Forming a new limited company is a rather simple and straightforward process. Unfortunately however, there are times when an application is rejected by Companies House. If you are forming a company and you want to ensure that your application goes through smoothly, you should understand the main reasons that Companies House may reject your application and avoid these reasons if at all possible.
One of the main reasons that Companies House may reject your application relates to your chosen business name. If your company name contains a sensitive word, then you will be required to provide supporting documentation with the application. If your name includes a word such as association or international for instance, this documentation will be required. Without it, your application may be rejected until the supporting documentation is provided.
Remember that you cannot register a company name if it includes a word or phrase that is considered rude or otherwise offensive. Check over your company name to ensure that this is not the case before you submit your application. You also cannot have a company name that is the exact same or very similar to another company name that is already registered with Companies House. There are exceptions for companies that are within the same group but in general, your name should be as unique as possible.
If your company is being formed as a limited company, you must include a registered office address and this address must be in the same region of the UK where you register your business. You can use any number of addresses including your residential address, that of your accountant or your business address, so long as it meets the location requirements and you have permission to use it as your registered office address. Keep in mind that once this address is registered, you will not be able to change it to another country so be certain that you are using a valid address and that the address is in the country where you are registering your company.
On the form to register your company, you will see a 243 exemption box. This exemption provides disclosure of the information of your director due to the nature of your business. This exemption is there to protect the safety of your director and the box is found in the director’s section of your application. It is typically found by the residential address for your director. You should only tick this box if you have this exemption from Companies House. If you do not have the exemption from Companies House and the box is ticked, your application will likely be rejected.
Overall, filing to register your company is not a complicated process. If you feel that you need assistance, there are company formation agents that can help you to ensure that your application is processed smoothly. If use a company formation agent and your application is rejected, most will refile it for you for free. If you are filing it yourself, make sure that you go over the reasons that your application could be rejected and avoid these if at all possible to ensure the smooth processing of your application.
