CLIFF TREE SERVICES LTD
💤Zombieactive
05351310 · ltd · incorporated 2005-02-03
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
£-17.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 01290
Sector: Agriculture, forestry & fishing
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 80/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). 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
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 (76/100)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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 1 with DOB)
77
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
48 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 · FRS 105 (micro)Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £17,067
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£17k
↓ 83% YoY
Current Assets
£24k
↓ 69% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £10.6k | £43.2k |
| Current assets | £23.8k | £77.7k |
| Net assets | £-17.1k | £-9.3k |
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 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-18📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-11-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-04📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-11-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2015-03-13📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-11-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2008-04-06➖COOK, Katherine Elizabeth resignedsecretary
- 2005-03-07🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Hsbc Bank PLC
- 2005-02-03🏢Company incorporatedAs CLIFF TREE SERVICES LTD
- 2005-02-03➕EDGAR, Iain appointeddirector
- 2005-02-03➕COOK, Katherine Elizabeth appointedsecretary
- 2005-02-03➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-02-03➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
Owner dependency
93/100
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 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
- 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 21 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 Iain Edgar Individual · British · DOB 07/1968 · age 58 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Agriculture · LN postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUBBLES DAYCARE (LINCOLN) LIMITED→ 08430466 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| C T ALLIS LIMITED→ 15717217 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| C.A.R. & J.M. STUBBS LTD→ 10301112 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| C.H. CRUST (FARMS) LIMITED→ 01362727 · est 1978 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 48y | — | — |
| C.TOMLINSON LIMITED→ 00618413 · est 1959 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 67y | — | — |
| CHURCH FARM SWAYFIELD LTD→ 12895571 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| COVELL BROTHERS→ 00659757 · est 1960 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 65y | — | — |
| CROPS FOR PRODUCTS LIMITED→ 16775425 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| CURO SOCIAL ENTERPRISE CIC→ 14122991 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| D & L J WILSON FARMING LIMITED→ 11942483 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| D & R WOODALL LIMITED→ 06831187 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| D A FARMS LIMITED→ 16790227 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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
Incorporated2005-02-03
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC01290 — SIC 01290
Registered office
The Old Garth, Chapel Lane
Harmston
Lincoln
LN5 9TB
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-17
Last: 2026-03-03
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
Active
COOK, Katherine Elizabeth→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-02-03 · resigned 2008-04-06
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-02-03 · resigned 2005-02-03
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 | Debenture | 1 property | 07/03/2005 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (48 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-22
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-06-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-11-25
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-28
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-11-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-03-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2020-12-18
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-03-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2019-10-02