Companies House Updates
We wrote previously about planned reforms happening to Companies House, in particular covering new powers and practices. You can read the blog here:
https://whittockconsulting.co.uk/changes-to-companies-house/
Following on from these proposals, we can now confirm the following have been implemented:
Additional powers
Companies House now has additional powers, which include:
- rejecting a new filing if it appears inconsistent with information held by Companies House such that there are reasonable grounds to doubt whether the new filing is correct;
- requesting additional information to satisfy a query that Companies House has about information delivered to it (including information already on the register);
- requesting inconsistencies to be resolved; and
- removing non-compliant material from its registers.
Companies House also has a new obligation to analyse information held by it for the purpose of preventing or detecting crime and new powers to share information with law enforcement agencies and other public authorities.
Registered email address
All UK companies are now required to provide a registered email address to Companies House. Companies House will use this email address to communicate with the company. It will not be available to the public.
Existing companies will need to provide a registered email address when they file their next confirmation statement with a statement date from 5 March 2024 onwards. New companies will need to provide a registered email address as part of the incorporation process.
Registered office address
All UK companies are now required to have their registered office at an appropriate location. This means a location where documents can be expected to come to the attention of someone acting for the company (which can be a third-party service provider) and where delivery can be recorded by obtaining an acknowledgement of delivery. This means a PO Box can no longer be used by a company as its registered office address.
Lawful purpose statements
As part of the annual confirmation statement process, a UK company will need to confirm that the intended future activities of the company will be lawful. This applies to all confirmation statements with a statement date from 5 March 2024 onwards. A similar statement is also required as part of the application process when incorporating a new company.
Company names
There are new restrictions on company names to avoid confusion around who the company is, or what services are offered. These restrictions are accompanied by enhanced enforcement powers for the Registrar of Companies.
Directors and disqualification
A director who is disqualified under the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986 (CDDA) will now automatically cease to hold office and any appointment of that person as a director of a UK company will be void.
Limited liability partnerships
The requirements relating to email addresses, registered offices, lawful purpose statements, names and disqualification have been copied across so that they apply, with appropriate adaptations, to UK limited liability partnerships and their members.
Fees
To reflect the additional admin involved, Companies House have increased some of their fees. Some have seen quite a large jump, such as the cost of incorporation rising from £12 to £50!
You can get a full breakdown of their new fees here:
https://changestoukcompanylaw.campaign.gov.uk/changes-to-companies-house-fees/
