Company Books

Companies in the UK are required to create and maintain a collection of registers known as company statutory registers (or company ‘books’).

What are company books?

Company books are a core source of information for shareholders. They record evidence of the company’s history and constitution, providing insight into its structure and regulation.

For the uninitiated, they can be difficult to navigate.

The Companies Act requires every private company to keep and maintain registers of:

directors
directors’ usual residential addresses
company members (i.e., shareholders)
secretaries (where applicable)
people with significant control over the company
any charges registered against the company (where registered on or before 6 April 2013).

These registers or ‘books’ can be kept in hard copy or electronically (provided that they’re capable of being reproduced in hard copy). They must be kept at the registered office of the company, unless some alternative inspection address has been registered with Companies House.

Close up of documents and a pen resting on a table with law books in the background soft focus

Not having company books — a criminal offence?

In practice, many companies don’t have (let alone maintain or update) company books. Technically, this is a criminal offence.

As a shareholder, there are certain questions you may need to ask, such as:

Who became a director and when?
Who became a shareholder and when?
How many shares are held by a specific shareholder and when were they acquired?

The first (and often only) source that you can consult to answer these questions is the company books. That’s why it’s vital to know how to access them and understand what they contain.