MVC View ViewModel HttpPost return value is always NULL

Question

I'm passing a ViewModel back from my View to the Controller via a form HttpPost. However, the values returned are always NULL.

ViewModel

public class vmCompanyAddress
{
    public StatelyTechAdmin.Models.Company Company { get; set; }
    public StatelyTechAdmin.Models.CompanyAddress Address { get; set; }

    public SelectList Counties { get; set; }
}

Company Class Model

public class Company
{
    [Key]
    public virtual long CompanyId { get; set; }

    [Required]
    [Display(Name = "Company Name")]
    public virtual string Name { get; set; }

    public virtual DateTime CreatedDate { get; set; }

    public virtual IEnumerable<CompanyAddress> CompanyAddresses { get; set; }
}

CompanyAddress Class Model

public class CompanyAddress
{
    [Key]
    public virtual long CompanyAddressId { get; set; }

    [Required]
    public virtual long CompanyId { get; set; }

    [ForeignKey("CompanyId")]
    public virtual Company Company { get; set; }

    [Required]
    public virtual int CopmanyAddressTypeId { get; set; }

    [ForeignKey("CopmanyAddressTypeId")]
    public virtual CompanyAddressType CompanyAddressType { get; set; }

    [Display(Name = "Address 1")]
    public virtual string Address1 { get; set; }

    [Display(Name = "Address 2")]
    public virtual string Address2 {get; set; }

    [Display(Name = "Town")]
    public virtual string Town { get; set; }

    [Display(Name = "City")]
    public virtual string City { get; set; }

    [Required]
    public virtual long CountyId { get; set; }

    [ForeignKey("CountyId")]
    [Display(Name = "County")]
    public virtual County County { get; set; }

    [Required]
    [Display(Name = "Postal Code")]
    public virtual string PostalCode { get; set; }

    public virtual DateTime CreatedDate { get; set; }
}

Controller (get):

// GET: /Company/Create
    public ActionResult Create()
    {
        vmCompanyAddress vm = new vmCompanyAddress();
        vm.Counties = new SelectList(db.County, "CountyId", "Name", -1);
        //vm.Address = new CompanyAddress();
        //vm.Company = new Company();

        return View(vm);
    }

Controller (post):

[HttpPost]
    [ValidateAntiForgeryToken]
    public ActionResult Create(vmCompanyAddress company)
    {
        if (ModelState.IsValid)
        {
            db.Companies.Add(company.Company);

            //Amend Address Company & Address Type before save to DB
            company.Address.CompanyId = company.Company.CompanyId;
            company.Address.CopmanyAddressTypeId = 1;

            db.CompanyAddress.Add(company.Address);

            db.SaveChanges();
            return RedirectToAction("Index");
        }

        return View(company);
    }

View (create)

    @model StatelyTechAdmin.ViewModels.vmCompanyAddress

@{
    ViewBag.Title = "Create";
}

<h2>Create</h2>

@using (Html.BeginForm()) {
    @Html.AntiForgeryToken()
    @Html.ValidationSummary(true)

    <fieldset>
        <legend>Company</legend>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Company.Name)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.Company.Name)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Company.Name)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Company.CreatedDate)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.Company.CreatedDate)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Company.CreatedDate)
        </div>


        @* Invoice Address *@
        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Address.Address1)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.Address.Address1)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Address.Address1)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Address.Address2)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.Address.Address2)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Address.Address2)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Address.Town)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.Address.Town)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Address.Town)
        </div>

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Address.City)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.Address.City)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Address.City)
        </div>

        @*<div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Address.County)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.DropDownListFor(model => model.Address.CountyId, Model.Counties)
        </div>*@

        <div class="editor-label">
            @Html.LabelFor(model => model.Address.PostalCode)
        </div>
        <div class="editor-field">
            @Html.EditorFor(model => model.Address.PostalCode)
            @Html.ValidationMessageFor(model => model.Address.PostalCode)
        </div>

        <p>
            <input type="submit" value="Create" />
        </p>
    </fieldset>
}

Can anyone please offer any advice as to why my return ViewModel values are NULL when all fields are populated?

I've checked in Google Chrome browser using the Network Record feature and all values ARE posted back in JSON format.

Many thanks.

------------ EDIT ---------------

Here's part of what I can see from the Google Chrome Network Monitor

Company.Name:ABC123 Company.CreatedDate:2014/05/13 00:00:00 ....

So it is definitely being returned.

Answer 1

I was able to reproduce your issue and was confused because I know that the default MVC Model Binder understands complex types. I stripped away most of the code and just tried to do it with the Company object, which still failed. I then noticed that in vmCompanyAddress that the name of the class was also the name of the property:

public class vmCompanyAddress
{
     public StatelyTechAdmin.Models.Company Company { get; set; }

I changed the name of the property to something different from the class name and it started working:

public class vmCompanyAddress
{
     public StatelyTechAdmin.Models.Company TheCompany { get; set; }