Throughout 2024, Companies House gained increased powers and obligations to increase scrutiny and gain tighter control over compliance.

A year on from the beginning of the changes, we can now determine how the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Act changes have transformed Companies House.

One of the earliest powers granted to Companies House was the ability to question, amend, or remove information on the register that was deemed to be inaccurate, false, or misleading.

The change has already resulted in the removal of:

• 60,700 suspicious or inappropriate registered office addresses
• 47,200 officer addresses and 42,900 People with Significant Control (PSC) addresses
• 40,300 incorporation documents that contained personal data used without consent
• 9,500 false documents, such as mortgage satisfaction filings

In total, 75,600 companies were impacted by these new powers.

Sam Bacall, Director at FFT Accountants reflected on the changes and said: “These changes were only the beginning and, for those wishing to conduct legitimate business, it is an exciting time as bad actors are rooted out.

“Companies House are clamping down on registered addresses, ensuring that they meet strict criteria which chiefly centre on the address existing and being relevant to the business.”

This is paired with the need to supply a valid email address that is monitored and responded to with efficiency.

All companies must declare the legality of their operations. Failure to do so will incur additional legal recompense.

While the fees charged by Companies House have increased, new financial penalties incurred for noncompliance are significant.

Companies House also published its first-ever Strategic Intelligence Assessment, offering a detailed analysis of economic crime threats and how it plans to tackle them.

In short, the early success of the changes to Companies House shows a promising step towards greater compliance and a reduction in fraud.

Further changes are coming throughout this year, with the key moment being the release of the 2025–2030 strategy. As soon as this is revealed, we will provide more information on it.

Further information:

Please contact Annie Shrewsbury, Company Secretarial, FFT Accountants

Telephone: 0161 834 2574

Email: aab@fft.co.uk