Legislation change to protect directors from fraud, violence or intimidation

The new regulations will permit company directors to remove their personal address from the company register at Companies House.

Fraud prevention organisation Cifas shows that company directors are one of the most at-risk groups for this type of crime, with one in five having been a victim of this type of crime. 

With access to records at Companies House such as name, address and date of birth, a clear risk exists that such personal information could easily be misused.

Currently, personal addresses can only be removed when Companies House if there is a serious risk of violence or intimidation due to the company's activities.

Under the new legislation, directors can replace their personal addresses with a 'service' address, where they can be contacted to ensure companies meet their legal requirements. 

Directors will also be able to apply to have their residential addresses withdrawn from the public record at Companies House without having to prove any risk of violence or intimidation. Addresses pre-dating 2003 will also be able to be removed.

The proposed changes also cover other persons whose residential address details might appear at Companies House in historical records or who do not use a service address, including company secretaries, shareholders, and persons with significant control.

However, personal addresses will remain available to public authorities, such as the police, the insolvency service, and the Pensions Regulator.

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