Introduction
Quite simply, a Mail Forwarding Service is when you rent a premium business address, and mail that arrives there is forwarded on to an address of your choice.It has lots of advantages. You could stop using your home address for business correspondence and use the premium address instead. Or, if you already have an office address and want to expand your footprint, you could rent business addresses elsewhere and have that mail forwarded to you too.
How do you set up a Mail Forwarding Service?
The starting point is opting to have a virtual office. Even though it’s called ‘virtual’, it is in fact a physical office based in a prestigious location. It gives you a trading and advertising address but without the worry of a long lease or expensive rents. There’s no long-term contract either as you can have a 30-day rolling agreement.
You can use a virtual office for all correspondence and on your website, business cards, emails and more. When you add the mail forwarding service, this is how you get your mail delivered back to where you want it.
There’s lots of other reasons a virtual office with a mail forwarding service could work for your business, below are examples of these.
Security
When you don’t publicise your home address, you can separate your business and home life. Clients will never pop round unexpectedly, and your home details won’t appear on business or public records.
For Limited Companies – A Registered Office Address
If you use your home address as your registered office it will be made public and available to anyone who takes a look at the companies register. So, protect your privacy and use a virtual office address instead. You can also use it as your directors’ address. It’s worth saying that if you do use your home address when setting things up, it cannot be removed from the public record. So, best to get things right from the outset.
It’s entirely legal to use a virtual office as your registered business address with Companies House. Just ensure that any mail received at your virtual office will reliably reach you, and that the office can sign for deliveries when needed. At Virtual HQ, our virtual office services meet both of these requirements.
Flexibility
If you use your home address for business, each time you move house, all of your business details will also have to change. Not only is this a hassle, but you could miss important correspondence if customers and suppliers do not correctly update your details.
Each time you change address; your business cards, letterheads, promotional material and web address all need to change. By using a Virtual Office address with mail forwarding, your business can always remain planted in one location, making this hassle-free.
Prestige
As virtual offices use prestigious locations, using one with mail forwarding will instantly elevate your business credibility. You can steal a march on those of your competitors based in average commercial locations and probably paying high rents for the privilege. You can even open up regional offices, and overwhelm your competition.
At Virtual HQ, we have over 140 premium locations to choose from to give your business the boost it needs.
What are the Mail Forwarding Service Options?
A good Virtual Office provider should be forwarding to you by first-class post, this way there will be very few issues with receiving your mail. To keep their operation costs low, some providers will offer free or heavily discounted post-forwarding.
This is not good for you as a client, as these providers will redirect through Royal Mail without paying the adequate postage cost; mail will often be returned to sender, or you will receive it with postage to pay. So, watch out for this.
What about having your mail scanned and emailed?
Virtual Headquarters offers same day mail scanning combined with post forwarding. We scan all received mail straight to your inbox, or forwarding to you in batches monthly. We just need your permission to open your mail, scan it, and send a PDF via email.
By receiving your mail as a scanned PDF, you can access your mail wherever you are, as soon as it’s received – and vastly reduce both paperwork clutter and the need to file away mail.
Our mail forwarding options are easily viewable on each Virtual Office location page. Order online or call us today to discuss the options available.
Cost Savings
A virtual office combined with mail forwarding provides a “physical presence” without the high costs of renting traditional office space, purchasing furniture, and maintaining office utilities. This is especially advantageous for startups, solopreneurs, and remote businesses.
Employees or entrepreneurs can work from home or any location, reducing commuting time and expenses associated with a physical office space.
Conclusion
Mail forwarding services and virtual office solutions offer a modern, efficient, and cost-effective way for businesses to increase their professionalism, flexibility, and reach.
By leveraging these services, businesses can secure a prestigious address, maintain their privacy, and streamline mail handling, all while reducing costs and environmental impact.
Virtual Headquarters stands out by combining high-quality mail forwarding with advanced features like mail scanning, ensuring businesses receive timely and reliable access to correspondence. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a remote worker, or a growing company looking to expand geographically, these services provide a hassle-free way to establish a strong, credible presence without the burden of a traditional office.
If you’re still unsure on all the ins and outs of a virtual office and mail services, take a look at our FAQs. These are the questions that come up the most.
Frequently asked questions
What will happen to my mail?
As a virtual office member, your mail will be collected for you, and you will be notified via email if there is mail for you to collect.
For an additional fee you can choose to have your mail forwarded to you, or scanned and forwarded.
However you require your mail, there’s an option for you, so choose the option that best suits your business needs as you build your own virtual office package.
What if I want to change my forwarding address?
You can change your address at anytime, however we will require an updated proof of address (POA).
So we need to have proof you either live at the address or it’s a commercial rental – and not another virtual office.
How often will my mail be forwarded?
Your mail is sent out the same working day, if not the next working day. We send all mail first class, so it gets into your hands promptly.
Do you offer mail scanning?
Yes, our virtual offices do offer mail scanning services. All you need to do is select this option as you go through the online checkout process.
Jamie is the Marketing Manager at Virtual Headquarters. With a proven track record in marketing, Jamie specialises in making Virtual Headquarters visible and accessible behind the scenes for businesses seeking flexible office solutions. Jamie creates impactful strategies that strengthen Virtual Headquarters' position as the go-to choice for virtual office services.
