A potential new small business client has asked us if they can use our office address as their trading address. We haven’t been asked this before. Can you see any issues with this? Is there a conflict of interest? I think they want a virtual office address to trade from.
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Addresses
Obviously, your office is not going to be the actual trading address. I would steer well clear of allowing a client to give your address as his trading address. You will get all manner of correspondence addressed to you, which you can only forward on to the client.
If the client is a limited company, it would be acceptable to have your address as the registered office. Although it has to be quoted on all the company's business stationery and e-mails, the only correspondence you would normally receive is official stuff from Companies House and HMRC, which you might prefer to receive anyhow, plus the odd debt collection demand, etc., which you can pass on.
If the client does not want to quote a home address, why don't they pay for a P.O. box?
agree
the words touch and bargepole spring to mind...OK to be the registered office in fact preferable in some respects for the reasons stated. The fact remains that you are not the trading address and this would not be accepted by for e.g. VAT. Sounds fishy to me...ask them why they want to and why they can't use their own address or as Euan says a PO..?