When it comes to a company secretarial audit it pays to be prepared, and that is the case whether you are managing the audit in-house or you are outsourcing it to a company. Here, leading corporate and legal support firm London Registrars (https://www.london-registrars.co.uk/) points out what your company needs to know in order to meet all the necessary audit requirements.

Check-list An audit checklist will outline what necessary checks need to be carried out. This will be particular to your firm depending on its size, ownership, assets, etc. In cases where the audit is outsourced the in-house company secretary should be consulted.

Documentation The audit will record that all statutory registers, annual returns and important board records and other vital documents are in place. A company secretary who has kept documentation in good order year-round will greatly aid this process.

Certification Certification is of great importance, including shares and any documents bound by corporate and securities laws such as those relating to company and any transfer of deeds, etc.

Corporate law The audit, which is also known as a corporate governance audit must be compliant with all relevant areas of corporate law.

Loans There should be a check-list and schedule of all loan agreements with financial institutions.

Securities If applicable, details of the issue and transfer of securities and investor information should also be included. Share transfer information should include certification.

Filing of documentation A check-list of all necessary registration information being filed with Companies House.

Compliance certificate To ensure full company compliance with the audit, a compliance certificate must be issued.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the requirements of a company secretarial audit; this will of course vary in some ways from company to company. However, given the scope of even these points, it comes as no surprise that most companies choose to outsource this highly important and time-consuming task. To find out about the comprehensive audit service available from London Registrars, along with all of its business support services, visit  https://www.london-registrars.co.uk/.