Short answer. A registered office is the official address for legal correspondence, which must be on the public register. A trading address is where the business actually operates and is not necessarily published anywhere.
What a registered office is
Every UK company must have a registered office in its country of registration. It is the address where official correspondence is served, and it appears on the public register. Companies must be able to receive post at it.
Why so many are accountants' offices
Directors frequently use their accountant's or a service provider's address to keep a home address off the public register and to make sure official post is handled. That is normal and lawful, so a shared address is not in itself a warning sign.
What this means for research
- Do not treat the registered office as a place of business, a head office or evidence of local presence.
- Do not assume that many companies at one address indicates wrongdoing; formation and accountancy firms commonly host hundreds.
- If location matters to you, ask the business for its trading address and confirm it independently.
Changing a registered office
A company can change its registered office by filing with Companies House. Our profiles label the address clearly as the registered office, with the date we checked the record, and link to the official record so you can see the current position.
This guide is general information about public company records, not legal, tax or financial advice. Independent service. Not affiliated with Companies House or GOV.UK.