Before a shareholders agreement is signed, the question is not only who owns shares on paper. The question is who controls the company — and on what terms that control can be challenged or transferred. England and Wales provide one of the most accessible corporate public records in any jurisdiction. That accessibility has a ceiling, and the ceiling is stated here before any engagement begins.
The PSC register is the structural starting point. It names every person with significant control: ownership of more than 25 percent of shares or voting rights, the right to appoint or remove a majority of directors, or the right to exercise significant influence or control. This register is public and free of charge. What a report adds is the removed path: cross-referencing the PSC entry against the shareholder register, the filed accounts, the charges register, and the insolvency record — and naming where the chain stops.
Companies House holds both the PSC register and the register of members for companies that file them. The PSC register is a statutory requirement under Part 21A of the Companies Act 2006. Entries show the nature and extent of control, the date the person became registrable, and whether any restrictions apply to disclosing their details.
The shareholder register shows legal ownership. PSC entries show control. The two do not always point to the same person. A nominee shareholder appears in the register of members; the beneficial owner, if they meet the PSC threshold, must appear in the PSC register. Whether that entry is accurate is a separate question — the register records what was notified, not what was verified.
Filed accounts at Companies House show the financial position as at the accounting reference date. For small and micro companies, abbreviated accounts are permitted: a balance sheet without a profit and loss account. The depth of financial disclosure depends on the company's size classification.
Source: Companies House · extracted 2026-03-01
The register of charges at Companies House records every charge created by a UK-registered company and registered under Part 25 of the Companies Act 2006. Each entry shows the date of creation, the date of registration, the type of charge, and the document filed. Fixed and floating charges over the company's assets appear here.
A charge registered at Companies House is public and free to inspect. The document filed with the registration — typically a debenture or a fixed charge instrument — is also available. This establishes what is encumbered and in favour of whom.
Unregistered charges, charges over assets held outside England and Wales, and retention-of-title arrangements do not appear in this register. Their absence from the register is not evidence of their absence from the transaction.
Source: Companies House — Register of Charges · extracted 2026-03-01
The Individual Insolvency Register covers bankruptcies, debt relief orders, and individual voluntary arrangements for natural persons. The Gazette publishes statutory insolvency notices for both individuals and companies, including winding-up petitions and administration appointments.
A negative result in the insolvency register does not confirm that no petition has been filed. A petition filed but not yet advertised, or a voluntary arrangement in negotiation, will not appear until the relevant statutory notice is published.
Source: Individual Insolvency Register; The Gazette · extracted 2026-03-01
HM Land Registry holds the title register for registered land in England and Wales. A title register search returns the registered proprietor, the class of title, and any charges, restrictions, or notices registered against the title. The cost is £7 per title from 9 December 2024.
A name search using form PN1 returns all registered titles held in a given name. This search costs £15 and is submitted on paper. It covers registered titles only. Unregistered land — a diminishing but non-zero category — does not appear in the Land Registry record.
Source: HM Land Registry · extracted 2026-03-01
The OFSI consolidated list records financial sanctions designations made by the UK government. A match against this list is a binary result: the name appears or it does not. The list is updated without a fixed schedule; a clean result reflects the state of the list at the moment of the search.
Regulatory authorisations — financial services permissions, for example — are held by sector regulators. The FCA Financial Services Register is the primary source for firms and individuals authorised under FSMA 2000. There is no single register covering all regulated activities across all sectors.
Source: OFSI Consolidated List; FCA Financial Services Register · extracted 2026-03-01
The public record in England and Wales is among the most detailed available. Its limits are structural, not incidental.
PSC entries record notifications, not verified facts. A person who should be registered as a PSC but has not been notified will not appear. A PSC entry showing a percentage band — "25% to 50%" — does not show the exact figure. The register records what the company notified; it does not audit that notification.
Nominee structures are not disclosed by the register. A nominee shareholder holding shares on behalf of a beneficial owner satisfies the legal ownership entry in the register of members. If the beneficial owner does not independently meet the PSC threshold, they will not appear in the PSC register. The arrangement is lawful; it is also invisible to the public record.
Trust structures behind PSC entries are outside the record. A trustee who meets the PSC threshold must register. The trust deed, the identity of the settlor, and the identity of the beneficiaries are not part of the public filing.
Unregistered charges exist. Certain charges — including charges over shares and some financial collateral arrangements — are exempt from the registration requirement. Their absence from the charges register is not evidence of their non-existence.
Filed accounts reflect a point in time. Accounts filed for the most recent accounting period may be up to nine months old at the date of filing. The financial position at the date of a proposed transaction may differ materially.
The insolvency record has a publication lag. A winding-up petition presented to the court is not immediately public. The Gazette notice follows the court process; there is a window between filing and publication.