ABLE SERVICES LTD
💤Zombieactive
04772966 · ltd · incorporated 2003-05-21
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 May 2025
Net worth
£24.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Scaffold erection
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. 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: strategic trade sale (63/100).
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
69 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
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
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Positive net assets
Net assets £24,088
Net assets shrinking
Down £37,834 YoY
Cash YoY
+78%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£21k
↑ 78% YoY
Net Worth
£24k
↓ 61% YoY
Current Assets
£61k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £63.8k | £121.8k |
| Current assets | £61.2k | £60.7k |
| Cash | £20.8k | £11.7k |
| Debtors | £40.4k | £49.0k |
| Net assets | £24.1k | £61.9k |
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
5
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
5
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
6
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 2 officers
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-01📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2026-06-01📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2026-06-01📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-06-01📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2026-01-08✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2025-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-07📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-09-07📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-09-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-02-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2010-09-12➕LAWSON, Leigh James appointeddirector
- 2010-09-12➖LAWSON, Leigh James resigneddirector
- 2006-09-12➕D'ANGELO, Louise appointedsecretary
- 2006-09-12➕LAWSON, Leigh James appointeddirector
- 2006-09-12➖LAWSON, Raymond resigneddirector
- 2003-05-23➕LAWSON, Leigh James appointedsecretary
- 2003-05-23➖PREMIER SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-05-23➕LAWSON, Raymond appointeddirector
- 2003-05-23➖PREMIER DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2003-05-21🏢Company incorporatedAs ABLE SERVICES LTD
- 2003-05-21➕PREMIER SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2003-05-21➕PREMIER DIRECTORS 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 16 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
68/100
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.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 16 years.
- 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
1 med ·Name changed recently
mediumName changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.
Evidence: 2026-01-08: certificate-change-of-name-company
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Leigh James Lawson Individual · British · DOB 11/1980 · age 46 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Mark Lawsonceased 05/04/2020· 25-50% shares
- Mr Leigh James Lawsonceased 06/04/2016· 75-100% shares
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 · Construction · BR postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAG BUILDING LTD→ 16735559 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AB NEW HOMES LIMITED→ 15397661 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABI CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LTD→ 14490988 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ABLE DESIGN & BUILD LTD→ 15511663 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABOVEANDBEYONDROOFING LTD→ 16203312 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABR ELECTRICAL LTD→ 16946772 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ABSOLUTE PROPERTY MAINTENANCE GROUP LIMITED→ 14279997 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ACADEMY WOOD FLOORING LIMITED→ 11891652 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ACADIA HOMES LIMITED→ 15540083 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ACG CONSTRUCTION LIMITED→ 09015488 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| ACOUSTIC INTERIORS LIMITED→ 08475403 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| ACRE & OAK LIMITED→ 16237600 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2003-05-21
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43991 — Scaffold erection
Registered office
The Old Barn Off Wood Street
Swanley Village
Swanley
Kent
BR8 7PA
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-14
Last: 2026-05-31
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
Active
LAWSON, Leigh James→
Activesecretary · appointed 2003-05-23
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LAWSON, Leigh James→
Activedirector · ~46y · appointed 2010-09-12
View their other companies + combined net worth →
PREMIER SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2003-05-21 · resigned 2003-05-23
LAWSON, Leigh James→
Resigneddirector · ~45y · appointed 2006-09-12 · resigned 2010-09-12
LAWSON, Raymond→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2003-05-23 · resigned 2006-09-12
PREMIER DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2003-05-21 · resigned 2003-05-23
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (69 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-01
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-06-01
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2026-06-01
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-06-01
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2026-06-01
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2026-01-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-07-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-02
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-08
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-09-07
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-09-07