Removing wrong information from the Companies House register

Inaccurate or invalid material can come off the Companies House register in three main ways: the company replaces its own wrong filing, the registrar removes material that was not properly delivered under section 1094 of the Companies Act 2006, usually on an RP08 application, or a court orders removal under section 1096. Which route applies depends on who made the error, whether the facts are disputed, and whether the document had legal consequences when it was registered.

Is the information wrong, or just unwelcome?

The removal powers deal with material that should not be on the register. They are not a way to tidy away accurate history. The registrar can remove material that appears to have been accepted although not properly delivered, or “unnecessary material” (section 1094(1)). A document is not properly delivered if, among other things, its contents are not factually accurate. Accurate information that was properly filed, such as a director who really was appointed and later resigned, stays.

Two other needs are often confused with removal:

• Accurate personal information you want hidden, such as a home address, is dealt with by the suppression and protection routes; see removing personal information from the public register.
• Details that were right but are now out of date are updated with the ordinary change forms, not removed.

Which route fits which problem?

Problem	Route	Basis
Minor slip that does not change the meaning	Second filing, RP04	Registrar’s practice; original stays
The company’s own filing was factually wrong	Replacement, RP01	Section 1076
A filing made without authority, recording something that never happened, or containing unnecessary material	Removal by the registrar, usually on RP08	Sections 1094 and 1094A
Registered office or service address that is not appropriate	Rectification, RP07	Sections 1097A and 1097B
Disputed facts, complex transactions or third party rights	Court declaration or order	Section 1096
Wrong particulars of a charge	Court rectification	Section 859M
Wrong accounts	Amended or revised accounts	Part 15, not section 1096

The trivial error route is covered in correcting a filing with form RP04.

How does replacing your own filing work?

Under section 1076 the registrar may accept a replacement for a document that did not meet the requirements for proper delivery or contained unnecessary material. The replacement must come from the person who delivered the original or from the company, and must itself be properly delivered. It goes in with form RP01. Companies House says it can then decide whether to remove the original, in whole or in part, case by case. For a document with legal consequences, such as an incorporation application, only the replacement information is sent, for example the relevant page of form IN01, so the register does not show two complete incorporation applications. Replacements are not available for documents delivered under the company charges rules.

How does administrative removal under section 1094 work?

Since 4 March 2024 the registrar can remove material on its own motion or on application (section 1094(2)). The application form is RP08, made under section 1094A and regulation 6 of the Registrar (Annotation, Removal and Disclosure Restrictions) Regulations 2024. Points to know:

• The applicant need not be connected with the company; the form simply asks for any current or past connection there is.
• RP08 cannot be used to rectify a registered office address, or for material delivered under the Companies Act 1985 or earlier Acts.
• The application must set out what is to be removed, where it is on the register and when it was registered, with whatever evidence you rely on.
• Where registration had legal consequences, the registrar may remove material only if satisfied that the interest of the company or applicant in removing it outweighs other people’s interest in it staying (section 1094(3)). RP08 gives IN01, AD01, NM01, MR01 and reductions of capital as examples. Companies House says it may remove information from an incorporation application but will not remove the whole form or the certificate of incorporation.
• In urgent cases the registrar may remove first and notify afterwards. Otherwise it may give interested parties a notice period in which to object, then decide and notify the applicant and any objectors.

Companies House’s guidance on removing information says it will act where it is satisfied that information in a document is false or misleading, that a document was sent without the company’s knowledge or authority, or that it records a transaction that never occurred. Hijackings and false appointments are covered in reporting fraudulent filings, and the registrar’s wider query powers in Companies House powers to query and remove information.

What if the people involved disagree?

Companies House says that where there is a disagreement within a company, for example two people each insisting they are the only director, the parties should try to resolve it themselves first. It will consider disputes only with evidence, such as an agreement, contract or board minutes, sent to its enquiries email address. It may be unable to decide, and may suggest a court should determine the matter where documents record a complex transaction, it is unclear whether a transaction was lawful, or removal could affect third party rights such as investors’ rights.

In those cases a court declaration of fact can be enough: for example, an order confirming that person A is a director and person B is not. Companies House says it will act on such a declaration and will work with you on the form of the declaration or order.

What can a court order under sections 1096 and 1097?

Section 1096 requires the registrar to remove material that derives from anything the court has declared invalid or ineffective, or done without the company’s authority, or that the court declares factually inaccurate, derived from something factually inaccurate, or forged, and directs to be removed. The rules:

• The order must specify what is to be removed and indicate where on the register it is (section 1096(2)).
• The same balance of interests test applies to material that had legal consequences (section 1096(3)), and the court can make consequential orders about the legal effect the material had while it was on the register (section 1096(4)).
• A copy of the order must be sent to the registrar for registration (section 1096(5)).
• It does not apply to accounts and related documents delivered under Part 15 (section 1096(5A)), or where the court has a specific power instead, such as section 859M for charges.

Removal is normally noted on the register: section 1081 requires a note of what was removed, under what power and when. Under section 1097 the court can direct that related notes are removed, that its order is not available for public inspection, or that no note, or only a restricted note, is made. It can do so only if satisfied that disclosure may cause damage to the company and the company’s interest in non disclosure outweighs other people’s interest in disclosure.

Other court routes sit alongside these. Section 790LK lets an aggrieved person, a member or a registrable person ask the court to order a company to put its PSC information right, and section 125 deals with the company’s own register of members; see a company’s statutory registers.

How might this work in practice?

Illustration only. After a falling out, one of two shareholders of Kestrel Ltd files a TM01 removing the other director and appoints a friend. The removed director says no board or shareholder meeting took place.

• If the removed director can show clearly that the filings were made without the company’s authority, they can apply on RP08 with evidence, and the registrar may remove the TM01 and the appointment.
• If the other side produces minutes of a meeting and the validity of that meeting is genuinely disputed, Companies House may not be able to decide. A court declaration as to who the directors are would then be the route, and Companies House would remove whatever the declaration shows to be invalid.
• Any removal is annotated on the record unless the court directs otherwise.

What cannot be removed?

• Accurate information that was properly delivered, including history people find embarrassing.
• A whole incorporation form or certificate of incorporation.
• Accounts, which are corrected by amended or revised accounts; see revised and defective accounts.
• Material delivered under the 1985 Act, which falls outside RP08.

The old routes have gone: the registrar’s power of informal correction in section 1075 and rectification on application under section 1095 were omitted from 4 March 2024.

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Related Accountapedia entries

• Annotations on the Companies House register
• Rectifying the register of members
• The Companies House default registered office address
• Protecting a director’s home address
• Why your name stays on Companies House after resigning

Sources

• legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 1094
• legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 1094A
• GOV.UK: Application to remove material rp08
• GOV.UK: Company registrars rules and powers
• legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 1076
• GOV.UK: Remove information from companies house
• legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 1096
• legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 1097
• legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 1081
• legislation.gov.uk: Act 2006 c. 46, section 790LK

Reviewed by Christine Anderson, Broker, Solar Protect. Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Part of Accountapedia, the Solar Protect guide to UK tax and accounting. This page is general information, not personalised advice.