Business Address Options

Hopeful1

I am preparing to set up my own business that will mainly involve the sale of goods online. It will entail the delivery of small parcels to myself as well as ordinary post.

Due to the terms of the rental property I am in, I am not allowed to use the premises for business. As my business grows I will need to look at storage, but initially my main concern is where I can register the business to. I am on a very tight budget so need to start off small.

If I were to register the business at the home of a friend or family member what is the impact on them? Would they need to notify insurers, mortgage company etc?

I am wondering if it would work to have a PO Box address for mail if I am able to register the business at a friend's. However, if this does involve a lot of hassle for them , would I be better off looking at a company that gives the option to register your business and collect mail?

Any advice or shared experiences would be much appreciated. I am curious to know if there are others out there who have had to do things a little differently.

InsideInsurance

You need to check the terms of your tenancy agreement as even if you dont use your home address as your "registered office" doesnt mean you aren't running your business from home.

My companies registered address is my accountants which is simply part of their annual fee but other than formal letters the address isnt used for day to day mail. I personally negotiated with my landlords to allow me to run my business from home but in a different boat because there is no B2C element to my business. Other than the building use issue Landlords tend to have a concern that you will do a runner on both the property and the business and the next tenants that move in get your irate customers turning up on their door step.

You could use a registered office/ mail forwarding service but you need to check things like the distance selling regulations to make sure these are acceptable for sole traders (I simply dont know) and re your tenancy agreement as above. If you have a private landlord negotiating with them may be the best option.

Hopeful1

InsideInsurance wrote: »

You need to check the terms of your tenancy agreement as even if you dont use your home address as your "registered office" doesnt mean you aren't running your business from home.

My companies registered address is my accountants which is simply part of their annual fee but other than formal letters the address isnt used for day to day mail. I personally negotiated with my landlords to allow me to run my business from home but in a different boat because there is no B2C element to my business. Other than the building use issue Landlords tend to have a concern that you will do a runner on both the property and the business and the next tenants that move in get your irate customers turning up on their door step.

You could use a registered office/ mail forwarding service but you need to check things like the distance selling regulations to make sure these are acceptable for sole traders (I simply dont know) and re your tenancy agreement as above. If you have a private landlord negotiating with them may be the best option.

Thank you for your reply. I have contacted the letting agency, who in turn contacted the landlord. Running a business isn't an option as it is part of the terms of the estate the house is on, so is out of everyone's hands unfortunately.

I recognise that where it is run and registered can be different. The where it's run bit I will manage creatively, but I obviously need to register it elsewhere as that is not an option to do here. I will investigate the accountant option.

Thank you for mentioning the distance selling rules too. I hadn't considered that, so it is something I will look into.

Many thanks, InsideInsurance.