SAIL address – what is it and can I keep my statutory records there?

A SAIL address (Single Alternative Inspection Location or SAIL address) was introduced in the UK under the Companies Act 2006. The idea of a SAIL is for companies to use an address other than the registered office address where certain of their statutory records can be kept for inspection. Each company is allowed only one SAIL at any one time and it must be in the same part of the United Kingdom as the registered office, i.e. England and Wales for a company registered in England & Wales. Should you opt to have a SAIL, you can then choose to keep your company's statutory books at either the registered office or SAIL or even split them between the two (provided that all records of a type are kept together). If you do not keep all your records at the company’s registered office, you need to inform Companies House of your SAIL details (Form AD02) and which records you hold there (Form AD03). You will also need to tell Companies House when you return any records housed at a SAIL back to the registered office (Form AD04). Using a SAIL address may be beneficial to you if you operate your business from home and have this as your registered office but don’t want people visiting you there to inspect the statutory books. You could then choose your accountant's address or another address as your SAIL but you would need to ensure that the relevant statutory records are held there and your accountants may charge a fee for this service.

Note that there is also the option to keep statutory records on the public register at Companies House.