Does a Business Address Have to Be a Physical Address?

If you are creating a company and you are new to this aspect of business, you are likely to have many questions. Indeed, this will be related to the administrative tasks you have to do before you can start trading. For example, you are going to need to have a registered business address for your company.

Many people need clarification about what a business address has to be. For example, does it have to be a physical address and one that really exists? Let’s take a closer look at this question.

Is a Physical Address Necessary?

Let’s simply answer this question. Yes, your registered business address has to be a physical and real address. In other words, you cannot make it up or create your own address that does not exist in the real world. 

In addition, this address has to be in the same country as where you registered your business. For instance, if you registered your business in England, then the address you use should be in England too. As an example, it cannot be in Scotland.

Often, it is thought that you cannot use a PO box as your business address since it is not always a building or office space. But this is something you can do. As long as it has a physical address and it can receive your business correspondence from there, you are able to use this as your registered business address.

Do You Have to Work at That Address?

There is another common assumption made about business addresses. That is that you have to work there and run your company from that office. However, this is not exactly true. You can choose an address, and you can work from another location, which can include your home.

Working from home is becoming popular since you can have more control over your time and not have to take on the daily commute. In particular, businesses are choosing to take on a virtual office address. You can read more about exactly how you can acquire one by hitting the link. Essentially, this means that you can work from home but have your business address based somewhere else. This can be somewhere prestigious like London.

Can You Use Your Home Address?

There are some businesses that are run totally from home and online. So, the big question is, can you use this residential address as your business address? The answer is yes. There is no restriction on using a residential address and you are free to use your home one. Note that this will appear on Companies House and customers will know that you are based here. So, your residential address will be available online.

However, this does not mean that you should always use your home address for your business. There are a few reasons why you should consider using somewhere else, such as a virtual office. For example, you have to think about your privacy and family. As we have mentioned, your home will be available to view online by everyone that Googles your business. People will know where you live, and this is something that you may not like. 

Plus, all of your business correspondence will be sent to your home, which can be stressful. You will have a lot of mail coming to your door during the day and this can get mixed up with your personal mail. Many business owners like to have a separation between their home and work life. Using your home as your business address can blur these lines.

Does Your Business Address Matter to Customers?

Every business has competition. This means that the power is in the hands of customers. They can choose what business they want to purchase from. So, this makes owners have to work harder to get the attention of customers and show them why they are the best.

Customers will look at a business’s address before they purchase from them. Indeed, they will trust certain areas more than others and some addresses will be more impressive to them. This is one of the reasons why you want to be careful with the business address you choose.

You can impress customers with where you are based. For example, if you have an office with a London address, this is going to make a good impression. Alternatively, using a residential address can seem unprofessional. Customers will know that this is a residential street when they Google you.

The answer to the question is yes; your business address does matter to customers. Use this as an opportunity to make a good impression and show how good your brand is. Since renting and owning properties can be expensive, a virtual office is a good opportunity to change your address. You can select somewhere that is well-known, such as London. This is the capital and people know that major businesses are based there. So, when your company also has a London address, customers will assume that you can be trusted and that you have a lot to offer them.