Section 86 | Duty to ensure registered office at appropriate address ^F1

(1)A company must ensure that its registered office is at all times at an appropriate address.

(2)An address is an “appropriate address” if, in the ordinary course of events—

(a)a document addressed to the company, and delivered there by hand or by post, would be expected to come to the attention of a person acting on behalf of the company, and

(b)the delivery of documents there is capable of being recorded by the obtaining of an acknowledgement of delivery.

(3)If a company fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with this section an offence is committed by—

(a)the company, and

(b)every officer of the company who is in default.

(4)A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on summary conviction—

(a)in England and Wales, to a fine;

(b)in Scotland or Northern Ireland, to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale and, for continued contravention, a daily default fine not exceeding one-tenth of level 5 on the standard scale.

(5)Subsection (1) does not apply in relation to a company during any period for which the address of its registered office is a default address nominated by virtue of section 1097A(3)(h).