Thanks to recent changes that were made to data suppression laws via The Companies Regulations 2018 amendment, it’s become easier than ever for a person to eliminate their home address from the public listing at Companies House.

Those who have used their residential address as a ‘correspondence’ or service address, or whose home information is openly available in the company catalogue can now request that Companies House eliminate their address from any public records filed since 2003.

The above option is applicable to records associated with both dissolved and existing companies.

Nonetheless, you will not be able to remove a house address from a public register where it has been utilised as a registered workplace.

How to Eliminate your Residential Address from Company Records?

In order to eliminate your residential address from the company record, download and file an SR01 form. This application comes under section 1088 of the Companies Act 2006 and is made by a person to make an address inaccessible for public examination.

In order to complete the form, you will need the following information:

• Full name, which includes any previous name(s)
• DOB
• Correspondence address associated with the application
• Home address to be eliminated from the public register
• Details about each file that contains the address you want to remove
• The name and registration number of the company associated with the document
• Service address to be used as an alternative to a residential address
• Document name, number and type
• Date when your document was initially registered at the Companies House
• Applicant’s signature

You will be required to send the application form via post to Companies House in Cardiff, and to pay £55.00 (by postal order or cheque) for each document that includes the address you wish to eliminate.

Although the application for removing a residential address may be available on the Companies House public register, the only record which will be available will be your service address (if required).

Your home address record may still be preserved by Companies House, however, it will not be displayed on public records after the required steps are taken.

How to locate company documents containing your home address?

There are several documents in a public library that might include your home address such as:

• Form AP01 (appointing a director)
• Form CH03 (modifying the secretary information)
• Form PSC01 (notice of a person having primary control)
• Form IN01 (for registering a firm)
• Form AP03 (secretary appointment)
• Form CH01 (modifying the director information)
• Form CS01 (statement of confirmation)
• Form PSC04 (PSC)
• Legal registers the firm elected to keep on a central register (including the members register, the PSC register and the director’s register).

To find the public documents that include your home address, enter your company name on the Companies House website and visit the ‘Filing History’ section.

How to determine if you’re eligible to eliminate your home address from the Companies House

The modification to the data suppression act is likely to produce a positive impact on people who would like to secure the confidentiality of their residential address to increase their individual privacy. Individuals who are eligible to remove their home addresses from the public catalogue are LLP members, former as well as present company secretaries and directors, guarantors, stakeholders, and PSCs.

Directors service address

Before the present laws, it was possible to remove your residential address from the public register only in the event you were able to prove a major risk of intimidation or violence. Nonetheless, even then, people were finding it quite challenging to remove their addresses from other documents. As a result of the new guidelines, things have become much easier.

How to withhold your home address from credit reference firms?

Most people fail to understand the fact that, even where they provide a service address so that their home address is publicly hidden, it will still be accessible to credit reference firms.

In a few scenarios, you may be able to request that Companies House avoid handing this information to credit reference firms. To begin with, directors must apply for an ‘Exemption under Section 243’, whereas PSCs will be required to apply for an ‘Exemption under Section 790ZF’.

To become eligible for this exemption, a person must be at risk of intimidation or violence as a direct outcome of their firm’s work, and have solid proof of this, for example:

• A document that showcases that you work for the firm whose ventures put you in danger.
• Documentary proof, for instance, a recording or photo of an attack.
• Police record showing that you were attacked.
• Proof of potential targeting.

In order to request a suitable application form, you’ll need to email or call Companies House and tell them the section you’re applying under and pay the application fee of £100.

How long will company information stay on the public register?

Information with regard to a company, along with its members, PSCs, and officers stays on the public record as long as the company is operating. This also true for details of resigned members, PSCs, and former officers. The same guidelines are applicable to the firms that are inactive.

When a limited firm is shut down, all of the information that has been disclosed stays in the public register for up to 20 years. The records of dissolved companies which are more than six years old aren’t accessible to the public when on the free service, nonetheless, they are accessible via other services.

After twenty years, the records of certain dissolved firms are transferred to The National Archives by Companies House and made available when requested by members of the public.

How to ensure your home address stays private at Companies House?

Using a non-residential address as a service address and the registered workplace is undoubtedly one of the best ways to keep your home address off of public records. As per the report by LexisNexis and Cifas, “as opposed to the general population, company directors can be twice as likely to be a victim of identity theft.” So, it’s necessary to avoid adding sensitive information online and take the required steps to secure your privacy.