Mail forwarding businesses

A mail forwarding business is an address which is, in effect, rented to a business or individual to use as their own, despite the business or individual not actually being there. It's sometimes called a virtual office or an accommodation address.

Often a business will use it as a trading address and use that address in its advertising. Mail will then be collected from the address or forwarded on to another one. 

How to register

Download an application for the registration of a mail forwarding business (PDF, 63 KB)

Download an application for the registration of a mail forwarding business (Word, 42 KB)

Download the mail forwarding business guidance notes (PDF, 128KB)

Return your form to the Trading Standards team.

Fees

You also have to pay a one-off registration fee of £99.

You can pay by cheque or card payment. Cheques are payable to 'the London Borough of Croydon'.

To pay by credit or debit card payments, call the Trading Standards team. If you pay by credit card, you'll be charged a fee of 1.65%.

Legislation 

Croydon Trading Standards introduced legal controls under Section 75 of the London Local Authorities Act 2007 which requires a mail forwarding business to:

• register with the council
• keep records of all clients who use their services
• keep a copy of their identification and proof of address

Failing to register with Croydon Trading Standards, keep records as required or make false entries could result on summary conviction, an unlimited fine.  

If you have any questions please contact us.