Avoiding trade scams
Recognise common warning signs, verify a firm and find the official place to report a scam.
Research to help you hire and plan with confidence
Use public business information and council decisions to answer the questions that matter before you hire or start work. Every figure comes from evidence we hold from named public sources, with the method and limits shown.
Check before you hire
Spot warning signs and understand what public business information can tell you before money changes hands.
Company status by town
See aggregate company-status warning signs for trade businesses in towns across the UK.
Company status on listings
Understand why a listing can remain visible after the company register shows a dissolved or struck-off status.
Company-status changes by area
Follow changes in dissolved and other warning statuses by area without naming individual firms.
Plan a home project
Use real council decisions to understand planning outcomes and activity before you appoint a professional.
Planning approval odds
Compare approval rates and typical decision times for common home projects by council.
Council planning data
See the planning applications we hold for a council and explore approval rates by project type.
Planning application activity
See monthly planning decisions for councils where we hold decisions across the full period.
Understand the wider picture
Put an individual hiring decision in context with transparent figures from the evidence we hold.
State of the Trades
Read headline figures for UK trade businesses, public reviews and named sources.