AJ CARRIAGEMASTERS LTD

🌳Matureactive
08015360 · ltd · incorporated 2012-04-02
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
  • · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
Upgrade to see
Turnover
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£171.8k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
🔔
Follow this company (free)
Email alerts on filings, charges, director changes, gazette notices. No account needed.

Unsubscribe any time from any email. GDPR-respectful.

What this business does
Primary activity: Renting and leasing of cars and light motor vehicles
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 80/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -47% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

1 live charge · oldest 14.1y

45/100
under pressure

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

  • · Oldest live charge is 14.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
  • · Cashflow trend is negative — lender view likely cautious.

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
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (2 active, 4 linked, 4 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
49 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102
Positive net assets
Net assets £171,819
Cash draining
Cash down 47% YoY
Cash YoY
-47%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£75k
↓ 47% YoY
Net Worth
£172k
↑ 19% YoY
Current Assets
£92k
↓ 40% YoY
Current Liabilities
£0£34k£69k£103k£137k£172kApr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Total assets£434.5k£506.6k
Current assets£92.3k£154.3k
Cash£75.1k£141.4k
Debtors£17.2k£12.8k
Net assets£171.8k£144.7k

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-11-10
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-09-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-04-26
    📄
    capital-return-purchase-own-shares
    capital · SH03
  4. 2024-04-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  5. 2024-04-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  6. 2024-04-08
    📄
    capital-cancellation-shares
    capital · SH06
  7. 2024-03-26
    📄
    memorandum-articles
    incorporation · MA
  8. 2024-03-26
    📄
    resolution
    resolution · RESOLUTIONS
  9. 2024-03-22
    MANLEY, Stephen Mark resigned
    director
  10. 2024-03-22
    MOYLAN, Stephen resigned
    director
  11. 2023-12-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  12. 2023-01-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  13. 2021-12-22
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
    accounts · AA
  14. 2021-05-15
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  15. 2021-05-15
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  16. 2021-05-15
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  17. 2021-05-15
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  18. 2021-04-08
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  19. 2021-04-08
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  20. 2020-07-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  21. 2020-06-15
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  22. 2012-06-07
    🔒
    Charge registered #1
    Lender: British Overseas Bank Nominees Limited and Wgtc Nominees Limited
  23. 2012-04-06
    JONES, Ian James appointed
    director
  24. 2012-04-06
    JONES, Kerry Leanne appointed
    director
  25. 2012-04-06
    MANLEY, Stephen Mark appointed
    director
  26. 2012-04-02
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As AJ CARRIAGEMASTERS LTD
  27. 2012-04-02
    MOYLAN, Stephen appointed
    director

Owner dependency

66/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.

FACTORS
  • +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

49/100
Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
  • 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

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Ian James Jones
Individual · British · DOB 04/1977 · age 49
sig. influencesignificant influence06/04/2016
Mrs Kerry Leanne Jones
Individual · British · DOB 08/1980 · age 46
sig. influencesignificant influence06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

Similar companies

Active · Professional services · B postcode area
CompanyEst. valueTurnoverNet worthStaffAgeOppDirector
A K B GROUP LIMITED
09470855 · est 2015 · no financials extracted
11y
AI ELEVATE SOLUTIONS LTD
16695915 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
AIT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS LIMITED
11016336 · est 2017 · no financials extracted
8y
AITKEN ACCOUNTANCY SOLUTIONS LTD
09201910 · est 2014 · no financials extracted
11y
AIU PARTNERS LTD
16069113 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
AJ BREWER ASSOCIATES LIMITED
10530745 · est 2016 · no financials extracted
9y
AJ SERVICES (WB) LTD
13388685 · est 2021 · no financials extracted
4y
AJ SHE CONSULTANCY LTD
16023188 · est 2024 · no financials extracted
1y
AJ TAXI RENTALS LTD
16731709 · est 2025 · no financials extracted
AJ VEHICLE SOLUTIONS LTD
08328630 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
13y
AJA BUSINESS CONSULTING LIMITED
08235738 · est 2012 · no financials extracted
13y
AJAS ACCOUNTANTS LIMITED
11656548 · est 2018 · no financials extracted
7y
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

6 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
Incorporated2012-04-02
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC77110 — Renting and leasing of cars and light motor vehicles

Registered office

Unit 12, Cheatles Bridge Dog Lane
Bodymoor Heath
Sutton Coldfield
West Midlands
B76 9JD

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-16
Last: 2026-04-02

Officers (2 active · 2 resigned)

JONES, Ian James
director · ~49y · appointed 2012-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
JONES, Kerry Leanne
director · ~46y · appointed 2012-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
MANLEY, Stephen Mark
director · ~64y · appointed 2012-04-06 · resigned 2024-03-22
Resigned
MOYLAN, Stephen
director · ~64y · appointed 2012-04-02 · resigned 2024-03-22
Resigned

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
TypeProperties
outstanding
British Overseas Bank Nominees and Wgtc Nominees
British Overseas Bank Nominees Limited and Wgtc Nominees Limited
Rent security deposit deed1 property07/06/2012
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.

Recent filings (49 total)

confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-11-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-09-03
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2024-04-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-15
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-04-09
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-04-09
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2024-04-08
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2024-03-26
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2024-03-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-19