Tuesday, July 15, 2008
In
First things first - your company should have its own stationery. Actually, it should have great stationery – stationery speaks volumes about your company. If it doesn’t you need it – take a look at our design services and get yourself sorted out.
If you have got stationery, limited companies are required to include certain regulatory information on their stationery under the Companies Act.
- Full name of the company (including Limited)
- Address of the registered office
- That the company is registered in England or Wales
- Company registration number
- VAT registration number (if applicable)
- If the name of one director is given, then the names of all directors should be given
Failure to include this information runs the risk of your company being fined.
This information does not just have to appear on your stationery - in an update to the Companies Act in January 2007, websites, order forms and electronic documents (including emails) should also carry this information.
Websites
For websites, this information does not have to appear on every page. This information can be listed on an “About Us” or “Legal” page. The following is required:
- Full business name (this may differ from the trading name)
- Address of the registered office
- Email address
- Company registration number
- That the company is registered in England and Wales
- VAT registration number (if applicable)
A common mistake is to provide a contact form without providing a geographic address or email address. Unfortunately, it is not enough to give a PO Box address and your registered address must be given. It is also common sense to include a list of any other addresses you may trade from such as retail branches.
If you are a member of a trade or professional association any membership details, including registration numbers should be included.
If prices are advertised on your site, even if you are not directly selling on the site, then these need to be clear and state if they are inclusive of tax and delivery costs.
Companies selling online to the general public also need to be aware of the Distance Selling Regulations which stipulate further information that needs to be included.
The content of this article is for information only. You should never act on the contents of this article alone and should always seek professional legal advice regarding to your particular situation before taking any action.