How to check if a UK company is legitimate

Every UK limited company has a unique Companies House registration number (CRN). Ask for it on an invoice, contract or proposal, or look for it on their website.

If a business cannot give you a CRN and claims to be a limited company, that is your first warning sign.

Search the official Companies House register using the CRN or exact company name. The registry shows the legal name, status, incorporation date and registered address.

An exact name match with an active status is a good start — but it is not enough on its own.

Confirm the company status: Active is what you want to see. Be cautious if it is dormant, liquidation, administration or dissolved.

Open the filing history and look for recent confirmation statements and annual accounts. Missing filings can mean the business is no longer trading or is behind on statutory obligations.

Review the current directors and the Persons with Significant Control (PSCs). Do the names match the people you are dealing with? Are there many changes in a short period?

Frequent director resignations or a PSC based in a different country from the trading address are worth questioning.

Watch for these warning signs during your review:

• Repeated late filings or overdue accounts
• A registered address that is a mail-forwarding service or residential flat
• Multiple unrelated companies at the same address
• A sudden change of name or nature of business
• Charges or mortgages you were not told about

Cross-check the registered address against the address on contracts, invoices and the company website. A legitimate business usually has a consistent, traceable address.

If the address points to a virtual office or co-working space, ask where the actual trading operations take place.

Search for news about the company and its officers. Look for regulatory fines, court cases, insolvency rumours or customer complaints. Prefer sources with published dates and citations.

A clean registry record does not guarantee a clean reputation. Recent negative coverage may be the signal that official filings miss.

Combine Companies House with a credit reference agency, trade body membership checks and a simple web search. One data point can be wrong; several aligned data points build confidence.

If anything feels inconsistent, ask the company directly for evidence before committing money or signing a contract.