Before you sign a contract, hire a supplier, or take on a client — check the company. These guides explain what to look for in Companies House data and how to interpret the risk signals you find.
The complete guide: company status, directors, charges, registered address, filings — everything to check before signing a contract.
8 real-world situations where checking a company is worth the two minutes it takes — from new suppliers to client contracts.
What each dashboard risk card means: director bans, dormant status, virtual offices, late filings, and outstanding charges.
What is a director ban? How long do they last? What it means if a director is disqualified — and how to check.
Fixed vs floating charges, what outstanding charges mean, and when secured debt should raise a red flag.
Administration, liquidation, CVAs — the different types of company insolvency and what they mean in practice.
A beginner's guide to the UK company register — what data is held, how to search, and its limits.
The guides are designed to be read alongside a ScoutCompany search. Run a check on any UK company, and the guide explains what each risk signal means:
All data comes from Companies House under the Open Government Licence — free, public, and available to anyone.