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Three questions, in the order most buildings need them answered:
- Are we required to have one? Check your articles of association for the word "secretary". Ten minutes, and it settles the question. Full walkthrough.
- Who could do it? Almost anyone. No qualifications, no exam, and they do not have to own a flat. Who is eligible.
- What are we actually asking them to do? Less than the title suggests. The honest job description.
Why a named secretary matters more than the law implies
We looked at thousands of self-managed freehold and Right to Manage companies on the public register. More than half had nobody named as company secretary at all. Those companies were struck off at roughly six times the rate of the ones that did name somebody, and their combined overdue-plus-strike-off rate was about a third higher.
The role is not magic. What it does is make one person unambiguously responsible in a structure where responsibility otherwise spreads out until nobody holds it. Nine in ten named secretaries in that data were residents of the building, not paid professionals, so this is a job a neighbour does. The full findings are in our strike-off data report.
What changed in November 2025
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act abolished the requirement for companies to keep their own registers of directors, directors' residential addresses, secretaries and people with significant control, with effect from 18 November 2025. Companies House now holds the authoritative record. The register of members survived and must still be kept.
A lot of guidance online, including some written by people who ought to know, has not caught up. What went, what stayed, and what it means for a building.
The whole guide
Do we actually need one?
Section 270 says no. Your articles of association might say otherwise, and that is the bit nobody checks.
Who can be the secretary?
No qualifications, no exam, no need to own a flat. The few genuine restrictions, and who usually ends up doing it.
What the job actually involves
Five recurring items a year, most of them deadline-shaped. The honest list, with rough hours.
Appointing and removing one
Both free, both ten minutes, both on a 14-day clock. Plus the loose ends buildings forget.
Secretary vs director
Directors carry the duties and the exposure. The secretary carries the admin. Why that matters when recruiting.
When your secretary sells up
The most common route from fine to strike-off notice. Five things to move before completion.
What a paid service costs
Roughly £150 to £600 a year standalone. What you get, what stays yours anyway, and when it is worth it.
The registers that were abolished
From 18 November 2025 the local registers of directors, secretaries and PSCs went. Members stayed.
Common questions
Does a share of freehold company need a company secretary?
Almost certainly not as a matter of law. Section 270 of the Companies Act 2006 says a private company is not required to have a secretary, and a freehold company for a block of flats is a private company. The exception is your own articles of association, which can still require one, and older freehold companies' articles frequently do.
Who can be the company secretary?
Almost anyone. There are no qualification requirements for the secretary of a private company. They do not need to own a flat, be a director, or live in the building, though nine in ten named secretaries in self-managed buildings are residents. They cannot be the company's auditor or someone disqualified from acting.
What does the company secretary actually do?
In a self-managed building, realistically five recurring things: get the confirmation statement filed each year, tell Companies House when directors or shares change, keep the registered office and email pointing somewhere someone reads, keep the register of members up to date, and keep the paperwork findable. A couple of hours a year for a stable building.
Does the company secretary have personal liability?
Far less than a director. The secretary is an officer of the company and can be in default for specific filing failures, but the Companies Act's seven general duties, and the personal exposure that comes with them, sit with the directors.
Do we still have to keep a register of secretaries?
No. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act abolished the local registers of directors, directors' residential addresses, secretaries and people with significant control on 18 November 2025. Companies House now holds the authoritative record. The register of members is the one that survived and must still be kept.
FreeholdMate is the company secretary you do not have to hire. It tracks your real Companies House deadlines, builds the confirmation statement checklist from your own records, keeps your register of members straight, and gives every director the same view so the job never lives in one person's head. £120 a year, whatever the size of your building.