Should a Builder Have a Business Address?
Not necessarily a public one. Plenty of genuine builders work from home. What matters is knowing exactly who you're dealing with and how to reach them.
The short answer
Not necessarily a public one. What matters is knowing who they are and how to reach them.
A builder doesn't need a yard, showroom or office you can visit to be a genuine business. Many sole traders work from home and keep that address private, which is entirely sensible. What you should have is enough verifiable detail to know exactly who you're contracting with: their full name or company name, contact details that work, and paperwork that identifies the business. If they trade as a limited company, its registered office address is already on the public record at Companies House.
So rather than asking "do they have premises?", ask "can I confirm who they are, and could I reach them in writing if I needed to?" Those questions tell you far more.
Why premises are the wrong test
A public address says less than you'd think
Most building work happens at the customer's property, not at the builder's. For a small firm, an office or showroom is an overhead that customers rarely use, and many trade businesses list the areas they cover rather than a street address, partly to keep a home address private.
An address on its own also proves little. It can be a home, a rented unit, a mail forwarding service or an accountant's office, and none of those tells you whether the builder is insured, reliable or any good. That's why the checks below matter more than whether there's a door you could knock on.
What to check instead
The details that actually confirm who you are dealing with
Their full legal identity
For a sole trader, their own name as well as any trading name. For a limited company, its registered name and company number.
The public record, for a company
Every UK limited company must have a registered office address, shown free on Companies House alongside its status and directors.
Contact that works
A phone that's answered or returned, an email address, and replies to written questions within a reasonable time.
Paperwork in their name
A written quote that names the business you'll be contracting with, not just a first name and a mobile number.
Details that match
The same name on the quote, the insurance certificate, any company record and the bank account you're asked to pay.
Somewhere letters can reach
For a company that's the registered office. For a sole trader, it's reasonable to ask for a postal address for correspondence.
Sole traders and companies
What each kind of business puts on record
A limited company's registered office is public and is where official post goes. Companies are also required to show their registered name, company number and registered office on their business paperwork and their online presence. Our answer on checking a builder on Companies House shows where to look.
A sole trader has no equivalent public register. GOV.UK's guidance says sole traders who use a business name should include their own name and the business name on official paperwork such as invoices and letters. Our guide to sole traders and limited companies explains the other practical differences. This is general information, not legal advice.
The practical reason to know where a business can be reached is so that, if you ever need to put something formally in writing, it goes somewhere it will be received. Keep that address with your paperwork for the job, along with the email address you've been using.
Keeping it fair
When a missing address is worth asking about
A builder without a public address is normal. A builder who won't tell you their full name, or whose details change from one document to the next, is a different matter. If you can't establish who the business is, that's the thing to resolve before you agree to anything, not the lack of a showroom.
Don't worry if addresses differ, either. A company's registered office is often its accountant's office, and the address on a quote may be where the business actually operates from. Neither needs to be where the builder lives, and neither has to match the other. What matters is that the company named on your quote is the one on the public record.
Our answer on how to know a builder is legitimate sets out the wider checks in one place.
Where Mortaro fits
Holding us to the same test
We don't publish a trading address: we're registered in Gibraltar and our service is run digitally. It's fair to apply the test on this page to us. Our company name and registration details are set out on who you're dealing with, and you can reach us through our contact page.
Every quotation we issue names the independent main contractor who will carry out the work, so you can check their details too before you commit. We coordinate the job; your construction contract is with them.
Straight answers
Questions about business addresses
Is a PO box or mail forwarding address a problem?
Not in itself. Some businesses use one to keep a home address private. Check the other details: identity, contact, paperwork and, for a company, the public record.
Should I visit a builder's premises before hiring them?
Only if they have premises customers are meant to visit. For most builders, seeing their previous work and speaking to past customers is far more useful.
What if a company's registered office is an accountant's address?
That's common and perfectly normal. Many small companies use their accountant's or another service address as the registered office. What matters is that official post sent there reaches the company.
Start here
Tell us about the work you have in mind
We will confirm we cover your postcode, arrange a site visit with a contractor from our network and send you a written quotation. No charge, no obligation.