AC TAX SERVICES LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04657631 · ltd · incorporated 2003-02-05
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 Feb 2025
Net worth
£15.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Accounting and auditing activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. 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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 11.2y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.2 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (69/100)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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
6 officers (1 active, 6 linked, 3 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
74 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £15,781
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£66k
Net Worth
£16k
Current Assets
£115k
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-02-28 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £40.8k |
| Current assets | £114.7k |
| Cash | £66.4k |
| Debtors | £48.3k |
| Net assets | £15.8k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-25📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-01-31➖COLEBY, Stephen John resigneddirector
- 2025-09-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-12-18📄accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AAMD
- 2024-09-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-08-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-25➖COLEBY, Angela June resignedsecretary
- 2019-02-25➖COLEBY, Angela June resigneddirector
- 2019-02-25📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-02-25📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2019-02-25📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-02-25📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2018-08-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-18🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2014-10-06➕COLEBY, Sean James appointeddirector
- 2003-02-07➕COLEBY, Angela June appointedsecretary
- 2003-02-07➕COLEBY, Angela June appointeddirector
- 2003-02-07➕COLEBY, Stephen John appointeddirector
- 2003-02-06➖BRIGHTON SECRETARY LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-02-06➖BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-02-05🏢Company incorporatedAs AC TAX SERVICES LIMITED
- 2003-02-05➕BRIGHTON SECRETARY LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-02-05➕BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
60/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 23 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
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 Sean James Coleby Individual · British · DOB 07/1986 · age 40 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Stephen John Colebyceased 25/02/2019· 25-50% shares
- Mrs Angela June Colebyceased 25/02/2019· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A C TUCKER & CO LIMITED→ 06004170 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| ABACUS ACCOUNTING SERVICES (SOUTH) LTD→ 12314604 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ABACUS PARTNERSHIP LIMITED→ 15973369 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABC ACCOUNTS (SUSSEX) LTD→ 07588842 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ABOUT PEOPLE PRO LTD→ 16652261 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AC LATHAM LIMITED→ 07534494 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ACCELERATED PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS LTD→ 13535623 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACCORD.ME.UK LIMITED→ 14179359 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCY & BUSINESS MATTERS LIMITED→ 05228825 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCY & MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 06457410 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCY 360 LTD→ 12430182 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTANCY AND BOOKKEEPING BUREAU LTD→ 03951825 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 26y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-02-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC69201 — Accounting and auditing activities
Registered office
144 Mackie Avenue
Brighton
BN1 8SB
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-19
Last: 2026-02-05
Officers (1 active · 5 resigned)
COLEBY, Sean James→
Activedirector · ~40y · appointed 2014-10-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
COLEBY, Angela June→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-02-07 · resigned 2019-02-25
BRIGHTON SECRETARY LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-02-05 · resigned 2003-02-06
COLEBY, Angela June→
Resigneddirector · ~70y · appointed 2003-02-07 · resigned 2019-02-25
COLEBY, Stephen John→
Resigneddirector · ~68y · appointed 2003-02-07 · resigned 2026-01-31
BRIGHTON DIRECTOR LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-02-05 · resigned 2003-02-06
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | HSBC Hsbc Bank PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 18/03/2015 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (74 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-25
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-02-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-22
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-07-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-17
accounts-amended-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AAMD
2024-12-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-08-26