ABOUT THE HOUSE LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03428861 · ltd · incorporated 1997-09-03
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£-20.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Development of building projects
Sector: Construction
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)
Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 85/100. Strong seller-intent signal (80/100, director aged 62). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 25.1y

30/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 25.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 2 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
78 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
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
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £20,447

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
-£20k
↓ 289% YoY
Current Assets
£1k
↑ 80% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
-£20k-£16k-£12k-£8k-£3k£1kMar 2024Mar 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)
Metric2025-03-312024-03-31
Total assets£-20.4k£-5.3k
Current assets£1.1k£626
Cash—£244
Debtors—£382
Net assets£-20.4k£-5.3k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

🔒Filing-note intelligence

2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (31 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-12-19
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-12-16
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-08-09
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  4. 2024-08-08
    ➖
    MITCHELL, Sarah Katrina resigned
    secretary
  5. 2023-12-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-11-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  7. 2021-12-23
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  8. 2020-12-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  9. 2019-12-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-12-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2018-08-26
    📄
    notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
  12. 2017-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2016-11-28
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2016-01-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2015-09-25
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2014-11-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  17. 2012-10-27
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  18. 2011-07-06
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #2
  19. 2007-05-21
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
  20. 2002-08-23
    ➖
    MITCHELL, David James resigned
    secretary
  21. 2002-08-23
    ➕
    MITCHELL, Sarah Katrina appointed
    secretary
  22. 2002-08-23
    ➖
    CHITTENDEN, Justin Charles resigned
    director
  23. 2001-03-23
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Investec Bank (UK) Limited
  24. 2001-01-30
    ➕
    MITCHELL, David James appointed
    secretary
  25. 2001-01-30
    ➖
    MITCHELL, John Arthur, Dr resigned
    secretary
  26. 2001-01-30
    ➕
    CHITTENDEN, Justin Charles appointed
    director
  27. 1997-09-03
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ABOUT THE HOUSE LIMITED
  28. 1997-09-03
    ➕
    MITCHELL, David James appointed
    director
  29. 1997-09-03
    ➕
    MITCHELL, John Arthur, Dr appointed
    secretary
  30. 1997-09-03
    ➕
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointed
    corporate-nominee-secretary
  31. 1997-09-03
    ➖
    SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resigned
    corporate-nominee-secretary

Owner dependency

93/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 29 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 62 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

85/100
Likely off-market candidate

Strong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 62. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 29 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 29 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
  • supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.

Red flags

clean
No 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%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr David James Mitchell
Individual · British · DOB 02/1964 · age 62
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 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
Incorporated1997-09-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC41100 — Development of building projects

Registered office

The Briars
Jericho Street Thorverton
Exeter
Devon
EX5 5PA

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-09-09
Last: 2025-08-26

Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)

MITCHELL, David James→
director · ~62y · appointed 1997-09-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MITCHELL, David James→
secretary · appointed 2001-01-30 · resigned 2002-08-23
Resigned
MITCHELL, John Arthur, Dr→
secretary · appointed 1997-09-03 · resigned 2001-01-30
Resigned
MITCHELL, Sarah Katrina→
secretary · appointed 2002-08-23 · resigned 2024-08-08
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1997-09-03 · resigned 1997-09-03
Resigned
CHITTENDEN, Justin Charles→
director · ~59y · appointed 2001-01-30 · resigned 2002-08-23
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
Legal charge1 property21/05/200706/07/2011
satisfied
Investec Bank (UK)
Investec Bank (UK) Limited
Legal charge1 property23/03/200127/10/2012

Recent filings (78 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-09-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-12-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-26
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-08-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-12-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-09-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-09-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-09-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-09-01