Appropriate Email Address

A new requirement has been introduced for all companies to maintain an appropriate registered email address. This came into force on 4th March 2024. This is an email address which, if emails are sent to it by the Registrar, would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company. 

If a company fails to maintain an appropriate email address without reasonable excuse, then an offence punishable by a fine is committed by the company and every officer of the company is in default. 

An email address allows the Registrar to communicate directly with the company to provide updates, notices, and reminders and for the Registrar to send documents or information electronically to the company. The email address is not visible on the public register for public inspection.

A company may change its registered email address by giving notice to the Registrar – this will only be effective once the notice is registered by the Registrar.

Existing companies must deliver a statement of registered email address with its next confirmation statement on or after 5th March 2024. For newly incorporated companies, Form IN01 now contains a statement of intended registered email address of the company, which again must be an appropriate email address.

Action to take:

• Identify which email address is most suitable to be provided as the registered email address.
• When doing this, consider whether a generic company email is more suitable than a personal one, particularly as personnel may change.
• Should the contact email address contain a distribution list so that multiple people within the organisation will receive communications from Companies House?
• Should the email address contain a company domain name (it is not a requirement that it has to and can be an individual’s email address)?
• Whom within the company should have access to the email address & what security settings should be put in place for passwords etc, e.g. for when personnel leave the company? 
• Should a third-party agent's email address be used instead?