Company Formation Services

The BGF (Business Growth Fund) has invested heavily into the sustainable energy producer and install Ecovision. The BGF backed Ecovision with over £3.6 million worth of funding.Ecovision is an installer of heat pumps, biomass boilers and solar panels. Founded in 2005 Ecovision has become one of the UK`s leading sustainable energy installers. The company has installed over 5,000 systems across the UK and it is now predicted to increase revenue to over £20 million in the current year.In May this year, Ecovision sold its Photovoltaic system to the well known insurer Aviva, which gave an excellent return for its investors.It has since decided to increase its interest in Hassle Free Boilers, this is an eco-friendly boiler which can greatly reduce energy costs with savings of over £300 per year. The advantage of the hassle free boiler is that there are no upfront costs, the consumer pays on a monthly basis for the service and maintenance.The BGF`s funding is designed to increase the scope and range of the services, helping the company to rely on increased contract revenues. There are also plans to increase the businesses Air Source Heat Pumps, which are designed to replace the energy from usual household heaters.Ecovision was founded by Peter Randall; Peter was one of the founders of Telco-ISP, which sold for $250m before the company merged with Tiscali. Peter said he is delighted to be working with the BGF who are providing the company with much needed with growth capital and access to expert networks.If you are thinking of forming a company Your Virtual Office London can help get your business up and running. We provide business start-up services, from company formation to mail forwarding addresses, whatever your need get in touch with us today.

There are many reasons for beginning a start-up. Some believe that their only alternative is to start afresh after previous failure, or if the economic situation or state of unemployment leaves them no alternative; some people have a great idea or product and would like to start their business; and there are those who are not satisfied with their current job or boss and think they could do a better job for themselves.But whatever your reason or motivation to start a business, there are certain steps you should follow: First and most important is to understand and learn what a company is with all its components as well as the advantages and disadvantages of being a business owner and paperwork it entails.It is also important to investigate and learn everything you can about the business you want to start, starting with defining your market. In other words, who are the potential customers and why would they buy from you?Other areas to look into are the goods or services, the competition, all procedures, licenses and requirements for establishing your business. This is because sometimes poor research can cause big problems.There are two case studies to highlight this. The first was an owner who opened her salon in a small shopping centre, had invested and worked hard to modify and decorate the rental location. A few days after opening the doors, the pavement her salon stood on was broken up completely to make some changes to the pipes and drains underneath. As you can imagine, without car traffic or many people walking past, it became a very difficult start to build a business from.Another case is of someone else who made very large investments to install special equipment for their business. When they wanted to get their business licensed, the city denied it until they fulfilled certain requirements that had not been considered or that he did not considered necessary. These changes and plans he had to submit, cost money, which was no longer there. The man had to painstakingly borrow money for pay plans and make modifications which took many months.These examples reiterate the importance of research before even signing or investing in something for your business. Of course, not all cases are like this, but the emphasis should be on asking and planning their businesses first, to avoid headaches and loss of money by having poor planning on initiation.Your Virtual Office London has helped thousands of small business make the move from idea to reality. Starting a business can be a difficult and testing time, however our expert team are equipped with the right knowledge to ensure you are able to give your business the best possible chance of success.

When you incorporate a company for the first time many different addresses are required by Companies House, many of our customers do come to us for clarification. In this article we describe the differences between the registered office address, directors service address, and shareholders address.

What is a registered office address?

The registered office address is a legal requirement from companies house. The address is used by Companies House and HMRC to send official statutory post and documents. The address appears on public record, anyone can search and find this address. The address for many new companies is usually the home residential address as they company has not yet started trading in a commercial property.

What is our registered office address service?

Our service allows you to register an official business address in a prestigious central London location, based in the heart of finance and business district. This will be your companies registered office address. Of course this has many benefits when compared to using your registered office address. One is that the address is private, you do not have to disclose your residential address. Many people prefer to keep their home address of public record for obvious reasons, one mainly is that is prevents unwanted callers turning up un announced when you least expect them.

What is a director`s service address?

The director`s service address is the official address of the director. Again similar to the registered office it`s the address is used by HMRC and Companies House to send official statutory post and documents. Again similar to the registered office, the address is on public record and is searchable. Unlike the registered office address the address can be an address situated in any country across the globe. The address can be the same as the registered office address; however it must not be a PO Box address.

What is our director service address?

Our director`s service address allows you to use our prominent London address in City Road as the director`s service address. Using our address service can help protect your residential address, again like the registered office service, removing your home address from public records can prevent unwanted callers and junk mail. It also helps you look more professional, creating a corporate image that can help increase your businesses profitability.

What is the shareholders correspondence address?

A shareholder is legally required to provide a correspondence address for each of the shareholders, each shareholders address will appear on the public record. The address can be the same as the registered office address and it doesn`t have to be the residential address of the shareholder.You will need to provide a correspondence address for each of the first shareholders (often called subscribers) in a newly formed company. For each shareholder correspondence address, it`s worth noting that:

Why choose Your Virtual Office London?

Your Virtual Office London have been providing professional business services for over 30 years. From company formation to supplementary services such as the mentioned address services, we really do understand the need of the modern business. Enhancing your business image whilst retaining privacy is key to the modern business owner, we have developed packages at an affordable price which is obtainable on any level of earnings. If you would like to discuss your businesses circumstances we will be able to help provide a tailored solution, we have an experienced expert team ready to take your call.

In this article, we explain who can act as a company secretary and how one can be appointed or removed and the typical duties performed by the secretary.

Who can be a Limited Company secretary?

There are not many people who cant act as your company secretary in a private Limited Company. There are a few restrictions; the company secretary must not be an undischarged bankrupt unless the court has given leave. Also the companies auditor is not allow to perform the role of secretary. A partnership, company and of course an individual are allowed to perform the role of company secretary.

What is the process of adding or removing a company secretary?

The adding of an appointment of a company secretary or the removal of a secretary will be governed by the Companies Articles of Association. It would be decided by the board of directors of the company, that they wish to add or remove the appointment. The Companies Act 2006 doesn't provide details of how the process should be handled.

What are the main duties of a company secretary?

The duties of a company secretary can vary, there are no right or wrong duties however typically the duties are as follows:1. The company secretary would normally provide the service of Filing annual returns.2. Preparing and maintaining the statutory records.3. Arranging meetings for shareholders and directors, maintaining minutes of meetings.4. Maintaining correct company details with companies house, updating when changes happen.5. Legal compliance6. Holding and safe keeping of company documents7. Maintaining a registered office address

Why use Your Virtual Office London to form your company?

Your Virtual Office London are company formation experts. We have been forming companies for over 30 years, we have a huge amount of experience and we are always happy to share this with our clients. It is important to understand the supplementary services we provide our company formation clients, services such as registered office address, mail forwarding, virtual office and business accounting. Incorporating a company can be a daunting process and our team are specially trained in guiding small businesses through the minefield of forming and starting a new company.

Our mail forwarding service allows a customer to use our prestigious office address in London as if it was their own. Using our address enables our clients to have post sent to the central London office address we have provided, they can then choose to have the mail forwarded from the provided mail forwarding address to an address of their choice.

Why would I use a mail forwarding address?

There are many reasons why you someone would choose to use our mail forwarding service. Firstly it can be used by personal customers who have decided to go travelling or take a long vacation, using our service allows them to have post sent onto their address no matter where they are in the world. This has obvious benefits, someone who spends long periods of time away from their main postal address can expect many bills and important letters that may be time sensitive. Our mail forwarding service enables the client to receive these documents no matter where they are in the world.Many business customers also benefit from the use of our mail forwarding service. Our address is situated in a prominent and prestigious location in central London, this creates a positive image for any prospective clients who may be looking to work with your company.Our mail forwarding address service also has can help with privacy, all businesses are legally required to provide an address of where they are operating from in the UK. Our address service can help protect your home address, thus preventing any unwanted callers turning up when you least expect them.

Other key benefits to the mail forwarding service

• Private and Confidential
• For personal and business customers
• Prestigious address in central London
• Creates a professional image for your business
• Mail forwarded worldwide
• Collect mail from our premises
• Parcels and signed for post accepted
• Digital scanning of post available

Your Virtual Office London has been providing professional mail forwarding services for over 20 years. Many business customers also choose other supplementary services which can complement the mail forwarding service.We provide a registered office address in London for our Limited company clients; this allows them to use our prominent London address at Companies House in place of their existing registered office address. Another service that is popular with our company clients is a directors service address, again this is for updating the directors address at Companies House. Both address services are aimed at improving your image and keeping your personal details safe and secure, away from public view.If you would like to discuss any of the services mentioned in this article please feel free to contact us, we have an expert team on standby ready to take your call.

What is a registered office address?

A registered office address is for Limited Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships. It is a legal requirement from Companies House that a registered office address must be given when you incorporate a company. The address will then be used by Companies House and HMRC to send your company official statutory official post.

Why do I need a registered office address service?

Many small start up businesses are usually formed from a residential address, a homeworker for example starting a business would normally have no choice but to use the residential home address as the registered office address. The address is then available on public view, which means customers and business associates will be able to find out where you live and of course this can sometimes have privacy issues which may not be suitable for someone working and living at home.

Why Your Virtual Office London Registered Office Service?

Your Virtual Office London provide a real London office address in a prestigious and prominent area of central London. Our service can be used by Limited Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships (LLP`s). The service can be used as long as the company is trading from England or Wales.

Is postage free?

We include all postage of statutory mail for free, your registered office post is sent first class same day and we also include free postage for our international clients; this post is sent out via airmail same day.

I am a director can I use this for my service address?

Our registered office is only for the company address, if you are looking to update your directors details with a London address, we do provide a directors service address. This is used by directors and secretaries of companies, it allows them to receive staturoy notices in their name to our service address in London. Again all post is included with this service, so there are no additional mail handling fees.

Can I have normal business post sent to the address?

If you are looking to have everyday trading mail, such as letters from clients and business associates, statements from banks and other marketing materials, you will need our London mail forwarding address. This is ideal for real trading businesses looking to have a prime address in the heart of London. Postage costs for this type of mail is not included and we would require a postage deposit.A London address can really help boost your companies image, increasing the prestige of your operation through a prime address in central London can help your client perceive that your business is established and secure. Image is key to winning important contacts and clients, we strongly recommend our mail handling services to help aid the progression of your business. If you would like to discuss any points raised in this informative business article, please get in touch with the team today.

When you register a company with Companies House, a lot of information is stored on record. Details of your registered office address, directors address and shareholder information is required. As Companies House is a public registrar the information is made available for the public, this is to ensure transparency of trading and that the company owners are accountable for the actions.

What details are made public?

When you first form the company you will be required to provide all the correct details; shareholders full names are on record along with the shareholders addresses. Once the company has been formed and new shareholders join only their full name is required. This means no address is needed, you are not legally required to inform Companies House of your address or change of address. When you first form the company you will need to provide the value of the share, the type of share (class), and the number of shares that have been issued.

Your Virtual Office London

If you are thinking of starting a Limited Company or Limited Liability Partnership please do get in contact with us. We have been forming companies since 1971 and have vast experience in the types of companies and what would be best suited for you. We provide supplementary services for your company formations, such as registered office address service in London, director`s service address, London mail forwarding service, and business accounting. Whatever you require we can help provide expert professional guidance without any obligations.

Yes, annual return and company tax return are two obligations bestowed upon companies which are a legal requirement. In this article we will look meticulously as what is needed and when you need to act upon this.

I have a limited company do I need to be aware of an annual return?

If you run a Limited company you will need to understand the legal requirements that are necessary in order for your company to run legally. An annual return is a legal requirement, this is snap shot of your companies` information, this is required at least once every 12 months and needs to be updated if major changes have taken place. The annual return is a publicly available record and provides Companies House and the public with key information.

Key features of an Annual Return

• Provides a comprehensive view of how the company is set out
• Substantiates who runs the company in the form of directors and shareholders details
• It confirms the registered office address of the company
• It will confirm the secretaries` details if there is one allocated
• Compulsory every 12 months, and are due 28 days from the anniversary of the company incorporation

Do I need to complete a tax return?

If you run a limited company then you are legally required to complete a tax return. It`s a legal requisite from HMRC that facilitates a tax calculation to be performed on the financial figures produced from the companies trading. The director of the company is normally responsible for ensuring the statutory tax return is completed, if this is overlooked the company will amass fines and will ultimately be struck off if the notices are ignored.

How to find out when my tax return date is

You can find out when your tax return date is by using the Web Check system for companies house, this is a free online service and it provides insightful information about any Limited Company including your own. This is different to an annual return; the tax return provides more detailed financial information regarding your company`s financial trading. It is used to determine how much corporation tax is owed. An annual return is required by Companies House; a tax return is required by HMRC and then is submitted to Companies House so that they can list this on the company register for public access.You will need to either type your company name or company number in the search field. You will then be presented with a list of companies, select your company. On the next screen you will see the snap shot information including the accounts due date.

Key features of an Annual Return

• Legal requirement normally every 12 months,
• Your accounts due date can be found online via the Web Check service
• The tax return is for HMRC, need for tax computation to establish if any tax is due

If you found this blog helpful you can read more insightful articles on accountants and taxation here. Your Virtual Office London is a leader in virtual office, accounting and company formations.

The simple answer to that is yes, an LLP (Limited Liability Partnership) must provide a registered office address when forming the company.When the company is being registered with Companies House, Companies House requires a registered office address for this type of company. The address will be used for all official stator mail from HMRC and Companies House.It`s a legal requirement however the address can be changed at any time, however if you are looking to keep your residential address private, we would recommend from outset using our registered office address in London from outset. When you change an address at company`s house, and you are allowed to change the address at any time, all changes are kept on public record. This means anyone can see past addresses which could be your residential address.You are allowed to use any UK address as the main registered office address, residential, commercial or other. We always recommend our service address as its very affordable and it keeps your details private.

Benefits of using our registered office address

• Stops unwanted junk mail
• Stops unwanted or disgruntled visitors
• Prestigious London address
• Impresses clients with a professional commercial address
• All mail is forwarded free of charge

Why our registered office service?

Our London office address service adds instant prestige to your company, creating a professional corporate image that impresses your clients. Using your residential address will not have the same effect on clients, some clients are hard to please and our service is aimed at impressing everyone no matter how difficult they may be to please.

Your Virtual Office London registered office service

Your Virtual Office London provide company formations which include formations of Limited Liability Partnerships and Limited Companies, a registered office address in Central London. Our location is very eminent and well recognized globally for being the hub of commerce and finance in London. With our registered office address all HMRC and Companies House statutory mail is forwarded to your location free of charge by 1st class mail same day, and this does include forwarding to international address for our overseas clients.If you found this blog helpful you can read more articles on our address services here.

When you first register a Limited company with Companies House, Companies house will send you an authentication code to your registered office address. Normally this can be from 4 days to 4 weeks from our personal experience, if you are using our registered office address this will be sent out same day 1st class.

What to do when you have lost your companies authentication code

If you are unable to locate the letter that contains the authentication code you will be able to log on via the Companies House website. If we have formed the company for you, we will be happy to do this on your behalf, otherwise if you have formed this yourself you just log onto the WebFiling factily provided by Companies House. If its your first time of using the online WebFiling facility you will need to register your details. Using this method is quick and efficient and can save you valuable time.

Can I change my authentication code?

Yes you can change your authentication code by writing to Companies House and request that you would like to change this. You will need to write the request on official headed paper and it will need to include the following details:

• The name of the company
• The registered office address
• The company number
• The current authentication code
• The new authentication code you would like to use
• The full name of the director and shareholder

Why do I need the company authentication code?

The code is very important, it is used for on-line filing via the Companies House website. The authentication code will allow you to file annual returns online, file annual accounts, change and update the companies details such as directors, shareholders and secretary`s. You will need to keep the code safe as anyone who has access to this code will be able to logon and edit the information easily.

Additional insight: Companies House Company Authentication Code for Webfiling

Your Virtual Office London are the original company formation agents

We have been helping business owners form companies for over over 40 years. Our team is one of the most experienced in the country, from historic company searches to simple partnership formation we are able to help your business. Whatever your question please don't hesitate to get in touch with the team, we look forward to hearing from you.