AIR HANDLING EQUIPMENT LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
01465110 · ltd · incorporated 1979-12-05
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 40.3y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 28250
Sector: Manufacturing
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 75-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 57/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 75). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 3 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 40.3y
50/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 40.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Legal-friction score 35/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (55/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
8 officers (2 active, 8 linked, 5 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
105 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-04-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-05-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-10-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-06-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-02-08📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2018-08-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-03-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2017-09-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-18📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2016-11-07➕PAGE, Ian Christopher appointeddirector
- 2009-01-01➖REILLY, Peter Alexander resignedsecretary
- 2006-11-02➕REILLY, Peter Alexander appointedsecretary
- 2006-11-02➖HOWARD, Stuart Victor resigneddirector
- 2006-05-28➖DEBENHAM, Glenis Caroline resignedsecretary
- 2006-05-28➖DEBENHAM, Glenis Caroline resigneddirector
- 1997-10-15🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1997-10-15🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1996-06-01➕DEBENHAM, Glenis Caroline appointedsecretary
- 1996-06-01➖DEBENHAM, Paul Arthur resignedsecretary
- 1996-06-01➕DEBENHAM, Glenis Caroline appointeddirector
- 1993-09-13➖MELLORS, Edward Osborne resigneddirector
- 1987-05-22🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Edward Osborne Mellors
- 1986-02-12🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1979-12-05🏢Company incorporatedAs AIR HANDLING EQUIPMENT LIMITED
Owner dependency
73/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 75 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
76/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 75 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 46 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Paul Arthur Debenham Individual · British · DOB 02/1951 · age 75 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 02/08/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Manufacturing · CH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALAVIA LIMITED→ 10757340 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ALEX SQUARED DAIRY TRADING & AVIATION SERVICES LTD→ 12154236 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ALEXANDER CHRISTIAN LTD→ 07292975 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ALEXANDER FORD FURNISHINGS LIMITED→ 12479409 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ALJISIR TECHNOLOGY LTD→ 06717025 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| ALL FOR STONE LIMITED→ 08163918 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ALUDOOR LTD→ 05991789 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ALUMINIUM FABRICATION LIMITED→ 16219322 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ALUSERV LIMITED→ 08155311 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| AM FABRICATORS LTD→ 13233254 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AMBER GRANITE LTD→ 12925650 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AMCROL LIMITED→ 05482054 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1979-12-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC28250 — SIC 28250
Registered office
168a Hoylake Road
Wirral
Merseyside
CH46 8TQ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-09-30
Last made up to: 2025-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-23
Last: 2026-01-09
Officers (2 active · 6 resigned)
Active
PAGE, Ian Christopher→
Activedirector · ~60y · appointed 2016-11-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DEBENHAM, Glenis Caroline→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1996-06-01 · resigned 2006-05-28
DEBENHAM, Paul Arthur→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1996-06-01
REILLY, Peter Alexander→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2006-11-02 · resigned 2009-01-01
DEBENHAM, Glenis Caroline→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 1996-06-01 · resigned 2006-05-28
HOWARD, Stuart Victor→
Resigneddirector · ~81y · resigned 2006-11-02
MELLORS, Edward Osborne→
Resigneddirector · ~92y · resigned 1993-09-13
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
4
Outstanding
2
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 15/10/1997 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 15/10/1997 | — | |
| outstanding | Edward Osborne Mellors / S.V. Howard | Legal charge | 2 properties | 22/05/1987 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Debenture | 1 property | 12/02/1986 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (105 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-04-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-05-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-08-01
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-23
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-10-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-08-13
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-09-12