For private individuals, it is common practice to have an attestation of accommodation drawn up when a minor or adult child is staying at his or her parents' home.
Parents who have no proof of residence in their child's name must certify, by means of an accommodation certificate, that their child is living with them in the same household.
The same applies to companies. Just as an individual has a place of residence, a company has a registered office.
It can be set up in your own home, in commercial premises or with a domiciliation company, for example.
The accommodation certificate is often issued when the company is domiciled at the director's personal address. This practice is often favored because of the financial gains it generates.
Let's find out everything you need to know about hosting certificates for your company.
The purpose of an accommodation certificate is to certify that the company has a business address, i.e. a registered office.
This is a legal obligation, and is one of the first formalities to be completed when setting up a company.
The tax reference address is a central element of a company's identity: it determines its nationality, its country of taxation and the competent authorities in the event of a dispute.
Above all, having a registered office is essential if you are to register with the RCS (Registre du Commerce et des Sociétés) and carry out your business activity.
Authorizations are issued by the clerk's office of the commercial court, where a business start-up application must be filed.
The usefulness of an accommodation certificate depends on the location in which you wish to house your business.
It is possible to use the manager's personal residence, unless your condominium by-laws state otherwise.
In towns with more than 200,000 inhabitants, in the Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne departments, there are more restrictions:
- If the activity is carried out upstairs, it cannot involve receiving customers or merchandise.
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In the case of companies, accommodation at the manager's home may not exceed 5 years. In this case, it is essential to have a certificate of accommodation issued by the company director who owns or rents the home.
If the company is located in commercial premises of which it is the owner or tenant, there is no need for an accommodation certificate, as it will be in possession of all the documents needed to demonstrate that the premises can indeed be its head office.
For example, the lease contract in your name will serve as proof.
If it chooses to be housed on the premises of another company, such as a domiciliation company, it will be able to choose its address according to the proposals, while making significant savings.
We'll come back to the advantages of this alternative later.
If you decide to use the director's personal residence, it is the director who must draw up the company's accommodation certificate.
It is therefore common for him to carry it out on behalf of his own company. This practice is totally legal.
If you decide to use a domiciliation company, you will need a certificate of accommodation drawn up by the head of the domiciliation company.
Choosing a prestigious domiciliation address from a vast panel of hand-picked locations generates a major gain in visibility for your business.
Domiciliary companies also offer a wide range of services to lighten the day-to-day workload of all teams , enabling them to concentrate their efforts on higher value-added activities (mail management service, administrative and legal assistance, switchboard, meeting room rental, etc.).
At first glance, many business owners prefer to set up their head office in their own home, thinking they'll save money.
However, this requires them to disclose their personal address to the general public.
This must appear on all your official documents (invoices, quotes, delivery notes, etc.).
Many people decide to take a step back to better protect their privacy.
An inexpensive and useful alternative for day-to-day business, domiciliation has been on the rise for many years now. It contributes directly to improving a company's visibility and enables its teams to concentrate on their core activities: growing the business.
Written by our expert Paul LASBARRERES-CANDAU
January 14, 2019
