Last Updated on November 13, 2026
The short answer
On 1 November 2026, 29,960 active UK companies had a Companies House default address as their registered office, and 25,084 of them (84%) already had a proposal to strike off. To get off it, post a paper form AD01 to Companies House within 28 days of the move, giving a new address where post will reach you. The online service does not work for companies on the default address.
Updated 13 November 2026. Counts from our UK Company Register Monitor, which read every active company in the Companies House register file dated 1 November 2026.
Most owners who find “Companies House Default Address” on their record treat it as a paperwork glitch. Something to sort out when there is time.
It is not a glitch. It is the step before strike-off. Of the 29,960 UK companies sitting on a default address on 1 November 2026, 84% were already on the way out.
The fix is free and takes one form. The catch is the clock, and the fact that the usual online route is closed to you.
How many companies are on the default address?
We read all 5,596,581 active companies in the Companies House register file dated 1 November 2026. Not a sample.
| Active companies, 1 November 2026 | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| On a Companies House default address | 29,960 | 100% |
| Of those, with a proposal to strike off | 25,084 | 83.7% |
| Of those, with a confirmation statement past due | 22,427 | 74.9% |
| Of those, at the Cardiff address (England and Wales) | 27,821 | 92.9% |
| Whole register, with a proposal to strike off | 417,325 | 7.5% |
So a company on the default address is about eleven times more likely to be facing strike-off than the average UK company: 84% against 7.5%.
What the default address is
Every UK company must keep its registered office at an “appropriate address”. That is an address where post would be expected to reach someone acting for the company, and where delivery can be confirmed, for example by a signature (Companies Act 2006, section 86).
If Companies House decides your address does not meet that test, it can move your company to one of three addresses it holds itself:
- England and Wales: Companies House Default Address, PO Box 4385, Cardiff, CF14 8LH
- Scotland: Companies House Default Address, PO Box 24238, Edinburgh, EH7 9HR
- Northern Ireland: Companies House Default Address, PO Box 2381, Belfast, BT1 9DY
These are set in Volume 6 of the Registrar’s Rules. The Cardiff postcode was updated on 24 November 2025, so older guides may show a different one.
How a company ends up there
There are two usual routes.
- Someone complains. The owner of the address, or anyone else, can tell Companies House the address is not appropriate using form RP07. A common case is a company registered at a home or office without the owner’s permission. RP07 is the form for the complaint. It is not how a company changes its own address.
- Companies House acts on its own. For example, when its letters to the registered office keep coming back.
Companies House can give notice first. If it does, you get 14 days to file a new address or to object with evidence that your address is appropriate. It can also move you without notice if it thinks a notice period is not needed. Either way, it must write to tell you the move has happened and why.
How to get off the default address, step by step
- Check your record. Search your company on the Companies House register. If the registered office reads “Companies House Default Address”, note the date of the change in the filing history. Your 28 days run from that date.
- Get a new appropriate address. It must be somewhere post will reach a person acting for the company and where delivery can be signed for. A Royal Mail PO Box does not count. Your home, your trading premises, your accountant’s office (with their permission) or a registered office service can all work if they meet the test. If you use your home address, it will be published and cannot be removed later.
- Download the right form. Use the paper AD01 from the GOV.UK page “Change registered office of a company in liquidation, restoration or with a default address”. GOV.UK says a company that has been defaulted to the Companies House address must file on paper. The online change of address service is for everyone else.
- Fill it in. Company name and number exactly as on the register. The new address. Then confirm in section 3 that the new address is an appropriate address. A director or secretary authenticates it by printing their name. No signature is needed, and the name goes on the public record.
- Post it. Send it to the Companies House office for your part of the UK, listed at gov.uk/companies-house/offices. Paper takes longer than online, so do not wait until day 27.
- Fix the rest of the record. On 1 November, 74.9% of companies on the default address also had a late confirmation statement. Moving address does not clear that. File it too, or the company can still be struck off for that reason.
- Collect any post. Companies House must make post sent to the default address available for you to collect. It can destroy anything not collected after six months, and it does not have to forward post once you have moved.
The 28-day rule
Once your company is moved to a default address, it has 28 days from the day of the change to file a new appropriate address. That comes from regulation 20 of the Registered Office Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024.
If you miss it:
- It is a criminal offence. The company and every officer in default can be fined, up to level 3 on the standard scale, with a further daily fine while it continues.
- The company can be struck off. Companies House must first publish a notice in the Gazette giving two months’ warning. When the company is dissolved, directors’ liabilities carry on.
- Restoring it needs the address too. To restore a company struck off for this reason, you must also file a new registered office address.
During those first 28 days some duties are paused, such as keeping company records open for inspection at the registered office. You also cannot keep records at, or display your name at, the default address. Post can still be served at your old address for 14 days after the change.
If you think Companies House got it wrong
You can appeal to the court within 28 days of being told about the change. The court can look at evidence Companies House did not have. If an appeal is brought, the 28-day clock to file a new address can be extended.
For most small companies, filing a new address is quicker and cheaper than going to court. Appeal only if you have a real reason to keep the old address and the evidence to back it.
Why it matters for your customers
The default address shows on your public record. Anyone checking you on Companies House sees it, and so can any tool or AI assistant that reads the register.
Our advice to customers in the UK Company Register Monitor is simple: if a company’s registered office says “Companies House Default Address”, ask where it actually operates before paying a deposit. If that is your company, you are the one being asked.
Common questions
How many companies have a Companies House default address?
29,960 active UK companies on 1 November 2026, from our read of every active company in the Companies House register file. 25,084 of them (84%) had a proposal to strike off.
How do I remove the Companies House default address?
File a paper form AD01 giving a new appropriate address, within 28 days of the change. Companies on the default address cannot use the online service.
How long do I have to change it?
28 days from the day Companies House changed your address. After that the company and its officers can be fined and the company can be struck off.
Can I use a PO Box as my registered office?
No. Royal Mail PO Boxes are not appropriate addresses. The new address must be one where post reaches someone acting for the company and delivery can be signed for.
What is form RP07?
RP07 is the form someone uses to complain that a company is using an address it should not. It is how many companies end up on the default address. To change your own company’s address, you use AD01.
Does Companies House forward my post?
No. It holds post sent to the default address for you to collect, can destroy it after six months, and does not have to forward it once you move.
The takeaway
The default address is not admin. It is a strike-off warning with a 28-day fuse. Get a proper address, post the paper AD01, file anything else that is late, then check your record again. This is a Start-stage fix: no marketing spend is worth much while your own company record says nobody is home.
This guide explains the rules in plain English. It is not legal advice. Sources, read 13 November 2026: Registered Office Address (Rectification of Register) Regulations 2024, Companies Act 2006 section 86, Registrar’s Rules Volume 6, GOV.UK paper AD01 for companies with a default address, GOV.UK AD01 guidance and GOV.UK RP07. Company counts: Whito, Companies House register file dated 1 November 2026.
