The register of charges at Companies House records every fixed and floating charge a company has granted. It shows who holds the security, the date of creation, and whether the charge has been satisfied or released. Control over a company's assets is not visible from the share register alone. A creditor holding a fixed charge over core assets can enforce ahead of shareholders and ahead of unsecured creditors. That enforcement position is what this extract maps.
England and Wales operates a public filing system under the Companies Act 2006, Part 25. Every charge created on or after 6 April 2013 must be registered at Companies House within 21 days of creation. Failure to register renders the charge void against a liquidator and against other creditors. The register is therefore the authoritative source for secured creditor positions — not a secondary indicator.
What the extract showsEvery registered charge by charge number, date of creation, date of registration, chargee name, assets charged, and satisfaction status. Source: Companies House register of charges · verified 2026-09-15 Charges created before 6 April 2013Pre-2013 charges were held on the company's own register of charges, not at Companies House in the same structured form. Older charges may appear in scanned filings only. Source: Companies Act 2006, Part 25 transitional provisions · verified 2026-09-15 Access conditionThe register is publicly accessible via Companies House. No registration is required to search by company name or company number. Source: Companies House service · verified 2026-09-15 What the extract does not showCharges that were never registered (void against liquidators but potentially still enforceable between the parties), informal security arrangements, and negative pledge clauses embedded in loan agreements that are not filed separately. Source: Companies Act 2006 s.859H · verified 2026-09-15Source: Companies House register of charges · extracted 2026-09-15
The register entry for each charge includes the charge code, the date the charge was created, the date it was delivered to Companies House for registration, the name and address of the chargee, a description of the assets or property charged, and the current status — outstanding, satisfied, or part-satisfied.
For charges created on or after 6 April 2013, the instrument of charge itself is filed as a scanned document. That instrument sets out the specific covenants, events of default, and enforcement mechanics. The register entry is the index; the instrument is the substance.
For charges created before that date, the register entry exists but the instrument may not be filed electronically. Retrieval of pre-2013 instruments requires a separate document request from the Companies House archive.
Floating charges are recorded in the same register. A floating charge crystallises on insolvency or on a trigger event defined in the instrument. The register shows whether a floating charge exists and who holds it. It does not show whether crystallisation has occurred — that determination requires review of the instrument and any subsequent filings by an administrative receiver or administrator.
Source: Companies House register of charges · extracted 2026-09-15
Shareholders hold residual economic interest. Secured creditors hold prior claims over specific assets. In a distressed scenario, the holder of a fixed charge over land, intellectual property, or receivables controls the outcome — not the majority shareholder.
An acquisition analysis that stops at the share register misses this layer entirely. A company may show a single shareholder with 100% of issued share capital and simultaneously carry a fixed charge over its principal trading asset held by a lender whose consent is required for any disposal. That consent right is a veto on the transaction.
The charges register also reveals whether a debenture has been granted. A debenture typically combines a fixed charge over specific assets with a floating charge over the entire undertaking. The holder of an all-assets debenture has a security position that, on enforcement, supersedes shareholder rights in full.
Cross-border buyers frequently encounter English subsidiaries within group structures. The subsidiary's charges register may show security granted to a group treasury company or to an external lender secured at the parent level. Identifying the chargee and the scope of the charge is a prerequisite for assessing whether the subsidiary can be separated from the group without triggering enforcement.
Source: Companies House register of charges · extracted 2026-09-15
Companies House maintains a public search service. A search by company name or registered number returns the list of charges on the register. Each charge entry can be viewed individually. The instrument filed with the charge is available as a downloadable document.
The data is published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Redistribution with attribution is permitted. What this means in practice: the raw data is accessible without payment to Companies House. The cost of a professional extract is not a registry fee — it is the cost of the work described below.
The steps in a professional extract are as follows. First, the company is identified by its registered number, not by name alone — name searches return multiple results and the wrong entity is a common error. Second, the full charge history is retrieved, including satisfied charges, because a satisfied charge may have been re-granted or may indicate a prior enforcement event. Third, each instrument is retrieved and reviewed for scope of assets charged, negative pledge clauses, cross-default provisions, and any restrictions on disposal. Fourth, pre-2013 charges are identified and, where relevant, the archive request is made. Fifth, the findings are compiled into a structured extract with a source citation for each entry.
The timeline from instruction to delivery depends on the tier ordered. Signal-tier extracts covering current outstanding charges are delivered within two business days. Standard-tier extracts including instrument review are delivered within five business days. Extended-tier extracts covering the full charge history, pre-2013 archive retrieval, and cross-referenced analysis against the insolvency register are delivered within ten business days.
Source: Companies House register of charges · extracted 2026-09-15
The register of charges is a filing system, not a verification system. Companies House does not verify the accuracy of the information filed. The chargee named in the register may have assigned the benefit of the charge to a third party — that assignment is not required to be registered at Companies House. The register shows the original chargee; it does not show the current holder of the debt.
A satisfaction entry on the register means that a memorandum of satisfaction was filed. It does not mean the underlying debt was repaid. A charge can be marked satisfied and the debt remain outstanding if the parties agreed to release the security without discharging the obligation.
Charges over land registered at HM Land Registry are noted on the title register, not only at Companies House. A charge over a specific property may appear at the Land Registry without a corresponding entry at Companies House if it was granted by an individual rather than a company, or if it predates the company's acquisition of the property. A complete picture of security over real property requires both registers.
Charges over financial collateral under the Financial Collateral Arrangements (No.2) Regulations 2003 are exempt from the Companies Act registration requirement. These charges do not appear on the Companies House register at all. Their existence can only be established from the transaction documents.
Negative pledge clauses — contractual restrictions on granting further security — are embedded in loan agreements and are not separately registrable. Their existence is not visible from the register. A company may have no registered charges and simultaneously be contractually prohibited from granting any.
The ceiling of what the sources allow is stated before payment.
Source: Companies Act 2006, Part 25; Financial Collateral Arrangements (No.2) Regulations 2003; HM Land Registry · verified 2026-09-15
The Companies House register and the HM Land Registry title register are maintained independently. A charge over a specific property may be recorded at one and not the other, or recorded with different dates or chargee names, depending on when each registration was completed and whether both registrations were made.
Where a discrepancy exists between the two registers, the discrepancy is itself a finding. It may indicate a registration error, a delay in filing, or a charge that was granted over property and over the company's undertaking under separate instruments. The extract identifies the discrepancy and states which register shows what. It does not resolve the discrepancy — resolution requires review of the underlying instruments and, where necessary, correspondence with the registering parties.
Source: Companies House register of charges; HM Land Registry · verified 2026-09-15
| Tier | Price | What is included | What is NOT included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signal | €440 | Current outstanding charges: register entries, chargee names, asset descriptions, status. Company identification by registered number. Delivery within 2 business days. | Instrument retrieval and review. Pre-2013 archive charges. Insolvency register cross-check. Land Registry cross-check. |
| Standard | €890 | Everything in Signal, plus: retrieval and review of each filed instrument for scope, negative pledge clauses, and disposal restrictions. Cross-check against the insolvency register. Delivery within 5 business days. | Pre-2013 archive retrieval. Land Registry title register cross-check. Analysis of financial collateral arrangements. |
| Extended | €1800 | Everything in Standard, plus: full charge history including satisfied and released charges. Pre-2013 archive retrieval where available. Land Registry cross-check for identified properties. Structured analysis of enforcement sequence and asset coverage. Delivery within 10 business days. | Legal advice on enforceability. Verification of current debt holder where charge has been assigned. Review of financial collateral arrangements exempt from registration. |
Does a company with no registered charges have no secured creditors? Not necessarily. Charges exempt from registration under the Financial Collateral Arrangements Regulations do not appear on the Companies House register. Charges over land may be registered at HM Land Registry without a corresponding Companies House entry. The register shows what was filed; it does not confirm the absence of security that falls outside the filing requirement.
What does a satisfied charge mean? A memorandum of satisfaction was filed at Companies House. This records that the chargee confirmed the charge was released. It does not confirm the underlying debt was repaid. The satisfaction entry is a filing record, not a debt discharge confirmation.
Can a charge be assigned to a new holder without appearing on the register? Yes. The benefit of a registered charge can be assigned without re-registration. The register continues to show the original chargee. The current holder of the debt is not determinable from the register alone.
Is the Companies House register the only source for charges over English companies? No. Charges over land are noted on the HM Land Registry title register. Charges over ships are registered at the UK Ship Register. Charges over aircraft are registered at the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The Companies House register covers charges over the company's undertaking and assets generally; specialist asset registers cover specific asset classes.
How far back does the register go? The electronic register at Companies House covers charges created from 1 January 1990 onwards in structured form. Earlier charges exist in paper records held in the Companies House archive. Pre-2013 charges may be available as scanned documents. The Extended tier includes archive retrieval where records are available.
Sources:
Disclaimer: This report is a factual compilation from official registers and public sources. It is provided for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and contains no legal qualification of the facts established. VLO Law Firm assumes no liability for actions taken or not taken based on this material. For advice regarding your particular situation, please contact info@vlolawfirm.com.
Author: James Whitfield — Partner, UK & Common Law, VLO Law Firm