How to find UK companies in liquidation

Last updated 2026-09-03.

A company's insolvency status is public information. The challenge for a buyer is that it is scattered across thousands of individual records, appears in no single feed, and changes every day as new cases start and old ones close. To work the market you need a way to see the whole list at once, filter it down to what you care about, and keep on top of new cases as they appear.

The single list of every company in an insolvency process

Insolvency Tracker pulls every UK company currently recorded as being in a liquidation, administration, receivership or other insolvency process into one continuously updated list. You can browse it freely, with no account, and open any company for a full asset assessment. It is the quickest way to see the whole market in one place rather than checking companies one by one.

Narrow it to what you want

Volume is not the problem, focus is. Decide what you are actually looking for before you start. Buyers usually filter on three things. First the type of process, because a company in liquidation is being wound down and its assets sold, while a company in administration may still be trading and could be bought as a going concern. Second the location, since moving heavy plant, stock or a fleet across the country eats into any bargain, so cases near you are often worth more to you than to anyone else. Third the sector, because you will always assess assets better in a trade you know. You can filter the list by process type and by town or postcode to zero in fast.

Get to cases early

Timing is everything, especially for a business you might buy whole. A trading business loses value the moment it stops, so administrators often move quickly, sometimes agreeing a sale within days of appointment. Even for a straightforward asset sale, the best stock and equipment go first. The lesson is to check often and act fast. Looking at the list once a week will show you what is new since you last looked, and the sooner you are in front of the office holder the better your chances.

Read the record before you approach

Once a company catches your eye, do not approach cold. Open its record and read the basics first. Confirm the exact status and the type of process. Look at the registered charges to see which lenders have a prior claim on the assets. Check the insolvency history for the dates and the type of case. This tells you whether a clean purchase is realistic and who ranks ahead of you before you spend any time on it. On Insolvency Tracker the company record shows the status and the register facts, and the asset assessment adds the assets the company is likely to hold, what they could realise, and the office holder to contact.

Spotting the ones worth your time

Not every case is a good buy. The strongest opportunities usually share a few features. The assets are tangible and movable, or they are property you can value. The secured position is clean or simple, so a sale is not tangled up in competing charges. The company is close enough that logistics do not wipe out the saving. And you are early enough that the assets are still there and the office holder still has room to deal. Working through the list with those filters in mind turns a hundred thousand companies into a short list you can actually act on.

Start looking now

The best way in is simply to open the list and start reading real cases in your area or sector. You will learn the market faster from ten real records than from any amount of theory.

Common questions

Company information, not advice. A register status is a factual record on the day you read it, not a judgement about any company.