ACE ACCOUNTANTS LTD.
💤Zombieactive
04708031 · ltd · incorporated 2003-03-23
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
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Accounting and auditing activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 69202Bookkeeping activities
- 69203Tax consultancy
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. 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 21.4y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 21.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · 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, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
70 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 800 | 800 |
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
1
filing
- • 1 mortgage
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 mortgage
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 mortgage
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (24 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-15📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2026-05-15🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2025-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-04-14📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-12-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-31📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-11-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2005-01-14🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Felicitas Judith Hill
- 2003-03-24➕HILL, Felicitas Judith Adriana Frieda appointedsecretary
- 2003-03-24➕HILL, John Richard appointeddirector
- 2003-03-24➖CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-03-24➖CHETTLEBURGH'S LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-03-23🏢Company incorporatedAs ACE ACCOUNTANTS LTD.
- 2003-03-23➕CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-03-23➕CHETTLEBURGH'S LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
85/100
Critical — business is the founderThe 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 23 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 23 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- 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
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Philippa Elspeth Henderson-Hill Individual · British · DOB 05/1970 · age 56 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 23/03/2017 |
Mr John Richard Hill Individual · British · DOB 04/1970 · age 56 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 23/03/2017 |
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 →Similar companies
Active · Professional services · OX postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABINGDON BOOKKEEPING LTD→ 14294382 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABINGDON88 LTD→ 16974969 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABLE GROWING CENTRE LTD→ 12192915 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ABS CONSULTANTS LTD→ 12269318 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACCENTUS CARDIAC LTD→ 09213393 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTING ADVICE BUREAU LTD→ 08022893 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| ACCOUNTX LTD→ 11163307 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ACENTIS INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 16692930 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACEQUIA SERVICES LIMITED→ 13751281 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| ACHC LTD→ 12455183 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ACICULARIS LTD→ 17125269 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ACJ MECHANICAL LTD→ 15187535 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-03-23
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC69201 — Accounting and auditing activities
Registered office
The White House Wick Green
Grove
Wantage
Oxfordshire
OX12 0AR
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-02
Last: 2026-03-19
Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)
HILL, Felicitas Judith Adriana Frieda→
Activesecretary · appointed 2003-03-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HILL, John Richard→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2003-03-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CHETTLEBURGHS SECRETARIAL LTD→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-03-23 · resigned 2003-03-24
CHETTLEBURGH'S LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-03-23 · resigned 2003-03-24
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Felicitas Judith Hill | Debenture | 1 property | 14/01/2005 | 15/05/2026 |
Recent filings (70 total)
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2026-05-15
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-11-05
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-23
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-12-20