanks for that.

I was just about to sign up for the registered office only with yourcityoffice.com, but it looks like you have to take it as an annual subscription if you only want the registered office.

Which package do you have with them?

I had registered office + postal address + phone answering, but then dropped the phone answering service after a few months, with 1 month notice.

Looking on the website, it does look like you have to buy registered office annually if that's all you want. (though I assume they wouldn't object if you moved your registered office elsewhere and let them keep the money).

[ChrisPackit]

I enquired about this quite recently and all of the services that Royal Mail offer have a caveat that they will reveal your true address to any enquiror free of charge if approached. Hence on website :

"If you need your address to be completely private (for example, if you run a women’s refuge centre or if you’re a member of the security forces), you’ll need to write to us with a letter of endorsement from the police or a similar body. For more information please contact 08457 950 950."

and

"9. Disclosure of information
We reserve the right to give the address (and title) of the PO Box holder to any enquirers, (and you consent to this) and this information will be added to our national address database – the Postcode Address File (PAF). Information on the PAF is used to produce a number of Address Management products that are available to the public."


Better to go with the private company than RM.

[SodaPop]

I enquired about this quite recently and all of the services that Royal Mail offer have a caveat that they will reveal your true address to any enquiror free of charge if approached. Hence on website :

Better to go with the private company than RM.

Yes, it seems that they just want to make money out of it by selling on your information.

Also, the fact that the PO box changes when your address changes seem pretty poor (assuming I have understood that correctly).

Also, I hadn't really understood the whole registered office situation, which obviously can't be a PO box.

I spoke to the accountancy firm that I plan to use if I ever do sign up for one, but they will only do it as an add-on service where I would have to be paying the monthly fee.

I think I may just go with yourcityoffice.com

I'm a bit disappointed that I would have to pay annually for it, and there are others that seem cheaper, but I am not sure how reputable they are.

That said, I called yourcityoffice at 10am this morning to query the monthly/annual issue and am still waiting for a callback 3 and a half hours later, which doesn't fill me with confidence.

EDIT: I wonder if anybody has used these guys - smallfirmsservices.com