A virtual office makes it possible for small entrepreneurs and business owners to have the best of both worlds by providing a low-cost business address with receptionist services and mail forwarding.

This becomes the ‘front’ of the business and a public correspondence point. But the business owner doesn’t actually work there. While the virtual office takes care of incoming mail and represents the company HQ, the people involved continue to work from home, building their business and saving money in the process.

Sure. However, to many, it looks unprofessional and it can make a company appear inexperienced and even untrustworthy. Reputation is everything, and a startup owner looking to make his or her way in the corporate world needs to look and act the part.

Having a proper business address, professional meeting space, and all the benefits of a physical office can work wonders for a new business, both in terms of mindset and client perception.

To complete account verification, we require a scanned copy of the following items:

• Photo identification (usually a driver’s license or passport)
• Copy of a current utility or mobile communications bill that shows your current address
• As you are using this address for your business, we will also require a copy of your articles of incorporation or business license documents

A recipient is anyone who will be receiving mail at your virtual address. If you have two individual names and a company name, this would count as 3 recipients.

Each virtual address plan allows for 1 personal name and 1 business name. If you and your significant other or business partner will both be receiving mail, the additional person will need to listed as an additional recipient. If you have employees that will also be receiving mail, they will need to be added to your account as additional recipients as well.

All recipients must complete the account verification procedure for us to be able to action mail.

To complete account verification, we require a scanned copy of the following items:

• Photo identification (usually a driver’s license or passport)
• Copy of a current utility or mobile communications bill that shows your current address
• If you are using this address for your business, we will also require a copy of your articles of incorporation or business license documents

If you purchased a virtual office plan during our normal reception hours, we typically have them ready the same day.

If you are purchasing outside of our normal reception hours, it will be ready the next day. Please be on the lookout for an activation email to set your password for our mail platform. You will also get an email advising you of your mailbox number once your account is setup.

Your address can be formatted as follows:

Don’t forget to replace the XXXX with your actual suite or mailbox number.

Nope! Flexibility is the main benefit of a virtual office address. We do require 30-days notice for cancellations as per our terms of service and no prorations will be made.

If you would like to pre-pay for the year let us know by contacting us directly before you purchase.

See our plans above to learn more.

Yes! We encourage you to not only use your commercial business address on your business cards but also on your website, company documents and anywhere else you might need to publish your address.

Don’t forget to include your mailbox number as part of your address to ensure that mail is routed to you properly.

Based on Google’s current guidelines, a virtual address/virtual mailbox alone doesn’t meet the requirements for use in a Google My Business (GMB) listing. Read more on the subject in our blog.

Please contact us prior to signing up for a virtual address if you plan on using it for GMB. No refunds will be issued and Google Verification codes will not be forwarded. 

Once you have signed up for our service, you will get instructions on how to get access to your account. We support access on pretty much any type of device. You will get notifications when new mail has arrived. You can provide instructions on what to do with that mail including, 0pening and scanning it, forwarding it, recycling it or shredding it. If you are near our centre you can also pop in to pick it up.

You can also download our partner app available on IOS or Android to make management even simpler and get real-time notifications. Instructions will be provided with your account sign-up.

Absolutely! We would love to see you. Once you are notified you have received mail, you can let us know that you would like us to hold it for pickup. Our normal reception hours are posted below.

There are additional costs for virtual mail which differ depending on the plan you choose.

For the Basic Plan, additional changes include:

• • Additional Incoming Mail: Each C$1.50
  • Open & Scan: Each page C$2.00
  • Forwarding: Each C$2.75 + shipping fees
  • Shredding: Each C$0.50
  • Additional Recipients: C$19.95 each per month
  • Mail Storage Charges: 
    • Regular Mail – Free storage for 30 days, then C$ 0.40 per piece per day
    • Padded Mailer – Free storage for 30 days, then C$ 0.40 per piece per day
    • Small Box – Free storage for 5 days, then C$ 0.40 per piece per day
    • Medium Box – Free storage for 5 days, then C$ 0.50 per piece per day
    • Large Box – Free storage for 5 days, then C$ 1.00 per piece per day
    • Extra Large Box – Free storage for 5 days, then C$2.00 per piece per day

    Our Entrepreneur and Serial Entrepreneur Plans, which include coworking day passes, will have a $50+HST setup fee on your first invoice.

    For questions or a full list of additional costs for each plan contact us at hello@sterlingspaces.ca.

No problem! We are here for you. Our reception is staffed Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm on normal business days. If you would prefer to email, we can be reached at hello@sterlingspaces.ca.  You can also fill out the contact form on our Contact Us page.