15 useful facts about our virtual office service
15 Useful Facts About Virtual Office Services in Newcastle
Virtual office services are a popular option for businesses that want a professional address without the overheads of physical office space. At Clavering House, our virtual office services are designed to support growing businesses while meeting regulatory requirements.
Here are 15 useful facts to help you understand how virtual offices work and whether they’re right for your business.
1. A virtual office provides a professional business address
A virtual office allows you to use a prestigious Newcastle city centre address on your website, marketing materials, and official correspondence, without occupying a physical office.
2. Ideal for flexible and remote businesses
Virtual offices suit sole traders, consultants, limited companies, and remote teams who don’t need a full-time office but still want a professional presence.
3. You don’t need to work from the address
With a virtual office, you don’t physically work from Clavering House. Instead, we manage your post and provide additional business services as required.
4. Mail is received securely on your behalf
All post and small parcels are received securely at Clavering House and handled according to your chosen service options.
5. Mail forwarding is available (with restrictions)
Mail can be forwarded to the home address of a director or beneficial owner, in line with regulatory requirements. Forwarding to business addresses is not permitted.
6. Scan-to-email is an alternative to forwarding
If you don’t want physical mail forwarded, we can open and scan your post and email it to you, providing quick access wherever you’re based.
7. Registered office services are optional
Limited companies can use Clavering House as their registered office address with Companies House, provided a mailbox service is in place.
8. Identity checks are required
As a regulated virtual office provider, we’re required to carry out identity and compliance checks before activating services. This protects both our clients and the business centre.
9. You’ll need to provide ID documents
Applicants must provide valid photo ID and proof of address. These checks are a standard part of offering virtual office services in the UK. We work with our partner SmartSearch, who conduct biometric facial recognition to authenticate your photo ID.
10. Applications are completed online
Our virtual office application process is completed online and guides you through all required information, including business details, services selected, and compliance documentation.
11. Setup is straightforward once approved
Once your application is approved and compliance checks are completed, services can usually be set up quickly.
12. You can add services as your business grows
Many clients start with a basic mailbox service and add extras such as mail scanning, forwarding, or telephone answering as their business evolves.
13. Meeting rooms are available when you need them
Virtual office clients can book meeting rooms at Clavering House as required, with a 10% discount on all meeting room bookings.
14. Virtual offices help manage costs
A virtual office provides many of the benefits of a physical office without long-term commitments, making it a cost-effective solution for many businesses.
15. Not every business is suitable
Virtual office services are not suitable for all business types. Applications are reviewed to ensure services can be provided in line with regulatory requirements.
Ready to get started?
If you’re considering a virtual office at Clavering House, you can:
If you have any questions, our team is happy to help.
Special offers for Newcastle Start-up Week
When we were approached to support the first ever Newcastle Start-up week we were of course privileged to be asked, and it was a massive thumbs up from us! At Clavering House Business Centre we support hundreds of businesses every year, and as small business owners ourselves we know how much it means to have the opportunity to step outside of the day job to be helped and inspired!
Hats off to Paul Lancaster for getting this off the ground, and for what looks like a great programme of support for the Newcastle small business community.
Take advantage of free Clavering House hospitality
Much of the Start-up week activity is taking place at our neighbour The Boiler Shop. Clavering House is literally a stone's throw away, so we're offering Start-up Week patrons the chance to take advantage of free hospitality throughout the week. From Monday 15th May to Friday 19th May if you present your Start-up week ticket you can call in and use our hot-desks and superfast broadband *for free* as many times as you like.
You can book in advance or just call in any time to reserve your desk!
40% discount off NE1 mailing address for start-up week participants
For business owners with a Start-up Week ticket we're also offering you a huge 40% discount on our virtual office mailing address service. If you sign up by 31st May you'll pay only £15 + vat per month until the end of November 2017. After that you still get a great deal at only £25 + vat a month!
Find out more about our virtual office services here.
This is a huge benefit if you want the convenience and profile of a city centre office (Clavering House is a great place to virtually locate your business!) without the cost of hiring an office while you're getting started. You can also use our address as your registered office, removing lots of headaches associated with using your home address for your start-up.
Get in touch if you'd like to find out more.
Full details of the packed Newcastle Start-up Week schedule can be found here https://newcastlestartupweek.com/schedule/
Eric explains why he prefers an NE1 virtual office
Thank you to Eric Lloyd who took time out of his busy schedule running his office furniture consultancy business MKT Consult to explain why he prefers to use an NE1 virtual office address at Clavering House Business Centre (for a small investment of only £25 a month!) rather than renting an office in Newcastle city centre.
Eric explains why he prefers an NE1 virtual office ...
Virtual office customers have their say
We’re so pleased to have had amazing, positive feedback from lots of our customers about the virtual office services we provide to Newcastle small businesses.
These short videos give a small selection of the great comments we’ve received from four of our customers who run very different small businesses in Newcastle, and who’ve chosen to use the Clavering House Business Centre virtual office service, and run their business activities elsewhere. These are non-scripted and purely their own words, explaining a bit about the businesses they run and why they chose to use a virtual office in Newcastle rather than rent a serviced office, as well as providing their own thoughts on why Clavering House Business Centre works for them.
So over to them…
Thank you to Mel Philipson Jem NE CIC, Martin Underhill TemperTemper web design, Jayne Graham 2020 Consulting and Mark Gardner Afresh Solutions for their feedback!
If you’d like to know more about our virtual office services CLICK HERE or get in touch and we’d be happy to tell you more – you can enquire about our services HERE.
What is a registered office and why do you need one?
At Clavering House we have a lot of small business customers that are just starting out with their new businesses, and they often ask us about a registered office. Mainly, what is it, why do they need one, and whether a registered office is the same as a mailing address. So I thought it would be useful to set the record straight.
What is a registered office address?
When you set up a limited company, or a limited liability partnership, you are legally required to register the company at a nominated address in the UK. If your company is registered in England and Wales the registered office must be there too - so it can't be in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The registered address will then be displayed on any public records relating to your company. It will also be the address that Companies House and HMRC will use as your correspondence address.
Is a registered office address the same as a mailing address?
That's up to you. There are some restrictions on where your registered office can be. Assuming your mailing address fulfils the requirements of an office address, the two addresses can be one and the same. However some people choose to have their registered office address at one place and their mailing address elsewhere, depending on the needs of their business. So for example they may want a different business address to use on their website if it's more local, or more prestigious than their registered office address (just make sure you display your registered office address in your footer on your website and business stationary alongside your company registration number). Also you can use your home address as your registered office address, but may not want that to be the address you use on your website.
Where can my registered office be located?
You can use any physical address for your registered office address. So you cannot use a PO Box number or, for legal services, a DX Exchange number. There are lots of options you can use though. The decision really is whether you would be comfortable to have that address available for view by the public, in person or online. The most obvious place to have your registered office address is the place you run your business - your office address or your home address. Another option some small businesses choose to use is the address of their accountant, particularly useful for people running a business from home. Another option for home-based businesses is to use a virtual office mailing address.
Can I use my virtual office address as my registered office?
A virtual office isn't classified as a PO Box, so you should be able to use your virtual office mailing address as your registered office, as long as the mail is delivered to a physical building, and your business name is displayed. Just check with the virtual office service provider to make sure before you subscribe. By using a virtual office service for your registered office address and mailing address, you avoid the confusion of having two addresses associated with the business, and of course you can protect your privacy if you run your business from home. This option also gives you the option to change easily as you grow, particularly if the virtual office service can be subscribed to monthly.
How do I change my registered office address?
Changing your registered office address couldn't be easier. Just visit the Companies House website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/change-a-registered-office-address-ad01 and complete form AD01. You can do this online, or print out a form to complete and post back. The address is usually amended by Companies House fairly quickly, and you'll receive a letter from them to confirm it's been done.