Why you should use a Virtual Address when registering a Company in the UK

Icon Offices makes it easy for any person or business to form a company in the UK. This is regardless of where you are based in the world. We specialise in UK Company Formation for UK and non UK residents as well as for UK and non UK Corporate Entities.

But before you begin the UK company incorporation process there is 1 very important thing that you need to have in place.

That is a UK based address for your company. You cannot register a company in the UK without having a UK address for your company. What’s more the address is visible for any member of the public to see. It is publicly displayed on the Companies House website and as a result it can also appear on a number of other third party websites too.

Reasons you should use a Virtual Address when forming a UK Company

Privacy - In the UK all business addresses are a matter of public record, which means anyone can obtain the business’ address. So, if your business is registered to your home address then you automatically lose all rights to your privacy. By using a virtual address as your business’s registered address you will be able to keep your home address private.

Save money - There are many different companies that offer virtual address services. Depending on your needs you should be able to find a company that offers the right service to fit your needs. These service plans are generally much cheaper than it would cost you to set up a physical office in your desired location. Icon Offices provides virtual offices / virtual addresses from only £0.99 per week including VAT. We are one of the cheapest virtual address / office providers in the UK.

Customisable location - When it comes to your business it is very important that you create a great first impression for your prospective customers. One of the best ways to do this is to have a business address in a desirable location. Even if you are a small business working out of your garage, being able to have the appearance that your business is located in a prime location could make a huge difference on how you are perceived by a potential customer. You can also target a certain demographic of customer by having the appearance of being a local business with a local address. Icon Offices has 4 different addresses to choose from. The prestigious Hatton Garden in Central London, East Ham in East London, Hainaut in Ilford Essex and our glamourous Head Office address in Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex. Any one of these can be used as the face of your business.

Mail Handling – A common feature of all Virtual Office Services is that mail handling is included. At Icon Offices we will receive post for clients and then forward it on to them via scan to email or through regular post. We also offer a post collection service from the majority of our business centres.

Avoid junk mail - Junk mail comes in the form postcards leaflets and letters. The common feature being that they are unwanted correspondence. Most virtual office providers will automatically bin all mail that can be identified as being junk mail providing you with extra convenience and saving you time from sifting through unwanted post.

Convenience - Today’s virtual address service providers make it very easy for a business to establish a virtual office location. With just a few clicks you can have an address set up immediately. When purchasing a virtual office via the Icon Offices website, we provide you with a virtual address with your own unique office / suite number instantly. You can be set up within a few minutes. Compare this to acquiring a physical business premises and the process can take weeks / months.

No unwanted visitors - One of the biggest benefits of using a virtual address is that you don’t have to worry about any unwanted visitors as your personal address is not in the public domain. This could include door to door salesmen and inconsiderate suppliers / customers who hope to stop by without an appointment.

No long term commitments – Most virtual office providers will provide you with a short term contract. At Icon Offices our contracts run for the duration of 90 days and self renew. This means that if your business is not heading in the direction that you want it to, or if you need to change your company’s registered address, you have the flexibility to cancel your agreement at your quarterly billing date with no penalties. Compare this to having a physical shop, office or unit for your business and the process is much harder and more costly. There are likely to be long term leases in place with penalties for exiting early making termination a difficult and potentially costly process.

Additional Services – Most Virtual Office providers will be able to offer you additional services to assist your business. At Icon Offices not only do we provide UK Office Rental Solutions, but we also specialise in provide Business Support Solutions. This includes low price meeting room hire form only £3 per hour, Accountancy Services, Business Phone Lines (which include UK Landline Voip Numbers and UK Virtual Mobile Numbers), Company Logo creation, Call Answering Services and much more.