With the remaining sections of the Companies Act 2006 due to come into effect on 1 October, there are changes that affect the details about directors and secretaries that must be made public.
At the moment, directors and company secretaries must add their residential addresses to the company register and must also give their home addresses to Companies House. In both instances, the addresses are in the public domain.
As from 1 October, all directors will still be required to provide their companies with a residential address, but this will not appear in the company register, only in a separate, protected register. The only address directors will need to make public is their service address, probably the company’s registered office. Company secretaries will only need to supply their companies with a service address.
Companies House will still want to know the residential addresses of any directors, but will make sure they don’t get added to a publicly available register.
What about the directors of existing companies? The residential addresses of directors of existing companies will remain on public record. But, after 1 October, those directors can apply to prevent their residential addresses from being made publicly available.
Other changes
Keeping company records
Every company will be able to keep key records at their registered address or at a single alternative inspection location (SAIL) address. Businesses must notify Companies House of the SAIL address and the records that are kept there.
Inspection of company records
Anyone who wishes to look at a private company’s records will need to give advance notice of the date and time at which they want to carry out the inspection. A company will have to provide copies of records in the format requested by the person.
Limited Liability Partnerships
LLPs are subject to new record-keeping rules; these include keeping a register of its members that contains prescribed information and informing Companies House where the register is held available for inspection.
Companies House forms
As from 1 October, Companies House forms change, and the new forms must be used for all company events. Events that take place before 1 October need to be filed on forms for the 1985 Act.
If you would like any help or advice on the new rules, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
