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Companies House default address

Why Companies House may replace your registered office address and the step to resolve it

Companies House has the power to change a company's registered office address to a default address if they have reason to believe the company is no longer contactable at its current registered office address.

Why does this happen?

Common reasons include moving premises without updating your registered office address at Companies House, using a third-party address service that has lapsed or been cancelled, or correspondence being refused or returned to sender by a previous address provider.

What should you do if your address has been defaulted?

When a company is assigned the default address by Companies House, it cannot be updated through the usual online filing route. Instead, you will need to submit a paper AD01 form by post directly to Companies House.

💡You can find more information about how to complete the AD01 here.

As part of this process, you will need to provide proof of your right to use the new address. This typically requires a copy of a recent invoice and a cover letter from your registered office address provider.

If you have purchased a 1st Formations Registered Office Service and your company's address is defaulted, you can obtain an invoice and cover letter by following the instructions below.

How to view and download an invoice

  1. Log in to your Client Account
  2. On the Customer Dashboard, select the 'My Invoice History' tile. This will display a full list of all previous invoices across all of your companies.
  3. Find the relevant invoice in the list and select 'Invoice' to open a PDF version.
  4. From the PDF view, you can download the invoice to your device and print it.

How to obtain a cover letter

If you require a cover letter to accompany your AD01 submission, you can request one by completing this form: https://forms.1stformations.co.uk/contact/

Avoiding the default address in future

To prevent your address from being defaulted again, make sure your registered office address is always kept up to date at Companies House. If you use a registered office address service, ensure your subscription remains active and that any correspondence sent to that address is being handled correctly.