The Advantages of Setting up a Limited Company

Starting and running a business can be an exciting and rewarding experience, but it can also be challenging and risky. One way to mitigate some of these risks is to operate as a limited company. A limited company is a legal entity that is separate from its owners and directors, and it can provide a number of benefits for businesses in the United Kingdom.

Limited Liability:

With any business comes risk, sometimes substantially elevated risk. Using a limited company can help mitigate this risk by limiting financial risk to the company. Normally, company officers or shareholders are not held liable for any company debt, fines, or legal suits as long as the business has been correctly operated in good faith. This benefit can give a great amount of peace of mind to any business owner, new or existing.
Low Set-Up Costs: In the UK, limited companies are very easy to establish with a very low cost to do so. You can set up a limited company in some cases the same working day for as little as £10.00 or even for free!

Established Reputation:

Using a limited company rather than being set up as a sole trader can provide a portrayal of being more established and accountable. All limited companies are registered at Companies House, and information on all businesses is viewable on the company register. The register shows the Registered Office of the company, who owns the business, and who is responsible for running the business. Using a registered office service can give your business an extra reputation boost and avoid using your private home address on the register.

Your Business Name:

Every registered company name is unique, meaning once registered, nobody else can register a business with the same name while your company remains registered. While this is not like a registered trademark and does not offer the same protection, it does ensure no other business can register and copy your official business name.

Tax Efficiency:

Limited companies can be a great way to become very tax efficient in your business and investment practices. While we are not able to cover this in detail here, as there are so many options to consider, some of the main benefits include taking profits as a mix of salary and dividends, which can be tax efficient for business owners.

Privacy Benefits of Using a Virtual Office:

In addition to the established reputation and other benefits of using a registered office service, a virtual office can also provide privacy benefits. A virtual office allows you to use a professional business address as your registered office, rather than your personal home address. This can be especially useful if you want to keep your personal home address away from public records and databases.

It’s important to note that while operating as a limited company and using a virtual office service can provide many benefits, it’s always a good idea to seek professional advice to determine what is best for your specific business needs.

National
Forwarding

£20 +VAT per year £24 inc.VAT

One Year Service ?
The yearly cost covers using our office address for your company’s Registered Address at Companies House. 365 Days cover starting from the day of purchase.
Forwarding Of Statutory Mail ?
Physical forwarding of any mail sent from Companies House or HM Revenue & Customs addressed to your Company. We forward the official letters the same working day to your confidential UK mailing address, 2nd Class Royal Mail at no extra cost to you!
Instant Set Up ?
Ready to use right away!
Optional Scan & Email ?
If you prefer we can open, scan and then email your letters the same working day they arrive. Original documents are held and available on request for 10 working days before being securely destroyed.
Directors Service Address ?
This service includes using our address for one company officer, they can be the Director, Secretary, Shareholder or Person of Significant Control (PSC). This cover is provided per person, regardless of the amount of positions they hold within the business.
Additional Directors * ?
The First is Included for Free! Additional Directors, Secretary's, Shareholders or Person of Significant Control (PSC) can be purchased for £5.00+VAT each, per year, as an Add-On. Please email reception for this if required after signing up.

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International
Forwarding

£50 +VAT per year £60 inc.VAT

One Year Service ?
The yearly cost covers using our office address for your company’s Registered Address at Companies House. 365 Days cover starting from the day of purchase.
Forwarding Of Statutory Mail ?
Physical forwarding of any mail sent from Companies House or HM Revenue & Customs addressed to your Company. We forward the official letters the same working day to your confidential International mailing address, Standard Air Mail at no extra cost to you!
Instant Set Up ?
Ready to use right away.
Optional Scan & Email ?
If you prefer we can open, scan and then email your letters the same working day they arrive. Original documents are held and available on request for 10 working days before being securely destroyed.
Directors Service Address ?
This service includes using our address for up to two company officers, they can be Director, Secretary, Shareholder or Person of Significant Control (PSC). This cover is provided per person, regardless of the amount of positions they hold within the business.
Additional Directors * ?
The First is Included for Free! Additional Directors, Secretary's, Shareholders or Person of Significant Control (PSC) can be purchased for £5.00+VAT each, per year, as an Add-On. Please email reception for this if required after signing up.

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P.O. Boxes & Royal Mail Redirection

There can be a lot of confusion about the service a virtual address provider facilitates and other services Royal Mail provide, such as redirection of mail or a PO Box address. This article deals with both, looking at the pros and cons of such things.

What is a Virtual Office Service?

As the service name suggests a Virtual Office gives your business all the benefits of having a physical office location but virtually. This can be great and benefit all types of businesses, both small and large. Instantly providing your business with most of the services a physical office has to offer without any off the major overheads associated with leasing or owning commercial property.

Personal & Business UK PO Box Services

What is a PO Box?

A PO Box address allows you to keep a separate mailing address away from your home address or even provide an address if you do not have a permanent home address. It can be used for all sorts of reasons, personal correspondence, keeping an address in the UK after moving abroad, an address for all your business requirements, and much more. PO Boxes, however, come with limitations. Many institutions, banks, governments and such will not accept a PO Box as your mailing address for personal or business uses. OfficeServ provides a solution to this with our Virtual Office service starting from just £9 per month.

How does a PO Box work?

OfficeServ’s Virtual PO Box services work just like any other PO Box service but without the limitations that normally come with a standard PO Box. You can use the address we provide for all your mailing requirements, both personal and business, providing the same reliable, confidential service to all. We provide a real UK street address that you can receive all your mail and parcels at, yes parcels too! Everything is processed, sorted and forwarded to you the same working day it arrives. If you don’t wish for it to be forwarded, we can safely hold it at our offices, so you can collect or have everything forwarded together later.

Unlimited Virtual PO Box Address

Unlike other providers, there are no limits to the amount of mail you can receive at your new OfficeServ virtual address. No per item charges or handling fees, and unlimited letters and parcels are all included. If items are forwarded to your confidential forwarding address, you only pay the cost of any outgoing postage. We also don’t charge extra on top of this, and we pass on our commercial discounts!

Unlimited Packages & Parcels

Our Virtual PO Box Service allows you to receive packages and parcels without a problem. Need an address for customer returns, or having items shipped to before sending everything internationally, or just a confidential parcel address? OfficeServ have you covered.

Unlimited Scanning & Emailing Of Letters

Would you like all your letters to be opened, scanned and emailed directly to your inbox the same working day they arrive? No problem, OfficeServ provides a complete scan and email service. Not only is this unlimited, but there are also no per letter or page fees. Everything scanned is processed for OCR (Optical Character Recognition), meaning the PDF of your mail is fully searchable. So when you need to find that letter about your car insurance renewal, it’s easy! Just open up the folder with all your mail scans inside, hit search, enter “insurance” or maybe your car registration and every letter that contains those terms will be listed.

Royal Mail PO Box Comparison

Royal Mail’s PO Box services are far from reasonably priced, starting at £36.00 a month with a minimum contract of three months for collection only. With OfficeServ’s Virtual Service starting from as little as £9.00 per month, we provide a great alternative option, with more features and better comprehensive service, including being able to speak with a real person at our address location about your mail and account.

Virtual Basic

£10 +VAT per month £12.00 inc.VAT Only £9.00PM Paid Yearly!

Virtual Office Address ?
Your own Virtual Office Address to use for all your business requirements as you see fit.
Unlimited Mail & Parcels ?
OfficeServ do not limit the amount of items you can receive, or charge any fees! Unlike other providers, receive as much mail as you require.
Same Day Forwarding ?
All letters are sorted and forwarded the same working day, subject to collection cut off times. We only pass on the cost of any postage or shipping billed to us, no increase or fees!
Package & Parcel Forwarding ?
All packages and parcels are sorted and forwarded the same working say as requested, subject to collection cut off times.
Unlimited Scan & Email ?
We can open, scan and then email your letters the same working day they arrive. Original documents are held and available on request for 10 working days before being securely destroyed. Unlike other providers there are no limits on the amount of letters we will scan for you! Also our scanning makes the PDF document text searchable for your convenience.
Hot Desk Access ?
Access to book any of our available hot desks at a reduced rate.
Meeting Room Access ?
Access to book our meeting room at a reduced rate.
1 Week Mail Holding ?
Mail can be held free of charge before forwarding for up to one week, after which forwarding or collection will be required.
1 Week Package Holding ?
Packages and parcels can be held free of charge before forwarding for up to one week, after which forwarding or collection will be required.
Pallet & Freight Handling ?
We will accept and handle incoming and outgoing pallet and freight deliveries, subject to prior arrangement. Extra Fees may be incurred.
Registered Office Address ?
This service does not included the use of our address as a Registered Office in connection with Companies House. If you wish to use our address at Companies House for any requirements, you would also require our yearly Registered Address Service.
Unique Office Suite Number* ?
*Only available paying yearly. Your Personal Office Address! We provide a unique "Office 101" or "Suite 120" number to put in front of our address. You can then receive all the mail you like using the unique identifier, addressed to different trading names or people in your business, or even personal mail! This can also be used with Google, Bing and Amazon Address Verification Cards. Please note this cannot be used to register multiple companies at Companies House.

Pay Monthly Pay Yearly

POPULAR

Save 10% yearly

Virtual Standard

£16 +VAT per month £19.20 inc.VAT Only £14.40PM Paid Yearly!

Virtual Office Address ?
Your own Virtual Office Address to use for all your business requirements as you see fit.
Unlimited Mail & Parcels ?
OfficeServ do not limit the amount of items you can receive, or charge any fees! Unlike other providers, receive as much mail as you require.
Same Day Forwarding ?
All letters are sorted and forwarded the same working day, subject to collection cut off times. We only pass on the cost of any postage or shipping billed to us, no increase or fees!
Package & Parcel Forwarding ?
All packages and parcels are sorted and forwarded the same working say as requested, subject to collection cut off times.
Unlimited Scan & Email ?
We can open, scan and then email your letters the same working day they arrive. Original documents are held and available on request for 10 working days before being securely destroyed. Unlike other providers there are no limits on the amount of letters we will scan for you! Also our scanning makes the PDF document text searchable for your convenience.
Hot Desk Access ?
Access to book any of our available hot desks at a reduced rate.
Meeting Room Access ?
Access to book our meeting room at a reduced rate.
Unlimited Scan & Email ?
We can open, scan and then email your letters the same working day they arrive. Original documents are held and available on request for 10 working days before being securely destroyed.
1 Month Mail Holding ?
Mail can be held free of charge before forwarding for up to one month, after which forwarding or collection will be required.
1 Week Package Holding ?
Packages and parcels can be held free of charge before forwarding for up to one week, after which forwarding or collection will be required.
Pallet & Freight Handling ?
We will accept and handle incoming and outgoing pallet and freight deliveries, subject to prior arrangement. Extra Fees may be incurred.
Registered Office Address ?
This service does not included the use of our address as a Registered Office in connection with Companies House. If you wish to use our address at Companies House for any requirements, you would also require our yearly Registered Address Service.
Unique Office Suite Number* ?
*Only available paying yearly. Your Personal Office Address! We provide a unique "Office 101" or "Suite 120" number to put in front of our address. You can then receive all the mail you like using the unique identifier, addressed to different trading names or people in your business, or even personal mail! This can also be used with Google, Bing and Amazon Address Verification Cards. Please note this cannot be used to register multiple companies at Companies House.

Pay Monthly Pay Yearly

Save 15% yearly

Virtual Premium

£25 +VAT per month £30 inc.VAT Only £21.25PM Paid Yearly!

Virtual Office Address ?
Your own Virtual Office Address to use for all your business requirements as you see fit.
Unlimited Mail & Parcels ?
OfficeServ do not limit the amount of items you can receive, or charge any fees! Unlike other providers, receive as much mail as you require.
Same Day Forwarding ?
All letters are sorted and forwarded the same working day, subject to collection cut off times. We only pass on the cost of any postage or shipping billed to us, no increase or fees!
Package & Parcel Forwarding ?
All packages and parcels are sorted and forwarded the same working say as requested, subject to collection cut off times.
Unlimited Scan & Email ?
We can open, scan and then email your letters the same working day they arrive. Original documents are held and available on request for 10 working days before being securely destroyed. Unlike other providers there are no limits on the amount of letters we will scan for you! Also our scanning makes the PDF document text searchable for your convenience.
Hot Desk Access ?
Access to book any of our available hot desks at a reduced rate.
Meeting Room Access ?
Access to book our meeting room at a reduced rate.
3 Months Mail Holding ?
Mail can be held free of charge before forwarding for up to one three months, after which forwarding or collection will be required.
1 Month Package Holding ?
Packages and parcels can be held free of charge before forwarding for up to one month, after which forwarding or collection will be required.
Pallet & Freight Handling ?
We will accept and handle incoming and outgoing pallet and freight deliveries, subject to prior arrangement. Extra Fees may be incurred.
Registered Office Address ?
This service does not included the use of our address as a Registered Office in connection with Companies House. If you wish to use our address at Companies House for any requirements, you would also require our yearly Registered Address Service.
Unique Office Suite Number* ?
*Only available paying yearly. Your Personal Office Address! We provide a unique "Office 101" or "Suite 120" number to put in front of our address. You can then receive all the mail you like using the unique identifier, addressed to different trading names or people in your business, or even personal mail! This can also be used with Google, Bing and Amazon Address Verification Cards. Please note this cannot be used to register multiple companies at Companies House.

Pay Monthly Pay Yearly

Royal Mail Redirection

Redirection services provided by Royal Mail are primarily a temporary service, used when a business or residential property occupier move from one address to a new address. The service can be great for this, but only when moving from one long term address to another long term address, otherwise it can get very costly.

Redirection is very simple to implement, you just contact Royal Mail and tell them the address your currently at and the address your moving to, importantly though you must tell them the names of whom are moving address. With business redirection you will need to provide and pay for each business name / trading name that mail arrives under for your company, much the same for residential, you provide all the full names of any recipients that are moving to the new address.

Royal Mail will then automatically redirect any post addressed to the named recipients and deliver the items to the new address. At present you can set this service up for 3, 6 or 12 months. We have outlined the cost of these Royal Mail redirection services below:

royalmail_redifrection_prices

Royal Mail PO Boxes

PO Boxes are fast becoming a thing of the past, the term PO Box in the UK is almost immediately associated with the idea of trying to hide from or deceive the sender. Then you have the timely and manual task of visiting the box to collect mail each day, week or month. Royal Mail do still provide this service though but it comes at a cost. There is also the issue that a lot of places will not accept a PO Box as an address. PO Box pricing from Royal Mail is shown below, alongside an OfficeServ Virtual Office Package that would provide the same service with lots more added benefits, including a real street address not a PO Box one:

royal_mail_pobox_prices

Using OfficeServ to provide your mailing solution!

OfficeServ can not only provide the full mailing solution you may require, we can also save you time and money! Below our some of the flexible benefits of our services.

Make Changes As You Please

Being able to change your forwarding address anytime you wish without charge. Need a item of mail forwarding to your hotel while your away? Working abroad for a while? We can forward your mail anywhere at your request!

Your Own Digital Mailroom

Receive all your mail instantly to your email inbox! Mail sent to your virtual address with OfficeServ can be scanned and converted to high resolution, fully searchable PDF format, then sent directly to your inbox.

Packages & Parcels

We can handle parcels and large shipments, meaning you can have just about anything sent to your address with us, not just letters! When required we can even provide forklift services to deal with freight deliveries.

No Contract

No minimum terms. Cancel anytime on our pay monthly options. Unlike Royal Mail where you have to commit for three months minimum term. This can provide great flexibility.

Verdict

In summary, Royal Mail redirection can make sense if your moving from one place to another and stay there. However putting in place an OfficeServ digital mailroom service can have massive benefits, not only just when moving. If you need any help deciding if one of our services can help support your business, please get in touch with us now!