Checklist: Setting up a limited company for property

Choosing a company name

Often, this is the hardest part of starting your company - deciding on a name. Many Provestor customers use their name or, if incorporating with a partner, a combination of both names. Many often include the word ‘property’ in the company name.

☐ Is it fewer than 160 characters including spaces and name endings?

☐ Does it contain any restricted, offensive or sensitive words?

☐ Is the name already registered at Companies House?

☐ Is the name an existing registered trademark with the IPO?

☐ Does it contain words that when translated to another language may cause offence?

☐ Does it only use permitted characters?

☐ Is it sufficiently different to other company names and trademarks?

☐ Has the name previously been used by a company that is in liquidation?

☐ Is your preferred domain name available, even if just for company email addresses?

☐ Does an internet search reveal anything you don’t want to be associated with?

☐ Are social accounts available for your company name?

Directors and shareholders

You will need to name at least one company director and one shareholder when setting up your company.

☐ Have you decided who will be the company directors?

☐ Are all company directors aware of their duties and role within the company?

☐ Have you identified all the shareholders and discussed the structure of the company with them?

☐ Have you determined how many shares each shareholder will be issued?

☐ If you’re thinking of including children as shareholders, have you considered your mortgage lender’s policy around younger shareholders?.

Privacy

☐ Do you have a dedicated business phone number (either mobile or landline)?

☐ Have you identified a specific email address for your business?

☐ Do you need a private registered address? Your company’s registered office details will be freely available in the public domain, and, for this reason, many landlords choose to use a registered address service.

Banking

If you own property through a limited company, separating your business finances is a legal requirement.

☐ Have you researched business bank accounts for their fees, interest rates and access to online services?

☐ Have you decided on what accounts you need, for example: savings accounts, credit cards, PayPal accounts, etc.?

Check out our blog on bank accounts for property investment

Insurances

☐ Have you researched what landlord insurances you need?

☐ Do you need employers’ liability insurance (are you employing anyone)?

☐ Do you need any lifestyle insurance, for example life insurance or income protection?

We hope this checklist has been useful in getting you ready to move forward with setting up a limited company for property investment.