How to Search Companies House Records: A Practical Guide for Businesses and Entrepreneurs

Ryan Patrick

Aug 15, 2026 • 9 min read

If you want to check whether a UK company exists, find out who runs it, review its accounts, investigate its trading history or assess a potential business partner, Companies House records are one of the best places to start. Companies House maintains the UK's official register of companies and makes a large amount of company information available to the public. Its free online search service can be used without registering an account.

But there is an important distinction between finding information and knowing what that information means. A Companies House search can reveal valuable clues about a business, but it should not automatically be treated as proof that a company is financially healthy, trustworthy or actively trading. This guide explains how to search Companies House records, what you can find, how to interpret the results and what business owners, investors and international entrepreneurs should look for.

What Is the Companies House Register?

Companies House is the UK government body responsible for incorporating companies and maintaining the public register of UK companies. It is an executive agency of the Department for Business and Trade. The register contains information submitted by companies during incorporation and throughout their existence. Depending on the company, you may be able to see:

Company name and registration number
Company status
Registered office address
Date of incorporation
Nature of business and SIC codes
Directors and former directors
Persons with significant control (PSCs)
Filing history
Annual accounts
Confirmation statements
Share information
Mortgage and charge information
Insolvency information
Previous company names
Certain company documents and filing images

Companies House says its free search service provides access to public company data, including filing histories and document images.

How to Search Companies House Records

Searching is relatively straightforward. You can search by company name, company number or officer name through the Companies House "Find and update company information" service.

Step 1: Start with the company name

If you know the company's name, enter it into the search box. For example, suppose you are considering working with:

ABC Digital Solutions Ltd

Search for the name and review the results carefully. There may be several companies with similar names, so don't assume the first result is automatically the correct one.

Step 2: Confirm the company number

Every registered company has a unique company number. This is usually the most reliable way to identify the correct business, particularly where several companies have similar names. Once you have confirmed the company number, use it for subsequent checks.

Step 3: Check the company status

The company overview will normally indicate whether the company is:

Active
Dissolved
In liquidation or subject to other insolvency-related information
Another status applicable to its circumstances

A company marked dissolved should immediately raise a different set of questions from an active company. However, "active" should not be interpreted as "successful". It simply tells you about the company's status on the register.

What Information Can You Find on Companies House?

One of the biggest advantages of Companies House is that you can move beyond a company's name and address and examine its corporate history.

1. Company overview

Start with the overview page. Look for:

Incorporation date
Company number
Registered office
Company type
Current status
SIC codes
Accounts information
Confirmation statement information

The incorporation date can be particularly useful. For example, if someone presents a company as an established business but the company was incorporated only six months ago, that is useful context when evaluating their claims.

2. Filing history

The filing history is one of the most useful sections for deeper research. It shows documents and filings submitted to Companies House over time. These can include accounts, confirmation statements, changes of directors, changes of registered office and other corporate filings.

Don't simply look at the most recent filing. Look at the timeline. A pattern can tell you much more than a single document. For example, you might notice:

Incorporation → director change → registered office change → confirmation statement → accounts → new director appointment

That does not automatically indicate anything improper, but it gives you questions to investigate.

3. Directors and officers

The people associated with a company can provide important context. You can review current and resigned officers, including directors. Companies House also provides officer-search functionality. This can be useful when:

Checking a prospective supplier
Investigating a potential business partner
Researching a competitor
Verifying someone's association with a company
Conducting preliminary investment research

If a company claims that a particular individual founded or runs it, the Companies House record may help you verify the corporate relationship.

4. Persons with Significant Control

The PSC register is particularly important. A person with significant control is generally someone who has significant ownership or control over a company. Companies House records can show the nature of that control, such as significant ownership of shares or voting rights. For example, a PSC record may indicate that an individual holds more than 75% of shares or voting rights.

This can help you understand who ultimately controls a company. However, corporate structures can become complicated. A Companies House search should therefore be viewed as part of due diligence rather than a substitute for professional legal or financial investigation.

5. Company accounts

Where accounts are available, they can provide useful financial information. Depending on the company's size and reporting requirements, the level of detail can vary considerably. You may be able to identify information about:

Assets
Liabilities
Cash
Creditors
Shareholders' funds
Turnover, where disclosed
Profit or loss, depending on the accounts filed

Do not assume that the absence of detailed financial information means something is wrong. Smaller companies can have simpler reporting requirements. Equally, do not assume that filed accounts tell you everything about a company's current financial position. There can be a significant time gap between the accounting period and the date you conduct your search.

How to Search for a Person Instead of a Company

Companies House can also be useful when you know the name of an individual but not the company. The search service supports searches by officer name. This can help you identify companies where a person has served as a director or officer. For deeper research, compare:

Current appointments
Previous appointments
Resigned positions
Company statuses
Dates of appointments
Companies with similar names or activities

This is particularly useful when conducting background research on entrepreneurs, suppliers, consultants or potential business partners. Remember that a person's appearance on a company record does not, by itself, establish misconduct or wrongdoing.

How to Check a Company's Previous Names

Companies sometimes change their names. This can be relevant when investigating a company with a long history. A business may have started under one name, rebranded later and continued operating under another. Companies House records can show previous company names, allowing you to establish a clearer timeline. This is particularly useful if:

An old contract refers to a different company name
A business has recently rebranded
You are researching a company involved in a dispute
You are investigating historical corporate relationships

How to Search Companies House Records for Due Diligence

If you're evaluating a company before doing business with it, don't stop after confirming that it is registered. Use a simple five-point Companies House check.

1. Identity

Confirm:

Exact company name
Company number
Registered office
Incorporation date

2. People

Review:

Current directors
Former directors
PSCs
Relevant corporate shareholders

3. History

Examine:

Filing history
Previous names
Registered office changes
Director changes

4. Financial information

Where available, review:

Latest accounts
Previous accounts
Charges
Insolvency information

5. Consistency

Compare the Companies House information with what the business tells you. For example, suppose a company website claims: "We have been operating for more than 10 years." Companies House may reveal that the current company was incorporated recently. That doesn't necessarily mean the claim is false. The founders may have operated another company previously. But it is a reason to ask for clarification.

What Companies House Records Do Not Tell You

This is where inexperienced searches can go wrong. Companies House is a corporate register, not a universal business-rating system. The information available is not comprehensive, and Companies House itself warns that its data should not be treated as a complete source of company-law information. A company being registered does not necessarily mean:

It has substantial revenue
It has employees
It is profitable
It has good customer reviews
It has sufficient cash
It is currently trading
Its directors are trustworthy
Every piece of information supplied is accurate

Companies House receives a very large volume of filings and does not necessarily conduct a detailed verification of every piece of information before it appears on the register. For significant transactions, combine Companies House research with appropriate financial, legal, commercial and reputational due diligence.

How to Use Companies House to Research Competitors

Companies House is also valuable for entrepreneurs researching competitors. Suppose you are planning to launch a UK cleaning company. You could search established competitors and compare:

Incorporation dates
SIC codes
Company structures
Directors
Registered offices
Filing patterns
Available accounts
Previous names

This can help you understand how businesses in your market are structured. It can also reveal potential market opportunities. For example, if many competitors operate through separate companies, that may indicate a common approach to managing different brands, locations or business activities. However, don't copy another company's structure simply because it appears successful. Your own tax, legal, operational and financing requirements may be different.

Advanced Companies House Research

For professional researchers and businesses handling large amounts of data, Companies House provides more than the standard search interface. Companies House offers data products and an API, allowing access to company information programmatically. This can be useful for:

Business intelligence
Lead generation
Market research
Compliance workflows
Corporate monitoring
Software applications
Large-scale company analysis

Companies House also provides a free Follow service that sends email alerts when transactions are accepted for a company you are monitoring. For example, if you're negotiating a major contract with a supplier, following the company can help you stay aware of subsequent filings.

Can You Download Companies House Documents for Free?

Yes. The Companies House service allows users to access and download company information and documents free of charge through its online services. Available records can include document images and filing information. For important research, save the relevant documents and record the date you accessed them. Company information can change over time.

Is Companies House Information Reliable?

It is authoritative in the sense that Companies House is the UK's official corporate register, but that does not mean every statement on the register has been independently verified. Companies House performs checks on filings, but its guidance makes clear that the information should not be treated as comprehensive.

The right approach is therefore: Use Companies House as a primary corporate information source, but apply independent judgement. This distinction matters for investors, lenders, suppliers and international entrepreneurs making decisions based on UK company records.

What About Privacy?

Companies House records are public because company transparency is part of the framework surrounding limited companies. Certain information about directors and other individuals is publicly available, while some information, such as a director's full date of birth and usual residential address, is kept on a private register.

This is important for founders considering incorporating a UK company. If privacy is a concern, understand what information will become public before registering the company and consider appropriate corporate address arrangements.

Companies House Searches for International Entrepreneurs

For overseas founders considering a UK company, Companies House can also be a useful research tool. Before incorporating, you can search existing companies to investigate:

Whether a proposed name is already being used
How companies in your industry are structured
Which SIC codes businesses in your sector use
Whether potential partners have UK corporate histories
How competitors position themselves

For global founders, the UK register can therefore serve two purposes: corporate compliance and business intelligence. Platforms such as IncorpUK may assist international founders with UK company formation and ongoing company management, but the Companies House register remains the official source for checking registered corporate information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is searching Companies House records free?

Yes. The Companies House "Find and update company information" service provides public company information free of charge, and you do not need to register simply to search and view company information.

Can I search Companies House by company name?

Yes. You can search by company name, company number or officer name.

Can I find a director's companies on Companies House?

Yes. Companies House provides officer-search functionality, allowing you to investigate current and resigned officer appointments.

Can I see who owns a UK company?

You can investigate the company's Persons with Significant Control information and shareholder information where disclosed. However, complex ownership structures may require additional investigation.

Can I see a company's accounts on Companies House?

Where accounts have been filed and are publicly available, you can access them through the company's filing history. The amount of financial detail varies according to the company's reporting requirements.

Can I search dissolved companies?

Yes. Companies House provides access to records of dissolved companies through its search services.

Does an active Companies House status mean a company is financially healthy?

No. "Active" describes the company's status on the register. It does not guarantee profitability, solvency, trading activity or commercial success.

Can I get alerts when a company changes?

Yes. Companies House offers a free Follow service that sends email alerts about company transactions once they are accepted.

Can I use Companies House data for business research?

Yes. Companies House provides public data, data products and an API that can support business research and technology applications.

Final Thoughts

Learning how to search Companies House records is a valuable skill for anyone doing business in the UK. For a basic check, confirm the company name, number, status, registered office and incorporation date. For deeper due diligence, investigate the directors, PSCs, filing history, accounts, charges, previous names and insolvency information.

The most important lesson is not to treat one Companies House result as the whole story. A company register can tell you a great deal about a business's legal and corporate history, but it cannot independently confirm everything about its reputation, financial health or day-to-day operations.

Used properly, Companies House becomes more than a place to look up a company. It is a practical research tool for entrepreneurs, investors, suppliers, professionals and international founders who want to make better-informed decisions about UK businesses.