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How to buy assets from a company in liquidation in the UK
When a company goes into liquidation, its assets are sold to raise money for creditors. That is an opportunity for buyers of stock, equipment, property, vehicles and whole businesses. This guide explains how the sale actually works, who controls it, and how to put yourself in a strong position to buy.
Last updated 2026-09-03.
Buying from a company in liquidation is not the same as buying from a trading business. The people you dealt with before are usually gone, control of the assets has passed to an appointed office holder, and the sale runs to a different set of rules. Once you understand those rules the process is straightforward, and the assets can be well priced because the office holder is under a duty to sell them reasonably quickly.
Who actually sells the assets
When a company enters liquidation or administration, a licensed insolvency practitioner is appointed as the office holder. That person, the liquidator or administrator, takes control of the company and its assets. The former directors lose the power to sell anything the company owns. So the first rule of buying is simple: you deal with the appointed office holder, never the old company or its directors.
The office holder has a legal duty to realise the assets for the benefit of creditors, which means getting a reasonable value in a reasonable time. They are motivated to sell. A credible, ready buyer who understands the process is exactly who they want to hear from.
See who to approach on any company
Open a company on Insolvency Tracker and the asset assessment names the appointed office holder to contact, alongside the assets the company is likely to hold and what they could realise.
What you can buy
Almost anything the company owns can be sold. In practice buyers look at a few broad categories. Property, either freehold or a long leasehold, tends to hold the most value. Plant, machinery and equipment covers everything from factory lines to office fit outs. Vehicles and rolling stock are common where the business ran a fleet. Stock and work in progress can be bought in bulk. Trade debtors, the money owed to the company by its customers, are sometimes sold as a book. Intangibles such as the brand, the customer list, a website or intellectual property can be bought on their own. In some cases you can buy the business as a going concern, meaning the trade, the name and the assets together.
The order that matters: who ranks ahead of you
Before you fall in love with an asset, find out who has a claim on it. Many companies grant security to their lenders, registered as a charge against the company. A fixed charge over a specific asset, or a floating charge over the whole business, gives that lender a prior claim on the sale proceeds. If an asset is subject to an outstanding charge, the office holder normally has to account to the charge holder from the sale, and you may be buying subject to that security unless it is released.
This is why checking the registered charges is one of the most important steps. It tells you who ranks ahead of you and whether a clean sale is even possible. You can read the secured creditors on any company inside its company record, and the full picture, including what each charge covers, in the paid asset assessment.
How to work out what to offer
There is no official price list. The office holder wants a fair value quickly, so your job is to arrive at a number you can defend and act on. Most buyers build it up asset by asset. Start from a realistic idea of what each asset would fetch if sold on its own, then apply a recovery rate, because assets rarely sell for their book value in an insolvency. Property often recovers a high proportion of its market value, while stock, plant and goodwill usually recover far less. Our guide to liquidation recovery rates sets out the rule of thumb ranges buyers use.
From that indicative realisation you then decide your own discount, to reflect the risk you are taking on, the cost of moving or storing the assets, and the fact that you are buying with no warranty. The result is your offer. Insolvency Tracker gives you an asset assessment with an offer worksheet that does this arithmetic for you, using the assets identified for a specific company.
Making the approach
Once you have a company and a number, contact the appointed office holder directly. Introduce yourself, say what you are interested in, and show that you are ready and able to complete. Office holders deal with a lot of interest that goes nowhere, so proof that you have the funds and can move quickly sets you apart. Ask what is being sold, whether it is offered as a whole or in parts, what security is registered, and the timescale. Be ready to sign the office holder's terms, which will typically sell the assets as seen and exclude warranties.
If the company is being sold as a going concern, timing matters even more. A business loses value fast once it stops trading, so administrators sometimes agree a sale very quickly, occasionally a sale arranged before the appointment, known as a pre pack. If you want a trading business rather than just its assets, you need to be in front of the office holder early.
Doing your checks
Because you buy with little protection, your own checks carry the weight. Read the company's public record for its status, its filing history and its registered charges. Establish who holds security and whether it is outstanding. Inspect the assets in person where you can. For property, get your own title and valuation work done. For plant and vehicles, check condition, ownership and whether anything is on finance or subject to a retention of title claim by a supplier. None of this is advice specific to your deal, so take professional advice before you commit real money.
Ready to look
The best way to learn the market is to look at real cases. Browse the list of UK companies currently in an insolvency process, open the ones in your sector or area, and read the asset assessment on each. You will quickly get a feel for what is available, who to approach and roughly what it is worth.
Find your next opportunity
Every UK company in liquidation, administration or another insolvency process, in one place, free to browse. A full asset assessment on any one of them.
Common questions
Can anyone buy assets from a company in liquidation?
Yes. The appointed insolvency practitioner sells the assets to recover money for creditors and will deal with any credible buyer. You make your offer to the office holder, not to the company or its former directors.
Do you buy from the company or the liquidator?
From the office holder. Once a company is in liquidation or administration, control of its assets passes to the appointed insolvency practitioner, who has the legal power to sell them. The former directors can no longer sell company assets.
Do liquidation assets come with any warranty?
Usually not. Assets are typically sold as seen, with no title guarantee and no warranty. Buyers price in that risk, carry out their own checks, and confirm what security is registered against the assets before they buy.
How do I know what to pay?
Build the number up asset by asset, apply a recovery rate to each, then apply your own discount for risk and cost. See our guide to recovery rates, or use the offer worksheet in an asset assessment.
Company information, not advice. Always speak to the appointed office holder and take professional advice before making an offer.