What Is a SAIL Address, and Why Would I Use One?

A SAIL address, or Single Alternative Inspection Location, is an optional secondary UK address where a company can store its statutory records for public inspection, instead of keeping them at its registered office. It's most commonly used by directors who want to keep their home address, if used as the registered office, away from public record inspections.

Key Takeaways

• A SAIL address is an optional, secondary UK address used to store statutory company records and make them available for public inspection.
• It gives directors who use a home address as their registered office a way to keep inspections and record storage separate from their home.
• You must notify Companies House using form AD02 to set one up, and form AD03 to specify which records are held there.
• Your SAIL address must be a physical location in the same UK jurisdiction as your registered office, accessible for inspection during standard working hours.
• Even with a SAIL address in place, all official statutory mail still goes to your registered office, not the SAIL address.

What is a SAIL address? 

A SAIL address or a Single Alternative Inspection Location address is a dedicated location where a limited company or LLP can store its statutory records and make the records available for public inspection. If a company does not have a SAIL address, its statutory records are held at its registered office address.

Unlike a registered office address, a company is not legally required to have a SAIL address; it is completely optional. However, a company must notify Companies House if it chooses to use a SAIL address—this is a legal requirement.

What Is a SAIL Address?

A SAIL address, or Single Alternative Inspection Location, is a dedicated location where a limited company or LLP can store its statutory records and make them available for public inspection. If a company doesn't have one, its statutory records are held at its registered office by default.

Unlike a registered office, a SAIL address is entirely optional. But if you choose to use one, notifying Companies House is a legal requirement, not a choice. It also has to be in the same UK jurisdiction as your registered office: England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. So if your registered office is in London, your SAIL address must also be in England or Wales.

Why Would I Use a SAIL Address?

Companies typically use a SAIL address when their registered office isn't a suitable place to store or inspect company records, most often because that registered office is a director's home. A few reasons this comes up:

• Privacy. Keeps members of the public from needing to visit a director's home address for a records inspection.
• Security. Gives statutory documents a dedicated, secure storage location.
• Flexibility. More control over where and how records are stored and accessed.
• Cost. Often cheaper than renting commercial space purely to store paperwork.

What Can I Keep at a SAIL Address?

You can keep several statutory registers and records at a SAIL address, including:

• Register of members (shareholders or guarantors)
• Register of directors
• Register of company secretaries
• Register of People with Significant Control (PSCs)
• Register of charges (e.g. mortgages) and related instruments
• Directors' service contracts and indemnities
• Copies of company resolutions and meeting minutes
• Contracts relating to the purchase or redemption of own shares
• Register of debenture holders

Any member of the public can inspect these records after making a proper written request to the company.

A SAIL address has to be in the UK and it must be in the same UK country or jurisdiction as your registered office. This is either England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland. So for example, if your registered office is in London then your SAIL address must be in England or Wales.

What Are the Legal Requirements for a SAIL Address?

A SAIL address isn't required, but if you set one up, it has to meet a few specific conditions to be valid:

• Physical location. A real UK address, not a PO Box.
• Same jurisdiction. Located in the same UK region as your registered office.
• Companies House notification. Must be formally registered with Companies House.
• Accessibility. Available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, for public inspection.

Do I Have to Make My Company Records Available for Inspection?

Yes. Every private limited company has a legal duty to make its statutory records available for inspection during standard working hours. If you don't set up a SAIL address, this happens at your registered office by default.

Company members can access these records free of charge, while members of the public typically pay a small fee. Anyone requesting access needs to provide their name and address (or their organisation's, if applying on its behalf), the intended purpose of the request, whether the information will be shared further, and the date and time they'd like to inspect the records.

How Is a SAIL Address Different From a Registered Office?

A registered office is a legal requirement for every UK company and is where all statutory mail arrives. A SAIL address is entirely optional and exists purely for storing and inspecting company records.

Even with a SAIL address in place, your registered office remains the official address on the public register for correspondence, and your company can use the same address for both if that's simpler, though it isn't required to.

How Do I Set Up a SAIL Address?

Setting one up is straightforward:

1. Choose a location that meets Companies House's requirements.
2. Notify Companies House using form AD02 via WebFiling.
3. Make sure the location stays accessible during working hours.

If you later want to change or close your SAIL address, file form AD03 to notify Companies House of a change, or AD04 to move your records back to your registered office entirely.

What Happens to My Statutory Mail if I Have a SAIL Address?

It still goes to your registered office, not your SAIL address. This is why it's worth keeping both addresses accurate and up to date on the Companies House record, and physically moving your actual company records to the SAIL address once it's set up. Many companies use a mail forwarding service alongside this to make sure nothing gets missed.

What Happens if I Don't Keep My Records Compliant?

Failing to keep your SAIL address, registered office, or company records accurate and available for inspection is a breach of the Companies Act 2006. This can lead to fines or, in serious cases, prosecution for company directors, and repeated non-compliance can affect a director's ability to form new companies in future.

Do I Actually Need a SAIL Address?

Not necessarily. A registered office address service, like ours, can offer similar privacy and security benefits without the extra admin of running two separate compliant addresses. Our registered office address service is worth considering if privacy is your main reason for looking into a SAIL address in the first place.

FAQs

What is a Single Alternative Inspection Location (SAIL) address?

An optional, secondary address where a limited company can keep its statutory records for public inspection, instead of storing them at its registered office.

Why would my business need a SAIL address?

Most commonly to keep record inspections away from a director's home if that home is being used as the registered office, or if the registered office isn't practical for storing physical records.

Which records can be kept at a SAIL address?

Registers of members, directors, secretaries, and PSCs, along with directors' service contracts, resolutions, and meeting minutes, among others.

How do I notify Companies House about a SAIL address?

File form AD02 to set one up, AD03 to specify which records are held there, and AD04 if you later move records back to your registered office.

Is a SAIL address the same as a registered office address?

No. Your registered office receives statutory mail and is a legal requirement. A SAIL address is optional and used only for storing and inspecting company records.

Can my SAIL address be located anywhere in the UK?

No, it has to be in the same jurisdiction as your registered office, whether that's England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

What happens if I don't keep my company records updated?

It's a breach of the Companies Act 2006, which can result in fines or prosecution for the company and its directors.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Companies House requirements can change, so it's worth checking current guidance on GOV.UK or Companies House before relying on the details above.