Registered office vs trading address: what a company's address tells you

21 October 2026 · Figures as of 21/10/2026

Look up any UK company and the first address you see is its registered office. It's easy to assume that's where the business is. Often it isn't.

The registered office

It's the company's official address on the public register, where Companies House and others send legal post. GOV.UK says it must be a physical address in the same country the company is registered in, for example Scotland for a Scottish company, but it doesn't have to be where the company works. GOV.UK sets out the rules for a registered office address.

The trading address

That's where the business actually operates: a shop, a yard, an office, or nowhere in particular for an online business. It isn't on the Companies House register at all.

Common reasons they differ

• The company uses its accountant's or solicitor's address.
• It uses a formation agent's address. One in six UK companies does (see why).
• The owner works from home and doesn't want their home address on a public register.

What it means when you check a company

Treat the registered office as a legal address, not a location. Before relying on a customer or supplier, check the things the register can tell you: that the company is active, how long it has existed, whether its accounts and confirmation statement are up to date, and what it has filed recently. A company search on Ltd Edition shows all of that on one page. That's also why we always say a company is "registered in" a place, never "based in" it.