The Companies House register is the single most useful free source for due diligence on a UK company. It is public, searchable, and surprisingly revealing once you know what to read. This guide walks the record field by field, shows you how to read the filing history like a detective, and — just as important — explains what the register does not tell you.
What's on the record
| Section | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Overview | Company number, status (active/dissolved), incorporation date, type, registered office |
| People | Current and former directors, and the PSC (people with significant control) register |
| Filing history | Every document filed, dated — accounts, confirmation statements, changes |
| Accounts | Financial statements (depth depends on company size) |
| Charges | Mortgages and charges registered against the company |
The two routine filings
Two filings recur every year, and their timing is a signal in itself.
| Confirmation statement | Annual accounts | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Confirms the company details are up to date | Reports the company's finances |
| Frequency | At least every 12 months | Annually |
| Tells you | Directors, PSCs, registered office, SIC codes | Financial position (scaled to company size) |
Reading filing history like a detective
The filing history is where due diligence really happens. You are looking for what is normal and what breaks the pattern.
Spot the red flags
Below is a simplified Companies House record. Click the lines you think a due-diligence analyst should question.
Tap each line that should raise a question. Then reveal which are real flags.
What the record does not tell you
A practical reading order
- Status and ageCheck the company is active and note how long it has existed.
- Registered officeNote whether it is a real trading address or a formation-agent mailbox.
- PeopleReview directors and the PSC register — who runs and who owns it.
- Filing historyScan for lateness, churn, and pattern breaks.
- AccountsRead the financials to the depth the company's size allows.
- Cross-checkConfirm against other sources — the register alone is not the whole truth.
Where Probitas fits
A Probitas company profile reads the public record — including beneficial ownership signals and filing patterns — and pairs it with sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening, anchoring each finding to its source. It surfaces the questions; you reach the conclusions.
Reading
Is Companies House data free to access?
Yes. The register is public and free to search online, including company details, directors, the PSC register, accounts and the full filing history.
What is a confirmation statement?
A yearly filing confirming that key company details — directors, people with significant control, registered office and SIC codes — are accurate and up to date. It does not report finances; that is the annual accounts.
Can I trust everything on a Companies House record?
Not blindly. The register has historically reflected what companies filed without full verification, so details can be inaccurate or deliberately misleading. Reforms are adding identity checks, but cross-checking against other sources remains essential.
What are the warning signs in a company's filing history?
Persistent late filing, rapid changes of directors, PSCs, name or address, long dormancy followed by sudden activity, a registered office shared by thousands of companies, and a PSC register that hides real control. Each is a question to investigate, not proof of wrongdoing.
What does the PSC register show?
People with Significant Control — the individuals who ultimately own or control the company, typically through holding more than 25% of shares or voting rights, or otherwise exercising significant influence. See our beneficial ownership guide for detail.
Sources
This guide is written from primary sources. Each is linked below; claims in the text link to the specific reference they rely on.