FAQ's

A Directors Service Address is an official requirement for Companies House for all registered businesses. This address is kept on the public records, so can be viewed by anyone wishing to see it.  However, company directors can choose to list their directors address for public display as a different address to their residential one. Only their directors service address will be made public and their residential address will be kept off the public register. This is easy to do when using a Directors Service Address package such as the one we offer.

Your registered office address is your official address that is listed with Companies House. Your address must be within England, Wales or Scotland and be an address where all your legal documents and official paperwork can be delivered for your company. This is the address that you must include on all of your company correspondence, such as your invoices and letterheads. You must also display it on your company website and can include it in your company email signature.  As this address is kept on the public record at Companies House, it is available for any member of the public to inspect.

Because it is such a publicly accessible address, many company owners choose to use a Registered Office Address Service. This can be especially helpful if you are running your business from a private residential address and do not wish to make your home address public and open to cold callers and junk mail. Having a professional sounding business address can also add some gravitas to your company image and perception by others. For example, it creates a much better image of your company to display a prestigious Central-London office address rather than a residential address or a unit number on an industrial estate.

There must be at least one shareholder to take one share in the company by law. You can have another shareholder to take on an equal amount of shares, then it would normally be allocated as one share each. Since authorised share capital has now been abolished by The Companies Act 2006, you can now choose the amount of company shares to be issued and distribute them accordingly. Here is an example of how your company shares could be allocated:

Andrew wants to take 100% of your issued company shares. So if your company issued one share, Andrew would take that share and own 100% of your shares. No matter how many shares you issue, he would take them all so if you issued 100 shares, Andrew would take all one hundred.

Susan and Andrew want to each take 50% of the shares in your company. So each would take 1 share in your company. Should you issue 100 shares, they would take 50 shares each.

Susan want to take 80% of your company shares and Andrew wants to take 20%. So Susan will take 8 shares and Andrew will take 2 shares. Or 80 and 20 respectively where your company has issued 100 shares.

If you need any help and guidance about issuing shares, then please do not hesitate to contact us for some advice. We would be pleased to help!

The simple answer to this question is no. You can complete our very easy to follow online registration form with your details. You can then sit back and leave the rest to us. We will come back to you to confirm your details and for any further information we may need for the formation process.

A certificate of incorporation will be issued once your company has been officially formed. It is a document that confirms your company registration with Companies House and that your company name has gone onto the public register along with your date of incorporation and your registered company number. Companies House will have your official printed certificate sent through the post to you once your company has been incorporated.

Both the memorandum and articles of association are necessary legal documents. These documents are used to confirm the following information:

• Your Company Name
• Your Registered Office location and
• Your statement of the internal constitution of the company

These are important company documents and you will usually have to produce these to be able to open a company bank account. If you are unsure about what should go into your memorandum and articles of association, then we can help you with this. Our company formations service includes a well-written standard memorandum and articles of association draft template that have been designed to cover all necessary bases to enable you to legally start your company. Our formations service will configure these standard documents to suit your business and will comply with the registration requirements for Companies House.

As there is no longer a legal duty to appoint company secretary since Section 270 of the Companies Act 2006 came into force, it is entirely up to you whether you choose to appoint a company secretary or not. However, very many registered limited companies still choose to appoint one. Should you decide to have a company secretary, you can choose anyone you want to act as the Company Secretary for a private limited company. This may be someone who is already acting as a company director for your business, which can be useful for smaller businesses.

Just about anyone can register a UK company and take on the role of a company director. This is allowed as long as you have not been officially banned from doing so. You can get a ban through being bankrupt or having legal proceedings taken against you.

Before you can form a company and become a director, there are certain requirements that have to be met for legal reasons:

• You must be 16 years of age or older. However, it may be difficult for anyone under the age of 18 to form a company due to banking restrictions not allowing you to open a business account until the age of 18.
• You will need at least one real (human) person to be a company director. You can have more than one director at the formations stage and you can also have a limited company listed as a director, however you do need at least one real person to be a director for this to happen.
• You already have, or can provide, a valid UK address to register your company to.

What has changed is the need for a company secretary. When you form a company there is no longer a requirement to have a company secretary on board, see Section 270 The Companies Act 2006, but it is perfectly acceptable to appoint one if you wish to do so.

Registering as a sole trader with HMRC means that you are declaring yourself as self-employed and that you will be running your own business to generate an income for yourself. This will mean that you will assume all the legal and financial liabilities of your business yourself. Should anything go wrong with your business, you could be putting your own personal money and belongings at risk.

Forming a company will set up your business as a separate legal entity in its own right. This means that you can separate yourself from your business and protect your assets through limited liability. Should your business take off and you wish to expand further down the line, you will be in a position to accept other people as joint owners through allocated company shares.

Of the different registered company types you can choose to go for, by far the most common in the UK is a private company limited by shares. You can quite easily recognise these companies as they will usually have the suffix Ltd at the end of their company name.

A Private Company Limited By Shares becomes a legal entity in its own right and exists completely separately from the owners of the business. To set up this type of company you would need to have at least one or more directors or company owners who will be issued with company shares. The business should be set up to run with an aim to make a profit. The profits made by the company will then be awarded to the shareholders in the form of dividends. This is one of the most popular types of company formation we do and if this is the most suitable option for you, our experts can get your new company formed within just a few short hours during a regular working week day.

You can also choose to register as a Company Limited By Guarantee. This is a company that has a structure very similar to a company limited by shares, however this type of company doesn’t have any shareholders. Instead of having registered shareholders, a Company Limited By Guarantee will have members that will act as guarantors for the company. The members will pledge to guarantee and contribute an agreed amount of money should the company have to be wound up. It is quite common for this type of company to be set up to run a not-for-profit business, such as a community organisation or local sports club. Any profits made are usually put back into the business to help cover running costs, improve or maintain their facilities, provide and replace equipment etc.

Another popular formation type is a Charity Company. Normally, anyone wishing to set up a charity group in the UK would have to first form a Company Limited by Guarantee as is explained above, but would actually form it with a memorandum and articles of association that meet the requirements set out by the Charity Commission. Once formed, the company can then go forward to be registered with the Charity Commission to be officially recognised as a registered charity.

There is also an option to form a Community Interest Company (CIC). This type of formation is a modified version of either a Private Company Limited by Shares (Ltd) or a Company Limited by Guarantee. The Community Interest Company will be able to make a profit, but most are formed for non-for-profit reasons, so any profits generated would be put towards the social aim of the company.

Another well-recognised company formation is the Limited Liability Partnership, or LLP. These types of companies are often set up by professional bodies such as solicitors and accountants where two or more individuals go into partnership together. This means that each individual professional can work independently and have their own client base, but will be able to have the shared protection of being a registered limited company.

A Public Limited Company is again something very similar in structure to a Private Limited Company, however it is allowed to sell company shares to the public. A Public Limited Company must be able to show that at least £50,000 of shares have been issued before it can begin trading. To register as a Public Limited Company there must be a minimum of at least two company directors appointed. The benefit of this type of company formation means that it can generate extra funds for the company as and when needed by selling more shares. This does result in the ownership being diluted and having very many more shareholders than the company was originally set up with.

If it is just a telephone service you need, we will not require any ID from you. If you are purchasing a combined with a virtual office, call answering and a London address service then we will require photographic ID and a proof of address dated within the last 3 months.

We will ask you if you want all calls to be taken for you, or if you want the P.A to screen any sales calls.

0203 numbers came in to force in 2005 as the demand for numbers exceeded usage in the London area.  0203 and 0207 numbers are for inner London, we do however charge a one off connection fee for 0207 numbers, and 0203 numbers are free of charge.

If you require our PA’s to transfer callers direct to your phone then we charge 17p a minute to a mobile or 10p a minute to a landline

We have two different services: – 1) telephone answering where an experience PA will answer your calls for you, and using the script you provide, gather the relevant information and then e-mail you to call the customer back. 2) Voicemail only, Calls will go directly to a dedicated voicemail which you can access 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Your calls are answered Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm, outside of these hours calls will go directly to your dedicated voicemail, you will receive an e-mail to advise you have a message waiting for you.

This is only required if you choose to have live calls transferred to your mobile or UK landline. In this case we we would take a deposit so we can deduct the cost of any calls that are transferred to your telephone number.

We will provide you with a unique phone number that you can use on your stationary and give to clients. We will answer your calls in your company name and take a message from your caller. You will receive the message straight away by email.

If you need to make changes to your address service or your personal information has changed that’s not a problem. All you need to do is send us and e-mail at office@capital-office.co.uk and our team will process your request.

When you purchase a Registered Office, Directors Service or Mail Forwarding Address, you can use our address instantly. You will receive a welcome email informing you that we have receiving your payment. Full client on boarding can take from 4-8 working hours. If you would like an update you can contact Your Virtual Office London team on office@capital-office.co.uk.

When an item of post is received at the address you will receive an email notification informing you of this. You can also speak to our customer service team for further information and updates on your post status.

If you have purchased a virtual office service with us, you may be able to upgrade your service. If you would like to discuss your options please send us an e-mail or give us a call and we will be happy to speak to you about your options.

Yes, once you have signed up you can use our address immediately, we will not be able to release any post until we have all the certified/notarised ID and Proof of address documents.

Kemp House

152-160 City Road

London

EC1V 2NX

The best way to pay is through our website, if you have problems you can pay over the telephone or by bank transfer.

Our Terms and Conditions can be found here.

When a parcel arrives we will notify you by e-mail and will need to be collected within 48 hours or you can arrange for a courier to collect your parcel for you.

We can arrange a courier on your behalf there will be an admin charge which will be added to the courier’s fee and this would need to be paid upfront.

Parcels up to 45x35x16cm and no heavier than 3kg – store free for 48 hours and then charged at £2.50 a day.

Parcels between 45x35x16cm and no heavier than 3kg and 61x46x46cm and no heavier than 10kg free for 48 hours and then charged at £4.50 a day.

If Parcels are not collected within 10 working days they will be disposed of and a charge will be added to your postage account. We will advise you by telephone before we dispose of any parcels.

We would hold your post in your suite number for as long as your account is active, our office is open Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm.

Yes, our post team will e-mail you with a link so you can make a top-up

We charge Royal Mail prices x 2, Scanning is charged at £1.00 per page

Our address is a real physical office and not PO boxes. You are given a suite number when your contract is completed.

We have a legal obligation to check proof of ID and address for all of our clients who use our services. This is to ensure we comply with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations and Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements. We need to check and verify a Photographic ID such as a Passport and a proof of address, such as a Bank Statement (dated within 3 months).

We will send your mail by first class post in plain packaging, we charge Royal mail prices x 2, you choose if you require your post to be sent daily, weekly or monthly, you will need to have a postage account set up and our post team will let you know when it is running low.

Our office is located in Kemp House 152 – 160 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX

Our virtual office packages are specifically designed to be affordable. The cost varies as you only pay for the services you use. You can view prices and buy online, however if you would like to speak to us please contact our team for more information.

Virtual office services meet the needs of almost any business looking to minimize its overhead and business risk. It’s also a low risk alternative to establishing a satellite office in central London.

Our private offices allow you to work alone or hold meetings for up to six people. Offices are equipped with phone, high speed internet and white boards our meeting rooms can accommodate between 4 and 6 people. The larger meeting room is equipped with a TV to connect to laptops, whiteboards and have video conferencing capability. High speed internet is included.

Our goal when answering your phones is to make it seem like we are your receptionist, like we are an extension of your business. We want to know about your business, what it does and how it operates so that we can assist your callers and get them the results they expect – for example when a caller asks what does your business does do you really want your receptionist to say I’m sorry I’m just the receptionist let me transfer your call? During our orientation period we go through your procedures to ensure we understand these basic questions about your business and handle callers in the manner you expect. After all we are commonly the first point of contact between you and that potential new client.

Sometimes you are not able to answer your phone – you are in a meeting, working to meet a deadline or on vacation – and the caller doesn’t want to leave a voicemail. Missed calls can be a missed opportunity. Our receptionists will ensure you never miss another call. What is the cost of a missed call? At some point hiring a receptionist becomes less of a luxury and more of a necessity in order for a small business to maximize its productivity

Using our address as your official business address has several advantages. First it’s the address your customers find when they Google your business and see on your business cards. We will handle all your mail services including receipt of mail and courier packages as well as be a drop off location between you and your clients. More importantly it keeps your personal information confidential from your customers and suppliers as they no longer have access to your home location.

It projects professionalism; What do your prospective customers find when they Google your business? Your home address? A PO Box? Using a home address may be acceptable when you first start up however it may not work as well as your business grows and you pitch larger clients and bigger contracts. Having a prestigious downtown business address for your website and business cards will help give prospective customers the comfort they are looking for.

It saves you time; One advantage of using our business address is that you have your mail and courier packages sent to this address – there is no more waiting around for a FedEx package to arrive. We are at the office so you don’t have to be.

It lowers overhead costs and reduces business risk; The two largest expenses for small businesses are rent and personnel. Virtual offices can help significantly reduce both. A traditional office requires rental of space, the purchase of furniture& fixtures and setting up phones, internet service and building maintenance. It’s expensive and takes up significant time both upfront and on an ongoing basis. Furthermore upfront expenditures, long term lease commitments and hiring new personnel significantly increase the company’s business risk.

Virtual office address services allow business owners to focus on growing sales and other important aspects of their business and at the same time have someone worry about the administrative matters. The virtual office is a low risk and cost effective way to establish a corporate presence and can eliminate the need to rent your own office space or to hire additional personnel.

The Virtual Office Address concept refers to providing office services specifically designed to meet the needs of today’s remote worker. A growing percentage of today’s workforce do not have a full-time office as they are frequently travelling, meeting clients or simply working from home. And they don’t want to pay for an office they don’t use? The virtual office concept was designed specifically for this group by providing services such as (i) providing a professional business address to help improve a company’s image; (ii) access to fully equipped offices and meeting rooms on an as-needed basis, (iii) customized phone reception service with phones answered in their company name and calls handled exactly the way they want.

We require 24 hours’ notice to reschedule a booking, but are unable to guarantee the new time you require will be available.

We require 24 hours’ notice to cancel a booking for a full refund.

Please call us on 020 7566 3939, one of the team will check the calendar for you

We provide Water, tea and coffee for paying bookings, Food is not permitted in the meeting rooms.

Wifi is available in both meeting rooms and is free of charge?

A registered office address is a legal requirement for UK Companies. It is listed on the Company Registrar at Companies House and is publicly available for anyone to view. We would recommend adding this option to our London mail address package if you do not want your residential address listed on the public domain.

The London mail forwarding address service can be used by personal and business customers. It allows personal post to be received at the London forwarding address, this can then be forwarded onto an address of your choice.

Once you have purchased the mail forwarding address service online it can be used straight away.

We allow our clients to collect their mail from our offices, whether you choose to have your mail forwarded or collected from the address is up to you.

A mail forwarding address can benefit many different types of people and organisations. A business mail forwarding service is designed to improve a businesses corporate image by using a prestigious address in a prominent location.

All mail forwarding address clients can choose to have post scanned direct to them. When choosing a package select the scan option.

Parcels and signed for documents will be accepted at the London mail forwarding address. Signed for documents are accepted by the mail handling team who will sign for it in their own name. If you are expecting large items please do call our team before hand to discuss the options.

The mail forwarding address that is provided in our packages is an excellent way International businesses can obtain a UK address without substantial overheads.

International clients can choose to have mail forwarded or scanned as and when they require, daily, weekly or monthly.

Changing the address is very straightforward, there are two ways you can achieve this. The most popular method is through the Companies House WebFiling service; if you don’t already have an account you can register for free here, You will need your authorisation code in order to make changes online via the WebFiling portal. If you don’t have the authorisation there is another option, you can simply download and complete the form AD01 from Companies House and this will allow you to easily change your registered address.

Our service is suitable for companies that are incorporated or are planning to be formed under the jurisdiction of England and Wales. Companies that are registered in Scotland or Northern Ireland are required to have the registered office in the same country as listed at the registrar.

We offer complete flexibility to our clients and allow you to collect your mail from our offices in person. Whether you choose to have your mail forwarded to a chosen address or collected from our offices is completely up to you.

The frequency at which your mail is forwarded is up to you. The majority of our mail forwarding clients choose to have the mail forwarded weekly on a day of their choosing, however you can choose to have it forwarded daily, weekly, monthly or as and when it is most convenient for you. We provide a flexible postage service that is tailored to fit your needs.

Once you have purchased your mail forwarding service online you will need to provided us with the required identification and business details. Upon receipt of your information your mail forwarding account can be set-up within 24 hours.

Our mail forwarding London service can be used by personal and business customers. If you are needing an address where you can have your mail sent to our mail forwarding service is ideal for you. Our service is cost effective and represents excellent value when compared to similar mail forwarding providers in London.

A mail forwarding service can benefit many different types of people and organisations. Our mail forwarding service has been designed to improve your businesses corporate image by using a prestigious address in London. Clients are given the impression your business is run from a real office building situated in a prestigious area in central London. This has many benefits for your company including building trust in your brand and service.

The standalone mail forwarding service does not come as part of the registered office address service. If you would like to add a registered office address service to the mail forwarding service you can do so by choosing this extra feature during the checkout process.

Maintainability is something that many business owners worry about. Unlike print media, your website will be easy to maintain and update as and when you make changes within your business. The cost of maintaining a website is far cheaper than the cost of maintaining up to date printed material for your company. Your website may not completely replace your need for printed material, but it will mean that what printed material you produce will only need to be time-limited to whatever promotional time-frame you have planned. Your well-crafted website will be a great supplement to your sales and promotional material and you can also expand your sales information online to include what cannot be covered in your printed material due to printing restraints and the associated costs involved. You can also add video content to your website that you cannot provide with your printed material.

Many SMEs owners still think that a website is a one-way window to communicate with clients and customers. Our expert team of web designers can build you a bespoke site that allows you to add in all your social media buttons so your clients can communicate and engage with you in a way that suits them best. The easier you make it for your clients to communicate with you, the better it is for your business. Your clients are more likely to stick around and become loyal to your company if they are a satisfied customer that can get answers to their questions quickly.

If you run a bricks and mortar business in a specific location, your website can be available to your new and existing customers online 24/7, especially when your shop or business premises is closed. Customers are not restricted to learn about your company during opening hours, so when you offer them plenty of interesting information online, then they will be more encouraged to check out your physical shop in person.

Collecting important Demographic Data will give you a good ideas about who your customers are. Knowing who your customers are and what they need are important aspects of making your business a success. Having a website with all the latest features and analytical tools available may not seem so out of reach as you first thought, and with one of our comprehensive website packages you can get the essential marketing data you need to grow your business.

Having a professional business website built for you will improve your customer service, so it will also help to boost your credibility and standing online. By engaging and sharing tips and information about your products or services with your potential new clients as well as your existing clients, you are helping to build and boost your business brand. Include an FAQ section, add a blog and offer an email newsletter to answer your customer’s questions, and there will no better way to provide your clients with added value that will boost your profile and respectability online.

By providing new information about your company, products and services online, you can save yourself lots of time that would otherwise be spent explaining your company and passing on information verbally via phone calls and face-to-face meetings. It is also much quicker, simpler and cheaper to update information about your company and your products and services via your website than to have new company brochures, flyers and mail-outs designed, printed and circulated. Your professionally designed website will save your time – and what is time? Time is money!

No matter where you offer your products or services, your own professionally built website will provide you with another way to sell them. Your website is a great place to sell your products or services as well as provide useful information about your company and to communicate with potential new clients in areas that you physical shop or business does not cover locally. No matter what business you are in, your website is a great place to showcase your work to a wider audience. By including a portfolio or image gallery, as well as testimonials about your work, you can demonstrate what makes your business unique.

When you buy our call answering package you are hiring our team of  professional PA’s to answer your calls on your behalf. Our PA’s will be fully briefed and on your business, its activities and exactly how you want the calls to be handled. The service is seamless and is designed to be an extension of your team.

When your virtual assistant receives a phone call and then subsequently takes a message on your behalf, they will then email you the recorded transcript of the message to your email and also into your private voicemail box.

Yes we can, we provide free message taking included with all our packages. However some clients prefer for our team of PA’s to answer the call initially and then transfer the call live to a number of their choice.

We operate the call answering service from 9.00 am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday. Out of hours calls will be diverted automatically to your voicemail where you will then receive email alerts if a message is left out of hours.

Our PA’s are based in our London offices and are native English speakers. All our staff have been professionally trained and deliver a high level of service to all our clients.

With all our call answering service packages we include unlimited calls as part of the price advertised. This means you will not be charged per call and the price advertised is the price you will pay for the service.

London is synonymous as being one of the best cities to do business in and is regarded globally as a financial power house. London has superior transport links and fantastic amenities making it a desirable location to live and work in. Capital Office’s services are ideally suited for clients based around the world and domestically in the UK. Our professional virtual office service is an attainable solution which enables businesses to get a foothold in the business capital of the world

Our professional virtual office is specifically designed to help maximise your businesses performance. You can create the perfect corporate image with our range of tailored solutions designed to support you as a business owner. Our services include telephone answering, a London business address with mail forwarding and company formation services. You can now work seamlessly from anywhere without any interruption of your office services.

We only have the 2 meeting rooms based in EC1V 2NX

You can book a meeting room between 9-5 Monday – Friday excluding bank holidays.

We have a 4 person and 6 person meeting room

With all our call answering service packages we include unlimited calls as part of the price advertised. This means you will not be charged per call and the price advertised is the price you will pay for the service.

When your virtual assistant receives a phone call and then subsequently takes a message on your behalf, they will then email you the recorded transcript of the message to your email and also into your private voicemail box.

A mail forwarding address is an address which allows you to receive all your postal correspondence at the address and have it forwarded onto an address of your choice. Companies decide to use mail forwarding addresses as it can often help increase the prominence of their status. The use of an address in a sought after location will often help increase the consumers’ confidence in the business.

Many different organisations benefit from such services, there are of course obvious benefits for homeworkers and startups who are unable to obtain a real office and are not in favour of providing their residential address as the main correspondence address which would be available to the public.

Our mail forwarding service allows you to use our central London location as your business address, we then receive your mail and forward this onto your chosen address.

A business can benefit from a prestigious central London location without having to outlay expensive overheads when compared to renting a traditional office space.

Our mail forwarding service is designed to be private and discreet allowing you to run your business from any location worldwide. It is also completely confidential helping to protect your residential address.

Any post that is received at our address is processed straight away and can be forwarded on the same day. Some businesses choose to have their post forwarded weekly or monthly, the benefit to them is that they save on postal rates as the accumulated mail is posted in a bundle in one envelope and can be more cost effective for high volume users.

• Mail forwarding addresses are very popular with startups working from a home office.
• Small businesses wanting to establish themselves with a prestigious central London address
• International clients wanting to establish themselves in the UK