Hiding Property Ownership
Discussion
I recently looked up Companies House details for a dissolved company.
It might be, that your present records will still be available to view, even after you have set up a new offshore company.
You can see directors previous addresses in the filing section, after they have changed an address.
This situation may possibly defeat your objective.
Edit - Apologies, I now see that I have repeated a comment already made.
A further comment regarding Companies House filings.
A well known sports personality changed their director address from home to an office address.
However, by simply looking at the previous filings, you can still see the home address.
Edited by Jon39 on Friday 7th September 21:28
craig511 said:
Hi all,
Before I start, this isn't about tax avoidance or evasion. Quite happy to ay whatever tax I need to pay.
However this is about disguising who owns property.
I have my own UK LTD company. Myself ad wife are named directors. The company owns properties throughout the UK. So on the land registry each property is owned by my company, and a quick google turns up my company house details with my name and that of my wife.
I want to somehow change this, even going offshore if required to hide that ownership. I want no-one, including the government knowing who owns my properties. I don't mind them having details of a company in the BVI but not the beneficiaries.
How does one, highlevel, do this? For details do I need t speak to tax or wealth specialist?
Thanks.
Would it be possible to have a holding company that owns all the shares in your property business. Not hiding you completely, but another layer between your personal details and the properties?Before I start, this isn't about tax avoidance or evasion. Quite happy to ay whatever tax I need to pay.
However this is about disguising who owns property.
I have my own UK LTD company. Myself ad wife are named directors. The company owns properties throughout the UK. So on the land registry each property is owned by my company, and a quick google turns up my company house details with my name and that of my wife.
I want to somehow change this, even going offshore if required to hide that ownership. I want no-one, including the government knowing who owns my properties. I don't mind them having details of a company in the BVI but not the beneficiaries.
How does one, highlevel, do this? For details do I need t speak to tax or wealth specialist?
Thanks.
So you own company X. Company X owns all shares in company Y. Company Y owns the properties.
I'm assuming you're mainly worried about the charges register showing which properties you own via the mortgages?
You need to change the ownership of your company to one in another jurisdiction I would say.. In a lot of other jurisdictions information is not as rasilt accessed with Companies House....may not be a website for example or you may need to know soemone local to be able to find out.
A friend of mine was trying to find ownership details of a company in Romania, hed been looking online etc and couldnlt get anywhere, Through business contacts I had over there I got what he needed in 5 mins....a nosey neighbour couldnlt do that probaly but HMRC obviously could.
Has absolutely no implications for your UK tax poisition as obviously you have to declare it etc. You’d just need to find another country that has a tax treaty with the UK so you dont pay tax in that country and the UK
Your only problem is that the history of who owns your UK company would be public info so wouldnt take a wild guess to work out you may still own it.
Ive spent too much of my professional life dealing with coroprate structures involving multiple jurisdictions....
A friend of mine was trying to find ownership details of a company in Romania, hed been looking online etc and couldnlt get anywhere, Through business contacts I had over there I got what he needed in 5 mins....a nosey neighbour couldnlt do that probaly but HMRC obviously could.
Has absolutely no implications for your UK tax poisition as obviously you have to declare it etc. You’d just need to find another country that has a tax treaty with the UK so you dont pay tax in that country and the UK
Your only problem is that the history of who owns your UK company would be public info so wouldnt take a wild guess to work out you may still own it.
Ive spent too much of my professional life dealing with coroprate structures involving multiple jurisdictions....
Cheib said:
You need to change the ownership of your company to one in another jurisdiction I would say.. In a lot of other jurisdictions information is not as rasilt accessed with Companies House....may not be a website for example or you may need to know soemone local to be able to find out.
A friend of mine was trying to find ownership details of a company in Romania, hed been looking online etc and couldnlt get anywhere, Through business contacts I had over there I got what he needed in 5 mins....a nosey neighbour couldnlt do that probaly but HMRC obviously could.
Has absolutely no implications for your UK tax poisition as obviously you have to declare it etc. You’d just need to find another country that has a tax treaty with the UK so you dont pay tax in that country and the UK
Your only problem is that the history of who owns your UK company would be public info so wouldnt take a wild guess to work out you may still own it.
Ive spent too much of my professional life dealing with coroprate structures involving multiple jurisdictions....
Wouldn't the transfer of ownership generate a tax charge?A friend of mine was trying to find ownership details of a company in Romania, hed been looking online etc and couldnlt get anywhere, Through business contacts I had over there I got what he needed in 5 mins....a nosey neighbour couldnlt do that probaly but HMRC obviously could.
Has absolutely no implications for your UK tax poisition as obviously you have to declare it etc. You’d just need to find another country that has a tax treaty with the UK so you dont pay tax in that country and the UK
Your only problem is that the history of who owns your UK company would be public info so wouldnt take a wild guess to work out you may still own it.
Ive spent too much of my professional life dealing with coroprate structures involving multiple jurisdictions....
craig511 said:
As above its not for tax, quite happy for whatever arrangement to be fully open in terms of tax, but I don't want nosey neighbours or councils knowing who individually owns my properties. Company name is fine and accounts are fine, but not the person.
Nosey neighbours?! They won’t look... I can’t believe the council would care, unless you’re doing something you shouldn’t. Seems like a lot of fuss for no real benefit other than paranoia... 
PurpleMoonlight said:
Strange how 'avoidance' has become a dirty word even if perfectly lawful.
There was a court case centuries ago (I might have exaggerated), and the Judge basically said there is no obligation for the tax payer to structure their financial affairs so as to benefit the Exchequer.
Still holds true.
Yep. Was talking to my wife about increasing pension payments to the limit and as a side benefit we'd be eligible to claim some benefits. Wasn't happy, bizarre. There was a court case centuries ago (I might have exaggerated), and the Judge basically said there is no obligation for the tax payer to structure their financial affairs so as to benefit the Exchequer.
Still holds true.
DanL said:
craig511 said:
As above its not for tax, quite happy for whatever arrangement to be fully open in terms of tax, but I don't want nosey neighbours or councils knowing who individually owns my properties. Company name is fine and accounts are fine, but not the person.
Nosey neighbours?! They won’t look... I can’t believe the council would care, unless you’re doing something you shouldn’t. Seems like a lot of fuss for no real benefit other than paranoia... ReaperCushions said:
I agree... I don't really get it.
Some people just like a bit of privacy about their financial affairs. In more extreme cases people are concerned about kidnap risk etc. for their family. If there is a particular reason why you don't want your details disclosed on companies house you can apply to have details hidden from the public register but it does need to be a valid reason, not just "I don't want it public".Putting the property in trust may be enough for the OPs purpose, but might cause other issues that he doesn't want, either tax related or simply around how the property can be used.
I'm no expert, but I'd have thought a trust would be the only legit way of achieving this. But it will mean a lot of extra red tape, cost and will definitely restrict your future options (though may have some benefits too).
If this relates to rented properties, then tenants have a legal right to know the names and address of the owners.
If this relates to rented properties, then tenants have a legal right to know the names and address of the owners.
ReaperCushions said:
DanL said:
craig511 said:
As above its not for tax, quite happy for whatever arrangement to be fully open in terms of tax, but I don't want nosey neighbours or councils knowing who individually owns my properties. Company name is fine and accounts are fine, but not the person.
Nosey neighbours?! They won’t look... I can’t believe the council would care, unless you’re doing something you shouldn’t. Seems like a lot of fuss for no real benefit other than paranoia... Badda said:
There’s no reason at all that someone letting legitimate housing to legitimate tenants and paying appropriate tax needs to be anonymous.
What about if you just want to be anonymous?What if there were a legitimate business reason for anonymity, say, preventing customers or suppliers from seeing this information?
OP here,
Been out all day cutting grass and avoiding tax so apologies for the delay getting back.
Its purely a privacy/paranoia etc issue. I am happy for the GOV to know what I earn etc to tax me, This isn't about tax, purely stopping neighbours, or guests or tenants knowing my personal address. Nothing has happened yet to spur this on, just purely is it easy enough to do then I will. Imay try writing to CH and asking to remove my address details. I have a service company address set up for all my mail and post anyway so that would still be shown.
But if it wasn't that much extra cost/red tape and I could totally hide my affairs then I would like to at least explore that.(again not for tax reasons but if there was a tax advantage then I would consider it)
Cheers all
Been out all day cutting grass and avoiding tax so apologies for the delay getting back.
Its purely a privacy/paranoia etc issue. I am happy for the GOV to know what I earn etc to tax me, This isn't about tax, purely stopping neighbours, or guests or tenants knowing my personal address. Nothing has happened yet to spur this on, just purely is it easy enough to do then I will. Imay try writing to CH and asking to remove my address details. I have a service company address set up for all my mail and post anyway so that would still be shown.
But if it wasn't that much extra cost/red tape and I could totally hide my affairs then I would like to at least explore that.(again not for tax reasons but if there was a tax advantage then I would consider it)
Cheers all
Can understand where OP is coming from.
Last thing you want is a nosey neighbour scouring up all your financials online.
Let's now forget what happened in this thread: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Last thing you want is a nosey neighbour scouring up all your financials online.
Let's now forget what happened in this thread: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
The easiest thing to do would be to get companies House to redact your Ltd company details from the website, that would discourage the vast majority of casual snoopery.
Otherwise you could transfer your Ltd company details to a safe address, maybe your accountant or someone equally trustworthy. That just leaves pour name on the directors list, they haven't put directors home addresses on companies House for a good few years.
Short of that an offshore shell company, you'd still have to declare the interest for tax and earnings but I'm not sure anyone could trace you without access to the hmrc records.
Might be easier to leave the companies as they are and put yourself in black ops?
Otherwise you could transfer your Ltd company details to a safe address, maybe your accountant or someone equally trustworthy. That just leaves pour name on the directors list, they haven't put directors home addresses on companies House for a good few years.
Short of that an offshore shell company, you'd still have to declare the interest for tax and earnings but I'm not sure anyone could trace you without access to the hmrc records.
Might be easier to leave the companies as they are and put yourself in black ops?
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