Reading a Company's Filing History: A Practical Checklist

If you are thinking of working with a UK company, the public register is a sensible place to begin. The Companies House service for finding and updating company information is free to use, and the register is available for anyone to use free of charge. This checklist looks at what the overview page shows and how to read it carefully. It is general information only: Audit1 is not a statutory audit, regulated assurance engagement or substitute for professional verification.

What the service shows

According to Companies House, the company overview includes the registered address, date of incorporation and nature of business. It lists current and resigned officers, and the filing history, with accounts and confirmation statements available to download. It also shows the dates of the last accounts and confirmation statement and when the next ones are due, along with officers and people with significant control (PSC), with correspondence addresses.

A checklist for reading it

1. Start with the basics. Does the company name, registered address and nature of business match what the company has told you?
2. Note the incorporation date. A newly formed company is not a problem in itself, but it changes what questions are sensible to ask.
3. Look at the filing history in date order. Dates tell you when documents were filed, not whether their contents are right.
4. Check the next due dates. The overview shows when the next accounts and confirmation statement are due. Compare them with today's date.
5. Read the officers list. Note current and resigned officers and when changes took place. Ask about anything you do not understand.
6. Read the PSC information. It tells you who has significant control according to what has been filed.
7. Write down the date you looked. Registers change, so a dated note shows what you saw and when.

What a filing history cannot tell you

A filing history shows what has been filed. It does not show whether the information is complete or correct, and it does not tell you how the company treats its customers, suppliers or staff. A tidy record is not a guarantee, and an untidy one is not proof of a problem. Treat anything unclear as a question to put to the company.

Questions worth asking

• Does anything in the officers list differ from the people you have dealt with?
• Do the dates make sense for the story the company has told you?
• Is there anything you would want a professional to look at before you commit?

Combine public records with other checks

Public registers are a starting point. For anything material, such as a large contract, a significant payment or a long-term arrangement, combine them with references, direct conversations and professional advice from a suitably qualified adviser. Audit1 helps you find and read public information; it does not verify it.