Can Directors Hide Their Home Address From Companies House?

Yes, but there is an important distinction. A director cannot simply refuse to give Companies House their home address. They must provide their usual residential address when appointed. However, that address is normally kept off the public register. The bigger privacy issue arises when a director uses their home address as a service address or as the company's registered office. In those circumstances, the home address can become publicly visible.

Companies House therefore operates a two-level system: directors must disclose their residential address to the registrar, but that information is generally not published for everyone to see. There are also specific procedures for removing a home address that has already appeared publicly and additional protection for directors who face a serious risk of violence or intimidation. For founders, home-based businesses and overseas entrepreneurs, understanding these rules before incorporation can prevent an avoidable privacy problem.

Does Companies House require directors to provide their home address?

Yes. When an individual becomes a director, they generally have to provide Companies House with two different addresses:

1. Service address — the address used for public correspondence.
2. Usual residential address — the director's actual home address.

Companies House describes the usual residential address as the director's home address. It must be filed, but it is not ordinarily available to the general public through the register. So, "hiding" your home address does not mean withholding it from Companies House. It means keeping it out of the public-facing part of the register.

Example

Suppose a founder lives in Abuja, Nigeria, and becomes a director of a UK limited company. They could provide:

• Usual residential address: their genuine home address in Abuja
• Service address: a suitable correspondence address
• Registered office: an appropriate UK address for the company

The residential address is still known to Companies House, but it is not normally displayed publicly. This distinction is particularly useful for non-resident directors because they do not need to pretend that their UK company's address is their personal residence.

What happens if you use your home address as your service address?

This is where privacy problems commonly arise. A director's service address is public. If you use your home as your service address, that home address can appear on the Companies House public register. The same principle applies if you use your home as the company's registered office. For example:

Director's home: 25 Oak Road, Manchester
Service address: 25 Oak Road, Manchester

Because the service address is public, someone searching Companies House could see the address. If privacy matters, the director could instead use:

Residential address: 25 Oak Road, Manchester
Service address: A suitable professional correspondence address

The home address remains filed privately while the alternative service address is displayed publicly.

What is a director's service address?

A service address is the address a director uses to receive communications concerning their role in the company. It is a public address, It can be:

• The company's registered office
• The director's home
• Another suitable correspondence address

Companies House confirms that the service address can be the same as the residential address, the company's registered office, or somewhere else. For many directors, using a separate service address is the simplest way to avoid unnecessarily publishing their home address.

Can you completely hide your address from Companies House?

No. A director normally still has to provide their usual residential address. The residential address is kept on Companies House's private records and may be disclosed to certain organisations, including specified public authorities and credit reference agencies, under the applicable rules.

Therefore, there are two different questions: Can you keep your home address off the public Companies House register? Usually, yes. Can you refuse to tell Companies House your home address? Generally, no. This distinction is important because using a service address is a privacy measure, not a way of avoiding statutory disclosure altogether.

Can you remove your home address if it is already public?

In some circumstances, yes. Companies House provides a process for removing a home address from the public register where it has been used as a service or correspondence address, or as the company's registered office. The procedure depends on how the address appeared and whether the person is still an active officer.

For example, if a director accidentally used their home address as their service address during incorporation, they may be able to apply to have that address removed and provide a replacement service address. Companies House's SR01 process is specifically used by individuals to apply to remove certain personal details from the public register. The current fee is £34 for each document listed in the application. This is one reason it is better to get the address arrangement right before filing rather than treating removal as the default solution.

What if the home address was used as the registered office?

The process is slightly different. If your home is currently the company's registered office and the company is active, Companies House says you must change the registered office address before applying to remove the home address from the public register. This makes practical sense: Companies House cannot simply remove the address while it remains the company's official registered office. The company first needs a replacement registered office that satisfies the relevant requirements.

A typical correction process

If you accidentally use your home address as the registered office:

1. Arrange a suitable replacement registered office.
2. Change the company's registered office with Companies House.
3. Identify the documents containing your home address.
4. Apply through the appropriate Companies House process to remove eligible personal information.
5. Check the public record afterward.

The exact procedure depends on the documents involved.

Can Companies House remove your address automatically?

You should not assume so. Companies House maintains statutory records and does not simply remove information because a director would prefer it to be private. There are specific procedures for suppressing or removing qualifying information. Companies House also makes clear that some information cannot be removed in certain circumstances.

For example, its guidance explains that there are circumstances in which it does not have the legal power to remove an address, including certain information appearing in documents such as mortgage charges. The practical lesson is simple: avoid publishing your home address unnecessarily in the first place.

What if a director faces a serious risk of violence or intimidation?

This is a separate and stronger protection mechanism. Companies House allows certain directors, PSCs and LLP members who face a serious risk of violence or intimidation because of their company or LLP's activities to apply for protection. The protection is not designed merely for people who dislike having their information online. Companies House gives examples including individuals:

• Targeted by activists
• Working in the defence industry
• Working in certain regulated or sensitive sectors
• Who are easily traceable suppliers to or partners of organisations associated with such risks

The list is not exhaustive, and Companies House considers the circumstances of each application. Applicants should provide evidence where possible.

What protection can a director receive?

For directors and LLP members, the relevant protection can restrict disclosure of the home address to credit reference agencies. Specified public authorities, such as the police, can still request the information where permitted. A PSC can potentially apply for broader protection of their information where the legal requirements are met. Importantly, Companies House says an application can be made before incorporation or appointment if the individual already knows that the relevant risk exists.

Is there a difference between removing an address and protecting an address?

Yes. These are two different processes.

Removing an address

This deals with information that has already appeared on the public register. For example, you accidentally used your home as your service address and want the public filing corrected or suppressed where permitted. Companies House provides the SR01 process for individuals seeking removal of eligible personal details from public documents.

Protecting an address

This is aimed at individuals who face a qualifying serious risk and need additional restrictions on disclosure of their information. The distinction matters because ordinary privacy concerns are not the same as a serious-risk application. You should not assume that simply being a director or working from home qualifies you for special protection.

Can you use a professional address instead?

Yes, provided the address is suitable for the purpose for which it is being used. For example, a director might use a professional address as their service address while keeping their actual home address in Companies House's private records. A company formation provider, accountant, solicitor or address-service provider may offer appropriate registered-office or service-address services.

However, the provider's address does not replace the requirement to give Companies House your genuine residential address. It is also important to confirm exactly what service is being provided. A registered office service, director service address and mail-forwarding service can have different functions and terms.

Can an overseas director keep their home address private?

Yes, generally. A non-resident director does not have to live in the UK simply because they are a director of a UK company. For example, a Nigerian founder could live in Lagos while serving as a director of a UK company. Their genuine Nigerian residential address can be provided to Companies House privately, while a suitable service address is used for the public record.

The company would still need an appropriate UK registered office. This separation is particularly useful for international founders who want to operate a UK company without unnecessarily publishing their personal overseas address.

What information about a director is still public?

Keeping your home address private does not mean your entire Companies House profile is private. Companies House generally makes certain director information publicly available, including:

• Name
• Nationality
• Month and year of birth
• Service address
• Certain appointment information
• Other information contained in public company filings

The full date of birth and usual residential address are generally kept off the public register. This is an important point for founders who expect to operate anonymously. A service address can protect your home address, but it does not make the directorship itself anonymous.

What if your home address is already on old company documents?

This can happen, particularly where a director historically used their home as a service address or where older filings contained personal information. Companies House provides procedures for removing certain personal information from eligible documents. Its current guidance specifically covers home addresses, signatures, certain dates of birth and business occupations in qualifying documents.

The process is document-specific, so directors should first search the Companies House record and identify exactly where the address appears. Do not assume that changing the current service address automatically removes every historical occurrence of the old address.

What if someone used your address without permission?

There is a separate process for this situation. If a company has submitted your name or address to Companies House without your permission, you can report the issue to Companies House. This can apply where your details have been used without consent in connection with a director, company secretary, PSC or other company role.

This is different from voluntarily providing your address and later deciding that you want it removed. If the information was filed without your authority, evidence supporting the claim may be important.

A practical privacy strategy for directors

For most founders, the simplest approach is to think about privacy before the company is incorporated.

Step 1: Identify your actual residential address

Use your genuine usual home address for the private residential-address requirement.

Step 2: Choose your public service address

Decide what address should appear publicly against your directorship.

Step 3: Separate the company's registered office

Make sure the company's registered office is an appropriate address in the correct UK jurisdiction. Companies House requires a registered office to be an appropriate address where company correspondence can reach someone acting for the company and delivery can be recorded.

Step 4: Check every filing before submission

Do not assume that a formation application has automatically protected your home address. Check the fields carefully before submitting them.

Step 5: Review the public record

After incorporation or appointment, search the company on Companies House and confirm that the public information is what you expected.

Step 6: Act quickly if an error occurs

If your home address has been published accidentally, identify the affected documents and review the appropriate Companies House removal process.

Common mistakes to avoid

Using your home address because it is convenient

It may be legally possible, but it makes the address public if used as the service address or registered office.

Assuming a virtual address replaces your residential address

It does not. Your genuine residential address still needs to be provided privately to Companies House.

Believing a UK service address makes you UK resident

It does not. A correspondence address has no automatic effect on your personal residence or tax residence.

Assuming changing your service address removes old filings

It may not. Historical documents can continue to contain information unless the relevant removal process applies.

Applying for serious-risk protection without evidence

The special protection regime is intended for qualifying serious risks, not ordinary concerns about online privacy. Companies House may require supporting evidence.

Ignoring your public Companies House profile

Companies House information is searchable online. Regularly reviewing your company and officer information can help identify mistakes or unauthorised filings early.

FAQ: Hiding a Director's Home Address

Can a director keep their home address private from the public?

Yes. Directors must provide their usual residential address to Companies House, but it is generally kept on a private register rather than being published publicly.

Can I avoid giving Companies House my home address?

Generally, no. Companies House requires directors to provide their usual residential address. The privacy protection relates primarily to public disclosure, not to withholding the address from the registrar.

Can I use a service address instead of my home address?

You can use a separate service address for the public register, but you still need to provide your genuine residential address privately to Companies House.

Is a director's service address public?

Yes. The service address is part of the public Companies House record.

What if I accidentally put my home address on Companies House?

Depending on where the address appears, you may be able to apply to remove it from eligible public documents and provide a replacement service address where required. Companies House's SR01 process covers certain personal details.

Can I hide my home address because I work from home?

Working from home alone does not create a special right to suppress information. The practical solution is generally to use an appropriate service address and avoid using your home as the company's public address.

Can Companies House protect my address if I am at risk?

Yes, if you meet the requirements for serious-risk protection. Companies House considers applications where a director, PSC or LLP member, or someone living with them, faces a serious risk of violence or intimidation because of relevant company or personal circumstances.

Can an overseas director keep their foreign home address private?

Yes, generally. The director can provide their genuine overseas residential address privately while using an appropriate service address for the public Companies House record.

Does changing my service address remove my old home address everywhere?

Not necessarily. You may need to identify individual filings containing the old address and use the appropriate Companies House procedure to request removal where permitted.

Conclusion

Directors cannot simply hide their home address from Companies House altogether. They normally have to provide their genuine usual residential address to the registrar. What they can generally do is keep that address off the public register by using a separate service address rather than their home as the public correspondence address. If a home address has already been published, Companies House provides procedures for removing eligible personal information. Directors facing a genuine serious risk of violence or intimidation may also qualify for additional protection.

For founders, the best privacy strategy is therefore proactive: use the correct residential address privately, choose an appropriate public service address, keep the company's registered office separate where necessary, and check your Companies House filings before submitting them. For global founders establishing and managing UK companies remotely, services such as IncorpUK form part of the wider company-management infrastructure that can help address practical issues such as registered offices and public correspondence addresses. The key principle is simple: Companies House needs to know where you live, but the public does not normally need to see your home address.