TL;DR: Companies House’s free Find and update company information service shows a company’s status, directors, registered address and filing history, and lets you search dissolved companies too. Before paying a builder, letting agent, online shop or investment firm, check the company exists, is active, isn’t brand new, files on time, and that the names and address match what you were told. Since 18 November 2025, directors have to verify their identity with Companies House, which makes fake directors harder. But a registered company isn’t automatically an honest one.
Why bother checking
Companies House’s own blog puts it plainly: "It’s quite easy for someone to say ’I’m a company director’" (Companies House blog). Checking takes five minutes. Chasing a deposit from a company that never existed takes considerably longer.
What the free search shows
The service lives at find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. According to ACCA’s summary of the service, it offers:
- advanced company searches;
- dissolved company searches (records of companies dissolved since January 2010, kept for 20 years);
- company snapshot reports;
- an alphabetical name search.
From the Companies House blog, each record shows directors’ names and service addresses, the filing history (accounts, confirmation statements, charges) and other business activity.
The five-minute check
- Search the exact name and the company number if it’s on the invoice or website. A company number that doesn’t match the name is a bad sign.
- Status: is it "Active"? Walk away from "Dissolved," "Liquidation" or "Proposal to strike off."
- Age: incorporated last month? Be careful with big payments up front.
- People: do the directors match the person you’re dealing with?
- Filing history: are accounts and confirmation statements up to date? A string of overdue filings is a red flag.
- Address: does the registered office match the address on the website or invoice?
- Dissolved search: if the name isn’t on the live register, search dissolved companies. A builder trading under a company that closed two years ago is telling you something.
Red flags at a glance
| What you see | What it can mean |
|---|---|
| No match for the name or number | The company may not exist, or you have the wrong details |
| Dissolved or proposal to strike off | The company is closed or being closed |
| Incorporated in the last few weeks | No track record yet; keep deposits small |
| Overdue accounts or confirmation statements | Poorly run, or abandoned |
| Directors don’t match who you’re dealing with | Possible impersonation or a "clone" of a real firm |
| Registered office is a different address from the invoice | Ask why before paying |
What changed: director ID verification
Under the new company law reforms, identity verification became mandatory from 18 November 2025, according to Howard Kennedy’s summary:
- new directors must verify their identity to set up a company or be appointed;
- existing directors must confirm verification in their company’s next confirmation statement;
- people can verify through GOV.UK One Login (free) or through an Authorised Corporate Service Provider.
For you as a customer, this means a director’s name on the register is more likely to belong to a real, verified person than it used to be. It doesn’t vouch for their workmanship, their honesty or whether the person emailing you is actually them.
What a clean record doesn’t prove
A registration isn’t a seal of approval. Scammers register companies too, and some "clone" real firms by copying their name and number. So also:
- check investment firms on the FCA Firm Checker;
- read reviews beyond the first page of results;
- for property, verify ownership with HM Land Registry (as SpareRoom advises);
- call the company on a number you found yourself, not the one in the email or invoice;
- never pay a business invoice into a personal bank account.
Doorstep builders deserve extra care. A roofing gang that targeted older homeowners was jailed for 63 years in total (the case).
If you’re a director: your own privacy
The register shows a lot about directors, and people-finder sites copy it. The government’s Companies House changes page lists what you can now hide:
- since 27 January 2025: your home address, where it was used as a registered office, in historical documents;
- since 21 July 2025: residential addresses elsewhere on the register in most cases, day of birth on documents filed before 10 October 2015, signatures and business occupation.
Since 10 October 2015, only the month and year of birth have been shown publicly. If your details have spread beyond the register, see our 192.com removal guide.
A free email exposure check covers the other side of your footprint: which breaches your email address appears in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a Companies House search free?
Yes. The Find and update company information service on GOV.UK is free to search.
Does being on Companies House mean a company is legitimate?
No. It shows the company is registered, not that it’s honest. Use it alongside the FCA register, reviews and your own checks.
What are the red flags on Companies House?
No match for the name or number, dissolved or strike-off status, very recent incorporation, overdue filings, and directors who don’t match the person you’re dealing with.
Can I check a company that has closed?
Yes. The service includes a dissolved company search covering companies dissolved since January 2010.
Do company directors have to verify their identity now?
Yes. Identity verification became mandatory from 18 November 2025 for new directors, and existing directors confirm it in their next confirmation statement.
Can company directors hide their home address?
Directors can use a service address, and since July 2025 they can apply to suppress residential addresses elsewhere on the register in most cases.
Sources
- Companies House blog: Checking the public company record
- Companies House: Find and update company information
- ACCA: Companies House Find and update service
- Howard Kennedy: Companies House ID verification from 18 November 2025
- GOV.UK: Changes to UK company law, protecting your information