What we check
For a UK limited company, our note answers six questions. For a sole trader, we go as far as public traces allow.
Six questions, in plain English
Is the company still live?
We check Companies House — is it live, or already dissolving?
How old is it?
When it was formed, and whether it has any real trading history.
Where is it registered?
A yard, an office, or a house.
Who runs it?
The current officers — and whether that matches the person you met.
Has it been dissolved, renamed, or struck off?
Old names, old history, recent changes.
Are there red flags on the record?
Overdue filings, a new company claiming big work, a director with a trail of dead companies — things you should know before you pay.
What you get back
A short written note — four to fifteen lines — with our name on it. Not a 20-page dossier. Not a legal opinion.
Sole traders
For a sole trader we can only go as far as public traces allow: trading name, reviews, known address, whether anything public contradicts the story. We say when the record is thin. We don’t pretend a thin record is a pass.
What we don’t do
- We’re not the police, Trading Standards, or a licensed private investigator.
- We don’t hack, scrape logins, pull credit files we’re not entitled to, or follow people.
- We don’t guarantee a company is honest. A live company can still walk off a job. We reduce the chance of paying a shell, a mismatch, or a dead name.
- We don’t take a side in a dispute after money has already gone.
- We don’t check employees as a full HR / DBS / right-to-work bureau. Day one is who you pay.