This guide gives an overview of the legislation which, from 30 June 2016, allows a private company to choose to send information usually kept in certain statutory registers to the registrar of companies to be kept on the public register at Companies House. This choice, for private companies only, is an alternative to the obligation to keep all or any of those statutory registers at its registered office, or a single alternative inspection address.
The obligation to keep statutory registers applies to certain registers, including the registers of directors, director's usual residential addresses, secretaries, members, and as of 30 June 2016, people with significant control over the company. The other registers that companies must also keep do not fall within the scope of this guidance.
This guide goes on to explain what a company must do if it chooses to keep the information on the public register at Companies House, and what happens if having done so it subsequently decides to stop keeping the information in this manner and keeps the information in its own statutory registers.
This guide isn't drafted with unusual or complex transactions in mind. Specialist professional advice may be needed in those circumstances.
From 30 June 2016, a private company can choose to send information usually kept in all or any certain statutory registers to the registrar of companies to be kept on the public register at Companies House. This choice, for private companies only, is an alternative to the obligation to keep those statutory registers at its registered office or a single alternative inspection address.
If your company chooses to keep the information on the public register at Companies House, rather than in its own statutory registers, this information becomes part of the public register. The public register is open for anyone to inspect and take copies of information.
In this guide we will refer to «elect» or «election» when referring to a private company choosing to send information usually kept in certain statutory registers to the registrar of companies and kept on the public register at Companies House. We will also refer to «withdraw» or «withdrawal» when such a company chooses to stop keeping that information on the public register.
The chapters explain the implications of, and requirements for, keeping information for each of the registers on the public register at Companies House. They set out what must be delivered, when the information must be sent to Companies House, and what happens if your company decides it wants to keep its own statutory registers.
You should read this guide together with the law relating to the registers regime which can be found in the Companies Act 2006, as amended by the Small Business Enterprise and Employment Act 2015; this and the relevant regulations are available to view on legislation.gov.uk.