How do I find UK companies in administration or liquidation?

The Gazette is the official public record for UK insolvency notices, and it is free to search. Use it to find notices of administration, receivership, voluntary and compulsory liquidation and bankruptcy, then cross-check the company on Companies House. Finding the notice is the easy part. The skill is in deciding who you should call, because the company itself is rarely the right buyer.

Where the notices are

The Gazette publishes insolvency notices from its London, Edinburgh and Belfast editions on a single website. You can search a company name or a notice type such as liquidation, and the advanced filters let you narrow by publication date, notice type and edition. You can also set up an email alert for a topic or company.

Some insolvency notices must be lodged at Companies House as well as published in the Gazette, so it is sensible to search both. A company in liquidation will show that status on its Companies House page, and its filing history will list the relevant documents. The Gazette also provides a data service for bulk and ongoing monitoring of corporate and personal insolvencies.

Who is the right person to call

The answer depends on what you sell and on the type of insolvency.

In a rescue process such as administration, the administrator is running the company and decides what is bought. Sellers of asset valuation, storage, security, IT disposal or specialist staffing may have a real case. The appointed insolvency practitioner is named in the notice, so you know who to approach.

In a liquidation, the company has stopped trading or is winding up. The liquidator sells assets. Buyers of used equipment, vehicles, stock or property have a case here.

Creditors are a third audience. Their debt is at risk and they may need credit control, legal advice or replacement suppliers. Customers of the failed company often need a substitute supplier quickly. Sellers in the same sector as the failed company can reach them.

What not to do

Do not pitch a company in liquidation as though it were a normal prospect. It will not buy your software subscription. Do not contact individuals in a manner that ignores the telephone and email rules for business-to-business contact. Our guide to checking the CTPS before cold calling covers that.

Do not describe the insolvency to a third party as though you had inside knowledge. The notice is public, but you should quote only what it says.

Why this is a different kind of signal

Insolvency notices are rare compared with routine filings, and they point at risk rather than growth. Most sellers do better with a positive signal such as a new director, a new contract or a first-of-function hire. Lockley reads Companies House, Contracts Finder and Find a Tender, job postings, planning registers and company websites each night, and links every finding to its source. If your market is insolvency-adjacent, add the Gazette to your routine and treat it as a separate list.

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