What Information Can You Find Using Companies House Search?

Ryan Patrick

• 7 min read
What Information Can You Find Using Companies House Search?

Companies incorporated in the UK should submit their information to Companies House, the official United Kingdom registrar of companies. They provide this information from formation day throughout their lifetime. Anyone searching for this information can find it on the Companies House search service for free, making the UK company environment transparent and attractive to many.

Regardless of your company type, you will cross roads with Companies House before you start trading. You must pass through its registration service when registering your company. However, the Companies House service is challenging if you use it for the first time. This is because you need to provide a lot of information during formation. Additionally, as a business owner, you're supposed to know the information available to the public via Companies House search.

This guide will help you understand the Companies House publicly available information and how to protect your privacy.

What is the Companies House?

The Companies House is a UK government agency specialising in company registration. Companies House also maintains companies' official records like:

  • Directors' and shareholders' information
  • Financial statements,
  • Annual accounts

If you're incorporating a company in the UK, you will do it with Companies House, either online or using a formation agent. After registration, you will regularly file documents with this agency. In case of any changes in your company, like the appointment of secretaries or directors, you must also notify them.

What type of companies Register with Companies House

Every public and private company in the United Kingdom is required to register Companies House. This includes:

  • Limited liability partnerships
  • Private limited companies
  • Public limited companies
  • Private companies limited by shares
  • Private companies limited by guarantee
  • Private unlimited companies
  • Limited partnerships

All these companies must provide information to this company's registrar, which is made publicly available for company transparency. Failure to comply with the requirements may result in hefty fines, so ensure you know what to do. The only company type not registered with the Companies House is sole proprietorship, which registers with HMRC for tax.

What's a Companies House Search Service?

The company's House search service is a reliable and quick way to access every UK-incorporated company's information. You access information such as incorporation date, business name, and location for free. You can search company information at the Companies House using these methods:

You will find information about businesses struck off from the register through this search service.

Since the public can access this information, it can be used for:

  • Researching competitors,
  • Confirming the company's legitimacy
  • Finding information about possible investments

The Companies House search service is an excellent resource for businesses, journalists, the public, and investors. It is an effective means to gather a company's information before engaging with them. For companies, it is a reliable indicator of trustworthiness to potential investors or customers.

Company Information Available on the Company's House Register

Although most people know businesses register with the UK government, they don't know the information on this register. Even those who know may not understand the UK Registrar of Companies' business terminology.

So we've dug into the information on the register when searching for an existing company and its explanation.

  • Registered company name: This is your business's formal and legal name for official purposes. You can select any name for your company, provided it's not registered and doesn't include offensive language. Companies can use a trading name that differs slightly from their registered company name.
  • Company registration number:  When registering a company in the UK, you'll receive a unique nine-digit Company Registration Number (CRN). This number is assigned exclusively to your company. The HMRC and Companies House use the number for identification purposes. You must include this CRN on all your company official documents, like company accounts.
  • Registered office address: This is where you registered your company with Companies House. This address will appear on your business's official documents, like the company's annual account. Even if you're a UK non-resident, your registered office has to be in the UK even if you don't operate from another region. For example, you can have a virtual office if you work from home or abroad.
  • Company type: when registering a company, you must include the business type. This shows the HMRC and Companies House the kind of rules and regulations your company must follow. Some company types include sole traders and private and public limited companies. But you can choose other company structures like unlimited companies, partnerships, and charities.
  • Nature of business activity: every company in the UK is categorized using the Standard Industrial Classification System (SIC code). This system categorises entities based on their business activities.
  • Company status: This is your company's current legal standing. It remains active as long as your business is operational and trading. However, if your company enters administration, or you decide to make it dormant, the status will reflect these changes.
  • Formation date: every UK company must have an incorporation date in their article of incorporation. The formation date means the day your business came into existence officially. This date is crucial since it marks your company's year-end.
  • Articles of incorporation: your company will have articles and memorandum of association. These documents set rules and regulations that will govern your business. They explain what members, directors, and employees are supposed to do and how the company will run meetings and make decisions.
  • Information of current and past directors: You must provide Companies House with the name, date of birth, address, nationality, and other personal details of each company director. This information will be publicly available, allowing people to see details about your current and resigned directors.
  • People with significant control details: You must also provide the Companies House with individuals who control your business. These people influence and control businesses through voting rights, shares, or board of directors appointments. This information will also be available to the public.
  • Information of the current and previous members: A shareholder is an individual who owns shares in a company. They are also called subscribers or guarantors. These individuals take responsibility for paying debts a company incurs and cannot pay. The companies' registers also have details of these individuals.
  • Filing deadlines: companies must submit various documents to Companies House, each with its deadline on the register. Companies House sets different deadlines for different filings, so it's important to know each one. Check your company's filing deadlines on your profile.
  • Company previous name: If you've changed your company's name, the old name will be available for public viewing on the company's registrar. The Companies House register will record the previous name for anyone to allow them to review the company's history.
  • History of late filings and penalties: Companies House sends reminders to businesses that don't submit their annual accounts and confirmation statements on time. If your business receives such a notice, it will be displayed on your profile. Ensure you avoid these notices, as potential clients and investors can see them as a lack of organisation.
  • Insolvency information: This provides shareholders and creditors financial transparency of a business's affairs during insolvency proceedings. It includes business assets, financial history, and liabilities. In other cases, the insolvency information may include the details of shareholders and directors.
  • Statement of capital: this is the information about how much your business has in share capital. You provide the information to Companies House, which is used to calculate your business's annual returns. The statement of capital also shows the number of shares your company issues and the value of every share.
  • Annual accounts: Businesses must file annual accounts with the company registrar. Failure to fulfil this legal requirement may result in heavy fines or penalties. The annual accounts show your business's financial health and provide essential information to creditors and shareholders. You must fill the accounts in the ninth month of your business financial year and ensure a qualified accountant signs them off.
  • Confirmation statements: These documents are mandatory filings with Companies House. They contain details of a company's shareholders, directors, and registered office. Confirmation statements must be filed annually but can be submitted more frequently if there are changes to the company's shareholder or director details.

Directors and members of LLPs often find the addresses they provide to Companies House to be a significant source of worry. Ensuring the accuracy of these addresses is crucial, but since they are publicly accessible and may affect their privacy and security, can they be removed from the register?

Registered Office Address

This official address you provide during company formation is published on the register and accessible to the public. The address you submit as a registered office address cannot be removed from the company's register, even if it's your home address.

Correspondence Address

This address is also called the service address that every director and LLP member must provide to Companies House. Providing your home address as your service address will also be accessible to the public. Fortunately, you can change the address or ask the Companies House to delete it from the register, but you must provide another address to replace it.

Do you want to remove your personal address from the register? Follow this process:

  • Check the document containing your home address through the Companies House search service.
  • Download and fill out the application form SR01
  • Pay £32a fee to remove the address of all the documents
  • Then send your payment and application form to

The Register of Companies

PO Box 4082

Cardiff

CF14 3WE.

However, if possible, use a commercial address when forming your company. This will ensure that your home address is not on public record, and you won't have to remove it later.

Is the information on the Public Record Accurate?

Companies House emphasises that they do not have the authority or ability to confirm the accuracy of the information provided. While they conduct basic checks to ensure documents are complete and signed, they cannot verify the information's accuracy. Placing information on the public record doesn't imply Companies House has validated it.

Winding Up

Companies must file up-to-date and accurate information with the Companies House because the Companies House search service is an essential platform providing information to companies and individuals nationwide. At Incorpuk, we will help you file accurate information when you register your company through us. We will help you with incorporation articles, a registered office address, and all you may need to register your company in the UK. Contact our team if you seek any information; we will gladly assist.