A company 's registered office is its administrative address and legal domicile. It is a strategic element when setting up a business, as its location inevitably influences the image and quality of your professional activity. To help you make the right choice, we've compiled the information you need to make the right decision.
Give your company the headquarters it deserves!
When setting up a new business, the choice of address is crucial. Theaddress of the company' shead office is a real vector of communication and has an impact on the company's brand image.
This address will appear on many official and commercial documents, both paper and digital.
- Business card
- RIB
- Bills
- Quote
- Website
- Letterhead
The domiciliation must also be officially declared to the Centre de Formalités des Entreprises (Business Formalities Center) in order to benefit from registration with the Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés (RCS) or the Répertoire des Métiers (RM). In this way, your public, prospects and customers will be informed in one way or another of your administrative address. Whatever your legal status, business sector, target market or expected financial support, the choice of address for your registered office is crucial.
Home domiciliation means breaking down the barrier between private and professional life
There are several options for domiciling a company. The first is to house the company in the founder's home. On the face of it, this solution is the simplest and least expensive. It appeals to many auto-entrepreneurs, freelancers, shopkeepers and craftsmen. However, although the law does not forbid you to use your home to run your business, there are a number of disadvantages to this option that are often overlooked. First complication: the lease and co-ownership regulations must not prohibit this, and the founder must inform the lessor before registering the company. Another limitation is that it is wise to take out insurance to protect against theft and accidents.
To alleviate these inconveniences, a new concept has emerged: coworking. Also known as shared offices, these spaces provide a place to work, organize meetings or invite clients. By sharing space, costs are kept to a minimum. This solution is particularly popular with freelancers, especially in the digital sector (web designers, developers, graphic artists, etc.). Working away from home also enables you to meet partners and avoid isolation.
However, these coworking spaces have a few drawbacks
Not having the certainty of being able to have an office at the times you want is one of the most unfortunate consequences. What's more, for some business sectors, holding a meeting, a business meeting or simply hosting customers in a somewhat noisy and cluttered communal space can be counter-productive. Coworking should therefore be seen as a short-term solution.
Domiciling your company 's head office in your own premises allows you to compartmentalize your professional and personal life. This solution offers many advantages, including peace of mind, freedom and comfort. It also enhances your corporate image. However, in the case of a lease, domiciliation in premises involves significant expenditure that could have been allocated to project development or the purchase of equipment.
Domiciliating your company 's headquarters at an address other than your home address is easy to do, thanks to domiciliation companies. These companies offer entrepreneurs all the advantages of other solutions, at unbeatable prices. When you use a registered office domiciliation company, your home address and your company address are separate. Another significant advantage is that domiciliation companies can offer you a selection of prestigious addresses at which to locate your company. For example, a start-up company can benefit from a head office in a dynamic, attractive, quiet area, or even a prestigious location such as the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Commercial domiciliation comes with customized services
- Switchboard and hotline
- Postal forwarding
- Call forwarding
- Mail scanning
- Virtual office
Many companies with statutes as diverse as SARL, SAS, autoentrepreneur, EURL, sole proprietorship or even associations choose to domicile their head office in this way. Last but not least, domiciliation companies often offer an address in a financially advantageous geographical area. An address can facilitate the granting of financial aid or reduce certain taxes, notably the Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises. The latter is calculated according to a percentage rate that differs from city to city, and is very advantageous in Paris!
To find out more, we invite you to read this detailed article on the Cotisation Foncière des Entreprises!
Written by our expert Simon Segura
May 23, 2017
