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A Comprehensive Guide to Using UK Companies House Data for Customer Due Diligence

AML
Compliance
Insight
Kyckr
Registries
Entity Verification
October 21, 2024

UK Companies House is the official government business in the United Kingdom, an executive agency operating under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Through its public register, Companies House provides access to a wide range of data — mostly free of charge — on companies, officers, and people with significant control, amongst other online services.

Companies House data is an essential component of the KYB process, helping analysts conduct customer due diligence (CDD) on potential customers — investigating persons of significant control, searching for directors, limited companies, or even just performing a company check to verify the incorporation date of a company.

Make no mistake: companies house data company data has immense value. However, the platform’s usability can pose challenges, with significant shortcomings in essential features. For instance, its limited company search tool, and the fact that data is stored in image format.

The result? Extracting information becomes a time-consuming task, often resulting in missed opportunities for valuable insights.

In this guide, we’ll look at what Companies House is, what company information you can access and how to conduct a company search on Companies House.

What are the KYB requirements for businesses in the UK?

The UK has robust AML (anti-money laundering) and CTF regulations that impose obligations on firms to conduct customer due diligence, report suspicious transactions, and implement internal controls to mitigate the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing.

To do so, companies must use reliable, independent company data sources for KYC and KYB checks: official government registries, reputable commercial databases, and reliable media sources to check companies thoroughly.

One of the best ways of doing this is by using UK Companies House.

What is the role of Companies House?

Companies House is the official public register of companies in the United Kingdom. It has various functions, including:

  • Company incorporation and company dissolution.  
  • Examining and storing information about companies.  
  • Making company data available to the public on the official corporate registry (the Companies House register).  
  • Updating corporate data and maintaining the companies register.  
  • Providing company search and electronic filing services.  
  • Ensuring companies file their annual confirmation statement to maintain accurate and up-to-date public records.  
  • Releasing quarterly and annual statistics on company incorporations, dissolutions, liquidations, insolvency, and corporate compliance.

A Brief Guide to Each Company Type on Companies House

The UK public register features various company types, each with distinct characteristics:

  1. Public Limited Company (PLC): PLCs can raise capital publicly by selling shares on a stock exchange. They have limited liability, must disclose financial statements, and adhere to strict corporate governance and regulatory requirements.
  1. Private Limited Company by Share (LTD): The most common UK company type, LTDs have limited liability and are privately owned. Shareholders have voting rights, and directors manage the company. They must file annual accounts and comply with the Companies Act.
  1. Private Unlimited Company: Members of these companies have unlimited liability, meaning personal assets can be used to settle company debts. While offering operational flexibility, shareholders face higher risk.
  1. Private Limited Company by Guarantee: Common among non-profits, this type has no share capital. Members’ liability is limited to a nominal amount they guarantee if the company winds up. Compliance with regulatory requirements is mandatory.
  1. European Economic Interest Groupings (EEIG): EEIGs allow businesses from different EU states to cooperate while maintaining separate legal identities. Members’ liability is limited, and each member retains autonomy.
  1. Limited Liability Partnership (LLP): LLPs combine aspects of partnerships and corporations. Members have limited liability and can structure management and profit-sharing flexibly. LLPs must register and file accounts with Companies House.
  1. Limited Partnership: This structure includes general partners with unlimited liability and limited partners liable only to the extent of their investment.
  1. International Companies: Foreign companies with a UK establishment must register with Companies House, ensuring compliance with UK regulations for their UK operations.
  1. European Public Businesses (SE): Pre-Brexit, SEs could register in the UK and operate across EU states under a unified legal framework.

Different Types of Company Information

Companies House gives you access to lots of company data:

Company Registration Information

Basic company details like the company's name, company number, company status, registered office address, date of incorporation, and company type (e.g., private limited company, public limited company).

Director Information

Information on company directors, secretaries, and other officers, including their names, dates of birth, nationality, occupation, and any former names.

Company Accounts and Financial Statements

Financial records, including annual accounts and reports. These offer insight into a company's financial health, performance, and profitability and help businesses make informed decisions.

Share Capital and Shareholders Details

Information on the company's share capital structure, types of shares issued, nominal value, and associated rights is provided. Shareholder details, their holdings, and ownership changes.

Annual Returns and Confirmation Statements

Companies must file annual returns (or confirmation statements) with Companies House, updating information on officers, shareholders, registered office addresses, and more, ensuring transparency and compliance.

Company Filing History

A comprehensive and chronological filing history of all documents submitted by the company to Companies House. This record includes changes in company details over time, offering a clear picture of the company's evolution. 

A step-by-step guide to conducting a Companies House Company Search

  1. Access the website. Begin by navigating to the Companies House website, where access is free for users.
  1. Find the search database. Locate the search section on the homepage to initiate your search.
  1. Find a company name. Enter the company's name or company number — also known as registration number (CRN) — into the search bar. You can search by company name or officer name.
  1. Refine your search. For companies with common names, refine your search by adding details like location or specific keywords related to their business activities to narrow down results efficiently.
  1. Click the ‘Search’ button. You will see a list of companies meeting your search criteria, displaying basic information such as name, registration number, and registered office address.
  1. Find the company. Select the desired company from the search results to access its overview page. Here, detailed information and filed documents with Companies House are available.
  1. Explore the company overview page. You’ll find details on directors, shareholders, registered addresses, filing history, and downloadable documents like annual accounts and confirmation statements.
  1. Download specific documents. If specific documents are required, like annual accounts or incorporation papers, they can typically be downloaded directly from the Companies House website.

[Want to see the documents available at Companies House? Click this link to learn more!]

How accurate is Companies House Data?

Company data on a public registry is only as accurate as the information that companies provide.

Companies House relies on businesses to submit accurate information, on time. And because Companies House doesn’t verify the accuracy of filed information, inaccurate information can still be published — a source of intense frustration for KYB analysts trying to conduct a company search.

There are certain loopholes within Companies House that facilitates inaccurate information.  

Phoenixing

There are concerns about "phoenixing", where businesses run up debts and re-establish themselves under a new company name to avoid creditors. 

Accounting period

Some companies shorten their accounting period by 1 day, receiving from Companies House three further months to file — all without transgressing the rules.

Fake directors

We’ve seen cases of identity fraud, where people are registered as directors or beneficial owners of companies they’ve never heard of. Proper identification and verification of company officials and shareholders is critical.

SIC codes

SIC codes are not regularly revised, and sectors are often categorised under large umbrellas. Fraudulent companies may exploit the lack of stringent regulations around SIC codes to obscure their true nature of business by selecting a code loosely fitting their operations and avoiding immediate scrutiny or detection.

[Learn more by clicking this link!]

How long does Companies House take to update?

The time it takes for Companies House to update company information depends on the submission type. Updates filed online are usually processed within 24 hours. If you submit changes via paper forms, it typically takes roughly 7 to 10 days for the updates to be reflected on the public record​.

Companies House offers a service called ‘Follow’ which sends you free email alerts of company transactions, telling you instantly what information has been filed — as soon as Companies House has accepted it.

The email alert includes a link to the filing history of the company you’re following, where you can download a copy of the document — for free.

Unwrap global businesses with one integration

Kyckr is a one-stop shop for 300+ business registries worldwide. Our easy-to-use API will let you autofill your case records with normalised structured data into your chosen workflow management system — and only from government-approved sources. With Kyckr, you can identify a UBO in seconds, and enjoy expert support from a team of dedicated AML professionals. Speak to our team to learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are the AML regulators in the UK?

There are several AML supervisors in the UK, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), and the Gambling Commission. The Office for Professional Body Anti-Money Laundering Supervision (OPBAS) oversees the AML supervision of legal and accountancy service providers.

Customer Due Diligence Checklist (UK)

Regulated entities onboarding business customers must do the following:

  1. Identify the business and verify its existence and legal status using reliable, independent sources.
  1. Identify the beneficial owners and determine the ownership and control structure.
  1. Assess the risk posed by the business relationship based on factors like industry, location, customer base, and products/services.
  1. Conduct ongoing monitoring of the business relationships and transactions.

What information is needed to conduct customer due diligence on a business? 

Regulated entities need to understand the following information to conduct customer due diligence:

·      The business’s full legal name.

·      Registration number.

·      Registered address.

·      Nature of business activities.

·      Proof of existence and legal status (e.g. certificate of incorporation).

·      Beneficial owner names, dates of birth, nationalities, addresses, and identification numbers.

What is a dormant company on Companies House?

A dormant company is a company that has had no significant accounting transactions during its financial year. This means it hasn't conducted any business activities, made any profit or incurred any expenses, aside from specific exemptions like payment for shares taken by subscribers to the memorandum of association, fees paid to Companies House for a change of company name, the re-registration of a company, or filing annual returns.

What is a SIC code?

SIC codes (Standard Industrial Classification codes) are numerical codes used to categorise and classify businesses based on their primary economic activity.

Each SIC code corresponds to a specific industry or sector, allowing for consistent classification across different organisations. However, these codes often cover broad categories such as retail sale and mail order houses, which may not adequately represent modern sectors influenced by technological advancements.

But they’re not regularly revised, and sectors are often categorised under large umbrellas. Fraudulent companies may exploit the lack of stringent regulations around SIC codes to obscure their true nature of business by selecting a code loosely fitting their operations and avoid immediate scrutiny or detection.

What is Companies House WebCHeck?

WebCHeck is an online service that allows users to search for and access company information about businesses registered in the UK. Through WebCHeck, you can:

  1. Company Search: Find details about any registered company by name or company number.
  1. View Company Information: Access basic company information such as the company's registered office address, company status (active, dissolved, etc.), and date of incorporation.
  1. Access Filings and Documents: View and download filed documents such as annual returns, accounts, and director appointments/resignations.
  1. Monitor Companies: Set up email alerts to monitor changes to specific companies, such as new filings or status updates.

WebCHeck is a valuable tool for anyone needing to verify company details, conduct due diligence, or keep track of business entities for legal or business purposes.

Learn more by downloading our exclusive guide
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