A company can appear on Companies House and still be a poor choice to do business with. The register can confirm that an entity has been incorporated, but it does not certify that the business is active, trustworthy or even operating from the address it provides.
That distinction matters. A quick search is free and takes only a few minutes, yet many people stop as soon as they see a familiar-looking company name and an “Active” status. That is where the real checking should begin.
Start with the official company search
Use the Companies House service called “Find and update company information”. You do not need an account, and the search is free.
You can search by the company’s name, its registration number or the name of a director or other officer. Searching by name is convenient, but it can produce several similar results. A registration number is usually the safer route if the business has given you one.
A company registration number contains eight characters. If the number is shorter, it is padded with zeros at the beginning. For example, registration number 12345 appears as 00012345. This small formatting detail can prevent an otherwise fruitless search.
Do not assume that the first result is the right one. Compare the registered name, address, trading name and any other details you already have. Fraudsters can use a genuine company’s name or registration number while presenting different bank details, websites or contact information.
Check the company profile, not just the name
Open the company’s profile and begin with the basic record. The first detail to check is the company status. “Active” means the company remains on the register. “Dissolved” means it has been removed and should not be treated as a currently registered company.
The status is useful, but it is not a character reference. An active company may have little or no current business activity. It may also be late with filings, carrying debts or preparing to close. The word “Active” is a legal register status, not a seal of approval.
Check the company number against the number on its invoices, contracts, website or email signature. A mismatch is a straightforward warning sign. So is a business that claims to be a limited company but refuses to provide its registered name or registration number.
Look at the registered office address next. This is the official address used for correspondence and filings. It may be an accountant’s office, a formation agent’s address or another location shared by many companies. That is not automatically suspicious, but it does mean the address may tell you less about the company’s actual operations than you expected.
The profile also shows the date of incorporation. A recently formed company may be perfectly legitimate, but it cannot have the long trading history sometimes implied in sales material. If a business claims decades of experience while the registered entity was created only recently, ask which earlier company or companies are being referred to.
Read the filing dates carefully
Companies House profiles show important filing information, including the dates of the latest and upcoming filings. These dates deserve more attention than they usually receive.
A company that has failed to file accounts or a confirmation statement on time may face enforcement action or eventual removal from the register. Filing deadlines and status indicators do not, by themselves, prove that the company is failing. They do show whether its public record is being maintained promptly.
A confirmation statement provides an update on key company information. It should not be confused with audited proof that every detail about the business is accurate. The register records what the company submits; it does not independently investigate each submission.
Accounts can offer a more useful glimpse into the company’s financial position, depending on the type of company and the information filed. Read them with care. Small companies may file abbreviated information, and the figures may be old by the time you see them. A set of accounts is not a live view of cash in the bank today.
That time lag is easy to miss. A company may have filed healthy-looking accounts months ago and then run into serious trouble, or it may be growing quickly while its public figures still describe an earlier stage of the business.
Inspect the filing history
The filing history shows what the company has submitted over time. It can include accounts, confirmation statements, changes of registered office, changes involving officers and other formal documents.
Look for long gaps, repeated late filings and sudden bursts of changes. None is conclusive on its own. Together, however, they can reveal a company whose public record is being managed in a hurried or irregular way.
Pay attention to changes in the registered office, company name and officers. A company that has changed its identity several times may have a reasonable explanation, such as a restructuring or acquisition. It may also deserve closer questions, especially if the changes coincide with unpaid debts, legal disputes or a move toward dissolution.
The filing history is often more revealing than the polished “About us” page on a company website. Websites sell confidence. Filing histories show administrative behaviour.
Check directors, former officers and PSC information
Review the current officers listed on the profile, then look at former officers as well. Frequent changes in directors are not automatically a problem, but a rapid turnover can be relevant when you are assessing a supplier, lender or potential employer.
The register also includes information about people with significant control, commonly called PSCs. This can help you understand who owns or controls the company under the relevant reporting rules.
Names alone are not enough. Compare them with the people who contact you, sign documents or ask you to transfer money. If a supposed director has no connection to the registered company, or if the people presenting themselves as owners do not match the public record, pause before proceeding.
A genuine company can use employees, agents or contractors who are not listed as officers. That is normal. The concern is not that every contact must appear on the register; it is that the story should make sense when compared with the company’s official record.
Look for insolvency and charges
The profile may contain information about insolvency proceedings and charges. Insolvency information can indicate that the company is subject to formal financial difficulties or related proceedings.
Charges are security interests registered against company assets, often in favour of lenders. A charge does not automatically mean a company is in trouble. Many established businesses borrow money and grant security as part of ordinary financing. Still, charges can help you understand that assets may already be pledged and that other creditors have claims connected to them.
This is particularly relevant if you are considering extending credit, paying a large deposit or accepting promises about assets that supposedly belong to the company. The public register is not a substitute for professional legal or financial advice, but ignoring it is an avoidable mistake.
Check the SIC code, but do not overread it
The SIC code describes the company’s stated business activity. Compare it with what the company says it actually does.
A mismatch does not prove fraud. Companies can have several activities, use broad classifications or fail to update their descriptions when their business changes. A company presenting itself as a specialist financial, construction or technology provider while its registered activity appears unrelated should, however, be able to explain the difference clearly.
The SIC code is a clue, not a detailed operating licence. It does not prove that the company has the qualifications, permissions or insurance required for a particular service.
Understand what Companies House does not verify
Companies House explicitly does not verify the accuracy of information submitted by companies. The existence of a profile therefore does not confirm that the company is genuinely trading, that its directors are honest, that its address is an active workplace or that its financial statements tell the whole story.
This is the point most quick checks leave out. Registration proves that a company has a place on the register. It does not prove that the person who contacted you is connected with that company, either.
For example, someone can impersonate a real business by copying its name, branding and registration details. The payment request may still lead to an account controlled by someone else. Check email domains, telephone numbers, contract details and bank information separately, and use contact details obtained independently rather than relying only on the message you received.
My own rule for these checks is simple: treat the register as a map, not a destination. It tells you where to investigate next, and sometimes it exposes a contradiction immediately. It rarely gives you enough evidence to stop investigating.
When the result should make you slow down
Be cautious if the company is dissolved, if its details do not match the documents you received, or if it has a history of missed filings and unexplained changes. The same applies when a business insists on urgent payment, refuses a written contract or becomes evasive when asked for basic company information.
A clean-looking profile should not erase those warning signs. Nor should a few irregularities automatically prove misconduct. The sensible response is to ask specific questions, verify the answers independently and avoid committing money or personal information until the facts line up.
For a small purchase, a basic Companies House check may be enough to spot an obvious mismatch. For a major contract, investment, loan or property transaction, the register is only one part of due diligence. The cost of checking further is usually modest compared with the cost of discovering that the company number was the only genuine thing in the deal.