Company Numbers, Registered Addresses and Public Records

Behind many business profiles sits a legal entity: a limited company, a partnership, a charity. Those entities appear in public registers, with a name, a number and an address that anyone can look up. Knowing how to read these records is one of the simplest and most reliable ways to check basic facts about a business.

This guide explains what company numbers and registered addresses are, what the public record can tell you, where it stops and how a profile can use it responsibly. It has a UK focus, because the UK register is free to search and well documented, and the details differ elsewhere. It is general information, not legal advice.

The company number

When a company is registered, it receives a unique number. The number identifies it for the life of the company, even if it changes its name. That is why it is the most reliable way to tell one company from another.

Two companies can have very similar names. "Hartley Bakes Ltd" and "Hartley Bakeries Ltd" might be unrelated. Their numbers will differ. A profile that shows the company number lets anyone check which entity is meant.

Schema.org's Organization type has a legal name property, described as the official name of the organisation, for example the registered company name, and a tax identifier property for fiscal identifiers. Showing the registered name and number on a profile follows the same logic: it gives machines and people an unambiguous handle.

What the public register shows

For UK companies, GOV.UK explains that Companies House provides free access to information about registered companies, including:

• Company information, such as the registered address and incorporation date
• Officer records, current and former directors
• Filed documents, such as accounts and confirmation statements
• Previous company names
• Information on charges and insolvency, where relevant

It also notes that you can set up free email alerts to be told when a company updates its details, such as a change of director or address.

For a profile, those facts can verify several things: that the company exists, its exact registered name, when it was incorporated, its status (active, dissolved and so on) and who the officers are.

What the register does not show

Equally important is what it leaves out.

• What the business actually does day to day. A company may be registered for one purpose and trade in another. A broad classification code gives only a general idea.
• Where it really operates. The registered address may be an accountant's office or a mail address, not the shop.
• Whether it is currently trading well. An active status means it has not been struck off, not that it is thriving.
• Quality or conduct. The register is not a rating.
• Sole traders and many informal businesses, which do not appear as registered companies.
• Brand names. A company may trade under names that are not on the register.

So a register entry is a strong anchor for identity, and a weak guide to everything else.

Registered address versus trading address

This distinction trips many people up.

Registered address: the official address on the register, to which formal documents are sent. It is often a business address, but it can be an accountant's, a solicitor's or a home.

Trading address: where the business does its work, serves customers or has its premises.

They may be the same or different. A bakery's registered address might be its accountant's office three towns away. If a profile shows only the registered address as the business's location, visitors may go to the wrong place. If it shows only the trading address and omits the registered one, a researcher checking the register may think there is a mismatch.

Good profiles can show both, clearly labelled: "Location: 14 Mill Lane, Hartley. Registered office: 20 High Street, Thornby." If the registered address is a home address, the business may prefer not to display it, and in some cases may use a different registered office. Respect privacy, and show only what is public and relevant.

How to check a company

A short routine for checking a UK company.

1. Search by number if you have it, or by name if not. If searching by name, check carefully for similar names.
2. Compare the exact registered name with the profile.
3. Check the status. Active, dissolved, in liquidation or striking off.
4. Check the incorporation date against the profile's founding date and the timeline.
5. Look at the registered office and see whether it matches the stated address or a plausible explanation.
6. Look at the officers, and check that the founders named on the profile appear, if they are meant to.
7. Skim recent filings. Are accounts and confirmation statements up to date? Late filings may be a warning, though not proof of trouble.
8. Note the date you checked.

Record what you find in the profile as "Registration verified, checked on [date]", and link to the register entry where possible.

Using the register on a profile

A profile can use public records in several ways.

• To verify the legal name, number and incorporation date.
• To display them as part of the fact box, with a verified mark that is explained.
• To flag mismatches for review, for example a trading name that is not on the register.
• To keep up to date by monitoring changes in status or name.
• To distinguish similar names by showing the number.

Be careful not to imply more than the record supports. A verified registration means the legal entity exists as described. It does not mean that the directory endorses the business.

Other registers and records

For businesses that are not limited companies, or that operate in regulated sectors, other records matter.

• Trade body registers: for example, for electrical, gas or building work, where applicable.
• Professional regulators: for accountants, solicitors, healthcare professionals and others, with their own public lists.
• Charity registers.
• Food hygiene or licensing records, where published.
• Data protection registers, where relevant.
• Overseas registers, for companies registered elsewhere.

A profile may link to such records, with clear labels, where they are authoritative and publicly accessible. Do not claim registration or membership that a business does not have, and do not guess.

Protect privacy and accuracy

Public registers hold personal data about officers, including names and sometimes addresses. When a profile uses register data:

• Use only what is needed. Company name, number, status and dates are usually enough.
• Do not republish private addresses of individuals.
• Respect rules on use of the data, which may limit certain purposes.
• Update when the register changes, and show the date of the check.
• Offer a way to correct errors. If a business says the register is wrong, direct them to the register's own correction process, and show what you can verify.

The Information Commissioner's Office provides advice for small organisations on handling personal information, and those principles apply to anyone compiling profiles.

Helping machines and readers

If your profile pages support structured data, you can express the legal name and an identifier in markup, matching the visible text. Google notes that organisation markup has optional properties, and encourages including those that apply. The markup must match the page, so only include the number if you display it and have checked it.

Consistency matters too. The registered name, the trading name and any abbreviations should be shown in a clear relationship. If a business trades as "Hartley Bakes" and is registered as "Hartley Bakes Ltd", say so.

A worked example

A directory editor receives a profile for "Mill Lane Cycles". The business says it was founded in 2014 and trades from 14 Mill Lane, Hartley. The editor searches the register by name and finds two companies with similar names. By checking the number the business supplied, she finds "Mill Lane Cycles Ltd", incorporated in March 2014, status active, with a registered office at an accountant's address in another town.

She records: Legal name: Mill Lane Cycles Ltd. Number: shown. Incorporated: March 2014, verified on the date. Registered office: shown separately and labelled. Trading address: 14 Mill Lane, Hartley, company-reported. She adds a mark "Registration verified" with a link to the explanation, and notes that the trading address is not covered by that check. She sets a reminder to recheck in twelve months.

A visitor sees that the company exists as stated, understands why two addresses are shown and can look up the record for themselves.

Common mistakes

1. Confusing registered and trading addresses.
2. Matching on name alone and linking the wrong company.
3. Treating a register entry as an endorsement.
4. Not dating the check.
5. Publishing personal addresses.
6. Assuming every business is registered.
7. Forgetting name changes.

A checklist

• Number used to identify the entity
• Exact legal name matched
• Status and incorporation date checked
• Registered and trading addresses distinguished
• Officers compared with named founders
• Date of check shown
• Other relevant registers considered
• Privacy respected
• Markup matching visible facts

On this site the Verified mark means the person who claimed the profile has proved they control the business's website domain. We do not check company numbers or registered addresses against a register, so the registration checks described above are a method you can follow yourself, and a fuller scheme than the one here. The categories and search pages here help visitors find profiles, the submit page starts a profile and the contact page is where to ask about a mismatch.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rely on the register alone? It is strong for identity and basic facts, but not for day-to-day trading or quality.

What if the company has changed its name? The number stays the same. Show the previous name where useful.

What if the register entry is wrong? The company can ask the register to correct it. Meanwhile, note what you can verify.