If your home address is appearing on the Companies House public register, you may be able to have it removed. However, the correct process depends on why your address is there, which document contains it, and whether the address is currently being used for your company.

A director’s usual residential address is generally not displayed publicly. The problem usually arises because the home address was used as a registered office, director’s service address, or was included in a filing that is available on the public register. Companies House has a specific process, using form SR01, for removing certain personal details, including a home address, from qualifying documents. The current fee is £34 for each document listed in the application. This guide explains what to do, when SR01 is appropriate, what needs to be changed first, and what happens to historical Companies House records.

Can You Remove Your Home Address From Companies House?

Yes, in many cases. Companies House allows an individual to apply to remove their home address from eligible documents on the public register. The main route is form SR01: Application to remove personal details from the Companies House register. The process can also cover certain other personal information, such as signatures and business occupation, depending on the document.

But there is an important distinction: Removing your home address from a historical filing is different from changing the address your company currently uses. For example, suppose you incorporated a company using your home address as its registered office. You cannot simply submit an SR01 while your home remains the current registered office. Companies House guidance says you must first change the registered office address.

Likewise, if your home address is currently being used as your director's service address, you generally need to provide a replacement service address as part of the process.

Why Is My Home Address Showing on Companies House?

Before trying to remove an address, find out how it became public. There are four common scenarios.

1. You used your home as the registered office

A company's registered office is public information. If you registered your company using your residential address as its registered office, that address can appear on the Companies House register. Companies House specifically confirms that using your home as the registered office makes it publicly available.

The solution is to change the company's registered office to another appropriate address. You can generally make this change online using Companies House' registered-office service. Companies House says the change must be notified within 14 days.

2. You used your home as your director service address

Directors provide both:

• A residential address, which is generally private
• A service address, which is public

If you entered your home address as your service address, it can appear publicly even though your residential address itself is normally protected from public disclosure. In this situation, you need to change the service address to an appropriate alternative.

3. Your home address appears in an old filing

This is where things become more complicated. Changing your current registered office or service address does not necessarily remove your home address from historical documents. Companies House maintains a public filing history, and certain documents can continue to contain information that was filed previously.

If your home address appears in an eligible historical document, you may be able to use SR01 to request its removal. Companies House provides a list of documents that can be considered for suppression.

4. The address was filed incorrectly or without your permission

If you never authorised the use of your home address, do not simply treat the matter as an ordinary address change. Check the relevant filing and determine whether the information is inaccurate, unauthorised or otherwise improperly filed. Companies House has separate processes for dealing with certain incorrect or unauthorised information. The correct route can therefore depend heavily on the circumstances surrounding the filing.

How to Remove Your Home Address From Companies House

For many individuals, the process looks like this:

Identify the address → change any current public address → identify historical documents → complete SR01 → pay the applicable fee → provide supporting information → wait for Companies House to process the application.

Let's examine each stage.

Step 1: Search the Companies House Register

Start by finding your company on the Companies House register. Check:

• Registered office address
• Director information
• Director service address
• PSC information
• Filing history
• Individual documents containing your address

Do not assume the first address you see is the only occurrence. Your home address may appear in more than one filing, particularly if it was used when the company was incorporated or when you were appointed as a director. Companies House itself recommends searching the register to identify which documents contain your personal information.

Step 2: Change Your Registered Office if Necessary

If your home address is currently the company's registered office, change it before applying to remove the address from relevant historical documents. You can normally change the registered office online using the Companies House service. The company must notify Companies House within 14 days of the change.

Your replacement address must be suitable for use as a registered office. It should be an appropriate UK address for receiving official company correspondence and documents. For founders who work from home, this is often the first practical privacy step.

Example

Sarah forms a UK consultancy from her home. She uses: 10 Example Street, Manchester as both:

• Her registered office
• Her director service address

The address therefore appears publicly. Sarah later obtains an appropriate professional company address. She should first change the registered office and service address. Once the current public use of her home address has been dealt with, she can investigate whether the historical incorporation document containing the address is eligible for removal through SR01.

Step 3: Change Your Director Service Address

If your home is also your current director service address, you need to provide a replacement address. Companies House' SR01 guidance specifically states that if a current serving officer is asking to remove a home address that is also their current service or correspondence address, they must provide a replacement address.

This prevents an important practical problem: removing the public address without leaving an appropriate address for official correspondence. A replacement could potentially be:

• Your company's registered office
• An appropriate professional adviser’s address
• A suitable company address service
• Another address you are authorised to use for correspondence

The address should be selected carefully because official documents may be sent there.

Step 4: Identify the Documents Containing Your Home Address

This is one of the most important parts of the process. SR01 is not simply a request saying:

"Please delete my address from Companies House."

You need to identify the relevant documents. Companies House says applicants must know which documents contain their personal details, and its SR01 guidance requires applicants to provide document information. Look through the company's filing history and identify every relevant document. For example, your address might appear on:

• Incorporation documents
• Director appointment filings
• PSC filings
• Other qualifying company documents

Companies House publishes a list of documents that may be eligible for suppression using SR01. The list is extensive but not exhaustive.

Step 5: Complete Form SR01

SR01 is the principal application for an individual who wants to remove certain personal information from qualifying Companies House documents. The form allows you to apply to remove:

• Your home address
• Certain date-of-birth information
• Your signature
• Your business occupation

The current fee is £34 for each document listed in the application. If your address appears in five eligible documents, for example, the cost can be calculated on a per-document basis rather than as one blanket fee for the entire company record.

Information you need for SR01

Companies House' current guidance requires information such as:

• Your name
• Any former names
• Your full date of birth
• Contact email address
• The home address you want removed
• Details of the relevant documents
• A replacement service address where required

The application must be completed accurately. Companies House warns that applications can be rejected where required sections are incorrect or the correct fee has not been paid.

Step 6: Check Whether Supporting Evidence Is Required

Some applications may require supporting information or evidence. This is particularly important where you are asking Companies House to protect information because of a serious risk of violence or intimidation.

Do not confuse the ordinary SR01 removal process with the separate protection regime. Companies House has a specific procedure for directors, PSCs and certain LLP members who face a serious risk of violence or intimidation because of their company's activities or their personal circumstances associated with the company. Evidence may include documentation relating to threats, attacks or other circumstances demonstrating the relevant risk.

What If My Home Address Is the Registered Office?

This is a crucial point. You generally cannot solve the problem simply by submitting SR01 while your home remains the company's current registered office. Companies House' SR01 instructions explicitly state that if the address you want to remove is currently the company's registered office, you must change the registered office address before completing the relevant SR01 section. The practical sequence is:

1. Choose an appropriate replacement registered office.
2. File the registered-office change.
3. Check that Companies House has registered the change.
4. Identify the historical documents containing your home address.
5. Submit SR01 where appropriate.

This sequence avoids trying to remove an address that the company is still legally required to maintain as its registered office.

What If My Home Address Is Also the SAIL Address?

A Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL) is another address associated with where certain company records can be inspected. Companies House' current SR01 guidance specifically addresses this situation. If the home address you want to remove is also the company's SAIL address, you need to change the SAIL address before completing the SR01 application. This is an example of why checking the company's wider address arrangements is important rather than focusing only on the registered office.

Will Removing My Address Delete It From the Entire Internet?

No. Removing information from Companies House does not automatically remove copies held elsewhere. Third-party company-information websites may collect and republish company information. Companies House states that third parties displaying your information are responsible for their own compliance with data-protection law and should be contacted directly about information held on their websites. So there are potentially two separate tasks:

Companies House: apply through the appropriate official process.

Third-party websites: contact each organisation that continues displaying the information.

This distinction is particularly relevant for founders whose company information has been copied into business directories, corporate-data platforms or search-engine indexes.

Can I Hide My Address Because I Want More Privacy?

Ordinary privacy concerns and serious-risk protection are not the same thing. Companies House generally keeps directors' residential addresses off the public register. However, if you have used your home as a registered office or service address, the public nature of those fields means the address can be visible.

The separate protection procedure is designed for people who face a serious risk of violence or intimidation because of their company or LLP's activities or relevant personal circumstances. The current application fee for protection of personal information under that regime is £100.

If you qualify, Companies House can restrict public disclosure of relevant personal information. This is a higher threshold than simply preferring not to have your address online.

What If I Am a Director Living Outside the UK?

The same principles apply to overseas founders. A non-UK resident director can have an overseas residential address, while the UK company still needs an appropriate UK registered office. This makes address planning especially important for:

• Nigerian founders
• UAE-based entrepreneurs
• US founders
• Canadian entrepreneurs
• Indian business owners
• International ecommerce sellers
• Remote consultants and digital businesses

A global founder may want the company's public correspondence address to be separate from their personal residence. For someone forming and managing a UK company remotely, services such as those offered by IncorpUK a UK company formation and management platform for global founders can form part of a broader administrative setup involving registered office and correspondence arrangements.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Changing only the registered office

If your home address is also your director service address, changing the registered office alone may not solve the problem. Check both.

Mistake 2: Assuming SR01 removes every occurrence automatically

You need to identify the documents containing your personal information and include the relevant documents in the application.

Mistake 3: Applying before changing a current registered office

If the address is still the company's registered office, Companies House' SR01 guidance says you need to change that address first.

Mistake 4: Assuming historical filings disappear

Changing current company information does not necessarily erase historic documents.

Mistake 5: Confusing SR01 with the serious-risk protection process

SR01 is the ordinary route for eligible personal-information removal. The separate protection regime applies where the legal threshold involving serious risk of violence or intimidation is met.

Mistake 6: Forgetting third-party websites

Even after Companies House updates its records, copies may remain on independent websites.

A Practical Home-Address Removal Checklist

Before considering the matter finished, check each of these:

• Search your company on Companies House
• Check the current registered office
• Check your director service address
• Check your PSC information if applicable
• Review the filing history
• Identify every document containing your home address
• Change the registered office if necessary
• Change the service address if necessary
• Check whether SAIL arrangements need changing
• Determine whether SR01 applies
• Calculate the £34-per-document fee
• Provide the required document details
• Check whether supporting evidence is required
• Submit the application correctly
• Check Companies House after processing
• Contact third-party websites separately where necessary

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to remove a home address from Companies House?

The current SR01 fee is £34 for each document listed in the application.

Can I remove my home address from Companies House for free?

The formal SR01 application currently carries a £34 fee per document. However, the appropriate procedure depends on why the address appears and whether another correction or removal process applies.

Can I remove my address from a company's historical filing?

Potentially. Companies House allows SR01 applications for certain personal details contained in qualifying documents. You must identify the relevant documents, and not every document is eligible.

Can I remove my home address if it is currently my registered office?

You should first change the registered office. Companies House' SR01 guidance specifically requires this where the address to be removed is currently the company's registered office.

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

Not necessarily. It changes the current public service address, but historical filings containing the old address may remain unless a separate removal process applies.

Is my residential address normally public on Companies House?

Generally, no. A director's usual residential address is not normally displayed on the public register. The service address and registered office are public.

Can Companies House protect my address if I am worried about personal safety?

There is a separate protection process for directors, PSCs and certain LLP members who face a serious risk of violence or intimidation because of the company's activities or relevant personal circumstances.

Will removing my address from Companies House remove it from Google?

Not necessarily. Third-party websites and search engines may have copies or cached information. Companies House advises contacting third parties directly about information they hold.

Conclusion

Removing your home address from Companies House is possible in many situations, but the correct solution starts with identifying how the address became public. If your home is currently being used as the registered office, change the registered office first. If it is being used as your director service address, arrange an appropriate replacement. Then review your filing history and identify historical documents containing your personal information.

For eligible documents, form SR01 provides the main route for an individual to request removal of a home address from the public register. The current fee is £34 per document. If the issue involves a serious risk of violence or intimidation, a separate Companies House protection process may apply.

For founders, the broader lesson is simple: address privacy should be planned before incorporation, not after personal information has already entered the public record. Using appropriate registered-office and service-address arrangements from the beginning can make company administration easier while keeping a founder's personal residence separate from the company's public-facing records.