ADJUDICATION LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04969226 · ltd · incorporated 2003-11-19
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
£-17.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Activities of patent and copyright agents; other legal activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 78/100 (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: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
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
9 officers (2 active, 9 linked, 6 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
73 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredNegative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £17,612
Net assets shrinking
Down £20,065 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£18k
↓ 818% YoY
Current Assets
£444
↓ 81% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £544 | £2.5k |
| Current assets | £444 | £2.4k |
| Net assets | £-17.6k | £2.5k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 address
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-09📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-12-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-12-03📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-12-03📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-12-03📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-11-03➖HOUGH, Natasha Lauren resigneddirector
- 2023-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-19📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2020-10-01➕HOUGH, Christine Anne appointeddirector
- 2019-12-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-12-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2016-12-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2015-08-08➕HOUGH, Christopher John appointedsecretary
- 2015-08-08➖HOUGH, Nicole Marie resignedsecretary
- 2015-08-08➕HOUGH, Natasha Lauren appointeddirector
- 2015-08-08➖HOUGH, Nicole Marie resigneddirector
- 2013-04-01➖HOUGH, Christopher John resignedsecretary
- 2013-04-01➕HOUGH, Nicole Marie appointedsecretary
- 2013-04-01➖HOUGH, Christopher John resigneddirector
- 2013-04-01➕HOUGH, Nicole Marie appointeddirector
- 2008-06-30➖HOUGH, Christine Anne resigneddirector
- 2006-10-05➕HOUGH, Christine Anne appointeddirector
- 2006-01-15➖HOUGH, Christine Anne resigneddirector
- 2003-11-19🏢Company incorporatedAs ADJUDICATION LIMITED
- 2003-11-19➕HOUGH, Christopher John appointedsecretary
- 2003-11-19➕HOUGH, Christine Anne appointeddirector
- 2003-11-19➕HOUGH, Christopher John appointeddirector
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
65/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
- 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.
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| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Christopher John Hough Individual · British · DOB 07/1959 · age 67 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence · firm interest | 03/12/2024 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Miss Natasha Lauren Houghceased 03/12/2024· significant influence
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 · RH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A G SAFETY SERVICES LIMITED→ 05546522 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| A INTRO CONSULTANCY LIMITED→ 07389963 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| AE ACCOUNTAX LTD→ 09200361 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| AEC HOLDINGS LTD→ 11571667 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| AEGIS WILLS LIMITED→ 05066331 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| AEROSPACE RESEARCH AND CONSULTING LTD→ 09335376 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| AEROSPACE X LIMITED→ 12426052 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AFFINITY MARKETING LIMITED→ 04333529 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| AFFINITY WILLS SERVICES LTD→ 03749743 · est 1999 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 27y | — | — |
| AFIYF LIMITED→ 15581078 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AFRICONSULTING LTD.→ 08856348 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| AGB SERVICES LTD→ 15867290 · est 2024 · 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
Incorporated2003-11-19
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC69109 — Activities of patent and copyright agents; other legal activities
Registered office
Westbrook Lea Bognor Road
Broadbridge Heath
Horsham
RH12 3PT
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-03
Last: 2025-11-19
Officers (2 active · 7 resigned)
HOUGH, Christopher John→
Activesecretary · appointed 2015-08-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HOUGH, Christine Anne→
Activedirector · ~61y · appointed 2020-10-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
HOUGH, Christopher John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2003-11-19 · resigned 2013-04-01
HOUGH, Nicole Marie→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2013-04-01 · resigned 2015-08-08
HOUGH, Christine Anne→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2006-10-05 · resigned 2008-06-30
HOUGH, Christine Anne→
Resigneddirector · ~61y · appointed 2003-11-19 · resigned 2006-01-15
HOUGH, Christopher John→
Resigneddirector · ~67y · appointed 2003-11-19 · resigned 2013-04-01
HOUGH, Natasha Lauren→
Resigneddirector · ~31y · appointed 2015-08-08 · resigned 2024-11-03
HOUGH, Nicole Marie→
Resigneddirector · ~40y · appointed 2013-04-01 · resigned 2015-08-08
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (73 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-28
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-12-31
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-12-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-03
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-12-03
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-12-03
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-12-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-12-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-11-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-12-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-12-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-19