Check a company's trading status
Before you hire a tradesperson, check whether their company is still an active business. We search the company status data we hold and name the register behind every status.
The definitive source is the official register. Search it directly here: Search Companies House (opens in new tab).
Not affiliated with Companies House. Always confirm on the official register.
How to check a company yourself
Whether or not we hold a match, you can confirm a company's status in a couple of minutes.
- Search the official register (Companies House) for the company name.
- Check the status line reads active or registered — not dissolved, in liquidation, or proposed for strike-off.
- Check the company name on the register matches the name printed on your quote or invoice.
- Be cautious if the company was formed very recently, or if an older company with a similar name was recently dissolved — ask about it before you commit.
For the full public-evidence view of a trader — reviews, credentials and risk signals — use the Cowboy Checker. To learn which credential each trade should hold, see the Trade Credential Guide.
More ways to check who to trust
Free, independent checks — no ads, no paid placement.
- Trade Credential Guide
Which official register to check for each trade — and how to verify it.
- Cowboy Checker
Spot the warning signs of a rogue trader before you hire.
- Council Experience
Which architects and agents know your local council.
- Planning Approval Rate
How often a firm's planning applications get approved.
- Planning Finder
Planning applications and the architects behind them, by postcode.