Access to records and registers
Location
Unless the company has elected to hold some or all of their registers on the central register, all the registers that must be kept available for inspection must either be held at the registered office or SAIL address
Where any particular register is not kept at the registered office, notice must be given to Companies House providing details of the SAIL address on form AD02 and the registers that are kept there on form AD03
Inspection
In person
Private companies must make their company's records available for at least two hours between 9am and 3pm on a working day
Any person wishing to inspect any of the records must give due notice of their intention to inspect the records giving the date and time of their proposed visit
Due notice is
At least two working days if the notice is given within the notice period of a GM or the circulation period of a WR
At least 10 working days in all other cases
Public companies must make their company records available for inspection between 9am and 5pm on every working day for anyone who visits the appropriate address
The person wishing to inspect the records of a public company need not give any prior notice
Right to request copies
Any member or other person may as an alternative to requesting to inspect a register request that a copy of the register be sent to them
The requestor may request that the copy be sent to them in hard copy or electronically but in the case of an electronic copy cannot speficiy the particular format to be used
Requests to inspect the register of members or the PSC register must be accompanies by a statement
Identifying the person requesting the information
The purpose for which they require the information
Whether the information will be disclosed to any other person and if so, the name and address of such other persons and the purposes for which such other persons will use the information
If the company does not believe that the request is being made for a proper purpose, application may be made to the court for a direction either to supply the information or to order the compan not to comply with the rquest
Any application to the court must be made within 5 days of the request being made, due to the short timescale and costs involved in making an application, this is seldom used
Fees
Depending on whether the requestor is a member or not and the particular register involved, the company may be entitled to charge a fee to inspect or to be provided with copies of the register or documents requested
A company may charge a fee of £3,50 per hour or part therefor during which the register(s) are inspected. This fee may be charged for inspections by non member son the register of members, interests in shares and register of debenture holders
The fee payable by both members and non members to be provided with a copy of the register of debentures, register of interests in voting shares, register of debenture holders or register of members is on a sliding scale depending on the number of entries in the register. First 5 = £1 each, next 95 entires and after £30
A fee of 10p per 500 words may be charged for the provision of copies of the following documents plus the reasonable expenses of delivering the copies to the requestor
Directors service contracts
Directors qualifying indemnity provisions
Resolutions and proceedigs
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