ABILITY SOFTWARE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
05121765 · ltd · incorporated 2004-05-07
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 Aug 2024
Net worth
£2.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Business and domestic software development
Sector: Information & communication
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 65). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 20.5y

30/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 20.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (79/100)

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
10 officers (1 active, 10 linked, 5 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
85 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 · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £2,794
Net assets shrinking
Down £13 YoY

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£3k
~ YoY
Current Assets
£3k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£561£1k£2k£2k£3kAug 2023Aug 2024

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2024-08-312023-08-31
Total assets£2.8k£2.8k
Current assets£2.8k£2.8k
Net assets£2.8k£2.8k

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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (39 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-05-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2022-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2020-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  7. 2019-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2018-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2017-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2016-06-03
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  11. 2016-05-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  12. 2015-06-03
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  13. 2015-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  14. 2014-05-30
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  15. 2014-05-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  16. 2013-06-04
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  17. 2011-09-15
    ➖
    CLARK, Stuart Robert resigned
    director
  18. 2011-09-15
    ➖
    RUSH, Stephen Michael resigned
    director
  19. 2011-02-14
    ➖
    THIRD QUAD CAPITAL PLC resigned
    corporate-director
  20. 2010-10-11
    ➕
    CLARK, Stuart Robert appointed
    director
  21. 2010-10-11
    ➕
    RUSH, Stephen Michael appointed
    director
  22. 2010-01-29
    ➖
    LEE, Antony Richard resigned
    secretary
  23. 2009-04-08
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #1
  24. 2009-04-06
    🔒
    Charge registered #2
    Lender: National Westminster Bank PLC
  25. 2006-02-23
    ➕
    LEE, Antony Richard appointed
    secretary
  26. 2006-02-23
    ➖
    SPEER, Philip Richard resigned
    secretary
  27. 2005-11-29
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: Close Invoice Finance Limited
  28. 2005-09-27
    ➕
    SPEER, Philip Richard appointed
    secretary
  29. 2005-09-27
    ➖
    WARDLE, Peter John resigned
    secretary
  30. 2005-09-27
    ➖
    WARDLE, Peter John resigned
    director
  31. 2005-01-01
    ➕
    ENGLAND, Christopher appointed
    director
  32. 2004-09-16
    ➖
    LUROCK, Marion Patricia resigned
    secretary
  33. 2004-09-16
    ➕
    WARDLE, Peter John appointed
    secretary
  34. 2004-09-16
    ➖
    SPEER, Philip Richard resigned
    director
  35. 2004-09-16
    ➕
    WARDLE, Peter John appointed
    director
  36. 2004-09-16
    ➕
    THIRD QUAD CAPITAL PLC appointed
    corporate-director
  37. 2004-05-07
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ABILITY SOFTWARE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
  38. 2004-05-07
    ➕
    LUROCK, Marion Patricia appointed
    secretary
  39. 2004-05-07
    ➕
    SPEER, Philip Richard appointed
    director

Owner dependency

100/100
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 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.

Succession & seller-readiness

95/100
Likely off-market candidate

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

SIGNALS
  • primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 22 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 Christopher England
Individual · British · DOB 03/1961 · age 65
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

8 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
Incorporated2004-05-07
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC62012 — Business and domestic software development

Registered office

13 The Close
Reigate
Surrey
RH2 7BN

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-05-31
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-21
Last: 2025-05-07

Officers (1 active · 9 resigned)

ENGLAND, Christopher→
director · ~65y · appointed 2005-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
LEE, Antony Richard→
secretary · appointed 2006-02-23 · resigned 2010-01-29
Resigned
LUROCK, Marion Patricia→
secretary · appointed 2004-05-07 · resigned 2004-09-16
Resigned
SPEER, Philip Richard→
secretary · appointed 2005-09-27 · resigned 2006-02-23
Resigned
WARDLE, Peter John→
secretary · appointed 2004-09-16 · resigned 2005-09-27
Resigned
CLARK, Stuart Robert→
director · ~54y · appointed 2010-10-11 · resigned 2011-09-15
Resigned
RUSH, Stephen Michael→
director · ~65y · appointed 2010-10-11 · resigned 2011-09-15
Resigned
SPEER, Philip Richard→
director · ~74y · appointed 2004-05-07 · resigned 2004-09-16
Resigned
WARDLE, Peter John→
director · ~80y · appointed 2004-09-16 · resigned 2005-09-27
Resigned
THIRD QUAD CAPITAL PLC→
corporate-director · appointed 2004-09-16 · resigned 2011-02-14
Resigned

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

Mortgages & charges

2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
TypeProperties
outstanding
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Debenture1 property06/04/2009—
satisfied
Close Invoice Finance
Close Invoice Finance Limited
Debenture1 property29/11/200508/04/2009
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (85 total)

accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-05-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-05-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-05-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-05-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2018-05-31