Phoenix company check
A phoenix company is a new entity started by directors of a failed business — often to walk away from debts, HMRC liabilities or supplier invoices. Our engine spots the tell-tale director patterns in seconds.
Don't get burned twice
We look at every director's history: how many companies they have run, how many failed inside 36 months, whether new incorporations use similar names or the same registered office, and whether the trading pattern points to a phoenix.
15 free checks per month. Sanctions & phoenix detection included.
What is a phoenix company?
Not every business restart is illegal — directors are entitled to trade again after failure. But a "phoenix" pattern typically means the goodwill and assets of an insolvent company are transferred to a new entity (often controlled by the same people) while creditors, HMRC and employees of the old company are left behind.
Signals we look for
- · Directors with multiple short-lived companies (tenure < 36 months)
- · A cluster of dissolved or liquidated companies from the same director
- · Similar trading names or SIC codes across old and new companies
- · Shared registered office between the failed and new entity
- · A new company incorporated shortly before or after insolvency of the old one
Why it matters
Suppliers extending credit terms to a phoenix are highly likely to become the next round of unpaid creditors. Regulated firms have KYB obligations to identify high-risk patterns. And under the Insolvency Act 1986 s.216, reusing a prohibited name can be a criminal offence for the director.
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