Business mail forwarding is a service where a provider receives post on your behalf and forwards it to an address of your choice — typically your home or a PO Box. It's a core feature of most virtual office packages and is essential for businesses that use a commercial registered office address but don't physically work there.

How Business Mail Forwarding Works

  1. Your business mail arrives at your registered office (e.g., Airedale House, 423 Kirkstall Road, Leeds LS4 2EW)
  2. The reception team logs the item and notifies you by email
  3. Depending on your plan, the mail is either: forwarded to your home address, scanned and emailed to you, or held for collection

At Airedale House, mail forwarding is included in the Address + Mail plan (£95/month) and above. The Address Only plan (£70/month) includes mail notifications and collection — forwarding is available as an add-on.

What Kinds of Mail Get Forwarded?

The mail you'll receive at a registered office typically includes:

  • Companies House correspondence — confirmation statements, filing reminders
  • HMRC letters — corporation tax, VAT, PAYE notices
  • Bank correspondence — statements, security checks, card deliveries
  • Legal documents — contracts, court notices (rare but important)
  • Client mail — invoices, cheques, parcels

Scan-and-Email vs Physical Forwarding

Most providers offer two forwarding methods:

  • Scan and email: The envelope is opened, scanned, and emailed to you as a PDF. Fast (same-day turnaround) but not suitable for original documents that require a physical signature or bank cards.
  • Physical forwarding: The item is posted to your home or secondary address. Slower (1–3 days depending on Royal Mail) but preserves the original document.

Why It Matters

Missing HMRC deadlines because a letter sat unopened at a registered office you never visit is one of the most common compliance failures for small companies. Mail forwarding eliminates this risk. If you're using a separate registered and trading address, forwarding is not optional — it's essential.

Set up mail forwarding at Airedale House — get in touch or call 0113 357 3000.