How to check if a UK company is worth doing business with

If you run a small business, you've probably dealt with a company that paid late, delivered poorly or failed to deliver at all.

A 2024 study by Visa found that 41% of UK small businesses reported losing money to fraud, and nearly a third said it damaged their confidence in future business decisions.

The figures on late payments are just as stark. Research from Hiscox shows that UK small businesses are collectively owed more than £70 billion in overdue invoices, with the average firm waiting on £12,357 in late payments per year.

Fortunately, a few simple checks before you commit to a deal can save you thousands of pounds and a lot of stress.

This blog explains how to verify any UK company and introduces a free platform that makes the whole process quicker and easier.

Why you should check a company before working with them

Maybe you're about to hire a supplier, sign a partnership agreement or take on a new client who wants credit terms.

In each case, knowing who you're dealing with matters. A quick background check can help you:

• confirm the company actually exists and is legally registered

• spot financial warning signs before you're locked into a contract

• protect yourself from late payments and unpaid invoices

• make sure the people running the business are who they say they are

It only takes a few minutes, and it could save your business from a costly mistake.

A step-by-step process to check any UK company

Step 1: Find the company registration number

Every UK limited company has a unique registration number.

You'll usually find it in the footer of a company's website, in its terms and conditions or on its invoices.

If a company makes it hard to find this number, or doesn't display it at all, that's worth noting. A legitimate business will have no trouble making their registration number easy to find.

Step 2: Look it up on Companies House

Companies House is the UK's official register of companies. Enter the registration number or company name to see:

• whether the company is active or has been dissolved

• the registered office address

• names of directors and people with significant control

• filing history, including whether accounts are up to date

If a company's accounts are overdue or its status shows as dormant while it's still actively trading, that should raise questions.

Step 3: Cross-check with HMRC

If the company quotes a VAT number, you can verify it on HMRC's online VAT number checker.

The details should match what you found on Companies House. If they don't line up, dig deeper before doing business with them.

Step 4: Check the company's financial health with Bringo

This is where using a consolidated company data platform can help. You want to know whether a company is financially stable enough to pay you on time, or at all.

Bringo is a UK company data platform that pulls together information from Companies House and other sources into one place.

You can search any of the 12 million registered UK companies and see:

• up to 16 years of financial data including assets, liabilities and profit and loss reports

• details on directors, persons with significant control (PSCs) and shareholders, with an interactive ownership map

• company health indicators that flag potential risks

• verified contact details for key people at the company

Instead of switching between several different sources, Bringo gives you a single view of the information you need to make a decision.

Step 5: Check its online reputation

A company can be legally registered and still be terrible to work with. Before you commit, look at:

• reviews on Trustpilot, Google or industry-specific platforms

• the company's social media presence – is it active and consistent?

• any negative press or complaints in forums

If you can't find any trace of the company online, or reviews are overwhelmingly negative, think carefully before signing anything.

Warning signs to watch for

Here are some specific red flags that should make you cautious:

• Registration issues:

  • No company number displayed anywhere on the company's website or materials

  • Company registered at an address that doesn't appear to be a genuine trading location

  • Listed as dormant or dissolved while appearing to trade actively

  • Repeated late filings or strike-off warnings

• Financial concerns:

  • County Court Judgments (CCJs) against the company

  • Declining net assets over several years

  • No accounts filed for recent periods

  • The company is very newly formed but claims years of experience

• Communication red flags:

  • Only accepts bank transfers – no card payments

  • No phone number or direct email contact available

  • Website has broken links, no SSL certificate or looks rushed

  • Branding and information don't match across different platforms

Any single red flag might have an innocent explanation. But if you're seeing several together, it's usually better to walk away.

How Bringo makes background checks quicker

For small business owners who don't have a legal team or hours to spare on background research, Bringo is particularly useful.

The platform is free to search, and it pulls together data that would normally take you visits to three or four different websites.

You can use over 50 filters to find companies by size, industry, location and financial status.

The ownership mapping tool shows you exactly who controls a company, which is useful when you're trying to understand whether a business is truly independent or part of a larger group.

If you run a company yourself, you can claim and manage your business profile to make sure your information is accurate and up to date.

You can also:

• keep your details accurate

• add your company description

• convert more enquiries from buyers who are actively searching for businesses like yours on the platform

If you need to do deeper research, Bringo provides CSV exports and API access for connecting company data to your own business tools.

Protect your business with a few minutes of research

Late payments and fraud are real problems for small businesses. But a quick check before you commit to any deal can save you from the worst of it.

Start with Companies House, verify what you can through HMRC and use a platform like Bringo to get a fuller picture of any company's financial health and ownership structure.

The few minutes you spend checking today could save you thousands tomorrow.

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