Email Signature Requirements

[SueEllen]

Thanks for the replies. I had actually thought using a separate registered address was more expensive than people here suggest, may well consider it now.

As a director I could simply use your company number and look up your details on Companies House.

That's if I bother to read your email signature in the first place...

The number of times I've had to tell people it's in the email signature is amazing.

[Zylon]

Thanks for the replies. I had actually thought using a separate registered address was more expensive than people here suggest, may well consider it now.

[Maslins]

Agree with Alan, we don't charge either provided it's not being used as a trading address and we end up with a volume of mail coming through.

This. It's one thing scanning and emailing a letter or two from Cos Hse/HMRC. It's another to have to go to the post office to forward on hard copies of things like debit cards/cheque books from the bank...also to scan and email huge quantities of customer/supplier bits and bobs.

Going back to the OP...yes, it's a legal requirement. Many will say that a bit like the cookie law, and potentially dividend vouchers, huge numbers of people won't bother and will suffer no negative consequences. Whether you want to take the small risk and join them is up to you.

[barrydidit]

we can point them in the direction of a company that charges just £34 pa for a Manchester address.

How much do they charge for one which isn't in Manchester?

[VectraMan]

Are you a director? Go take a look eh?

You need a Directors Service Address which is a different thing.

But unless you've just started your company, your previous returns with your address on it are still visible. So there may not be a lot of point doing it.

I'd never heard of email signature requirements, though I do have all that on my invoices (which I've always emailed). Sounds like something that few would bother with in reality.

[Darren at Fox-Bartfield]

Reg Office

Agree with Alan, we don't charge either provided it's not being used as a trading address and we end up with a volume of mail coming through. Seems like one way of cheesing off a client!

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

My accountant charges £100+VAT. This also stops my home address being publicly available on the Companies House website.

We don't charge for this but I know of some who do. Our view is there is no real cost to us so charging for it is taking the p!ss.

If a client wants a RO outside our jusridiction (we're in Scotland) then we can point them in the direction of a company that charges just £34 pa for a Manchester address.

[Fred Bloggs]

My accountant charges £100+VAT. This also stops my home address being publicly available on the Companies House website.

Are you a director? Go take a look eh?

[northernladuk]

My accountant charges £100+VAT. This also stops my home address being publicly available on the Companies House website.

Stops it being available or use theirs? There's a difference.

[Andy O]

My accountant charges £100+VAT. This also stops my home address being publicly available on the Companies House website.

[ruasonid]

I know that switching my registered address to my accountant is another option, but AFAIK it's not cheap nor necessarily practical.

It is cheap and practical. How cheap do you want it to be for a business service that meets all legal criteria? If not your accountant there are services companies that will do this and forward your mail from the registered address to you chosen address.

[SueEllen]

What I've learnt over the years is most people don't read email signatures.

I have a proper signature on mine, and have been allowed by several clients to use it as my email rather than the one they try and give me.

Also my business email isn't used for sourcing contracts it's only used once I have a contract. So once it looks like a contract is going ahead all the paperwork etc has my business email address on it. Yes this is confusing but it means I've managed not to be plagued by spam on that email address.

[Zylon]

As far as I'm aware all Ltd companies in the UK are legally required to provide various details in their email signature, including company name, reg number and registered address. (email signature legal requirements in the UK | Computer Spot)

In practice do most contractors follow this? Is there any real risk of not doing so?

The only part I'd like to avoid is providing my registered address, since like many contractors it's also my home address. Now, I fully appreciate that anybody who knows how can find my registered address within 60 seconds, but at the same time - the vast majority of people don't know how as they haven't ever dealt with company reg information, and for good old-fashioned privacy reasons I'd ideally minimise the amount of people who can look up my house on google, find out house price etc.

I know that switching my registered address to my accountant is another option, but AFAIK it's not cheap nor necessarily practical. So I'm wondering if there actually is strong reason to list registered address in standard email sig.