DECODENCE LTD
💤Zombieactive
08044266 · ltd · incorporated 2012-04-24
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 Apr 2025
Net worth
£-66
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Development of building projects
Sector: Construction
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 74100Specialised design activities
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed active trading company — structural issues outweigh the discount.
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: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).
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, 2 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
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
1 connected companies via shared directors
48
Filing history
45 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
50
Some acquirability indicators.
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 £66
Net assets shrinking
Down £11,902 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£66
↓ 101% YoY
Current Assets
£60k
↑ 68% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-04-29 | 2024-04-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £5.3k | £18.4k |
| Current assets | £60.3k | £35.9k |
| Cash | — | £5.1k |
| Debtors | £58.3k | £28.8k |
| Net assets | £-66 | £11.8k |
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
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
6
filings
- • 2 officers
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (20 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-11📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2026-03-11📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2026-02-17📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-02-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2026-01-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-02-01📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2023-01-31📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2021-09-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-04-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-05📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2020-03-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2020-03-05📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2020-03-05📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2020-01-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2012-04-24🏢Company incorporatedAs DECODENCE LTD
- 2012-04-24➕JAMES, Anja Elina appointedsecretary
- 2012-04-24➕JAMES, Anja Elina appointeddirector
Owner dependency
80/100
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.
- +No director turnover: Company is 14 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
58/100
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 14 years.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Anja Elina James Individual · Finnish · DOB 08/1976 · age 50 | 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.
🔒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 · TD postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFFERSON ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS LIMITED→ 12021353 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| KZRE LTD→ 14204035 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| LOVE LANE MEWS LIMITED→ 06433927 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| LOWICK CONSTRUCTION LIMITED→ 10494209 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| MATTWOOD DEVELOPMENTS LTD→ 08670894 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| MGD PROPERTIES LIMITED→ 11416334 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| NE SCAFFOLDING COMPANY LTD→ 15019480 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| NEIL SWINNEY PLUMBING SERVICES LIMITED→ 10673143 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| NSL SIGNALLING CONSULTANCY LTD→ 09923750 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| P8 DESIGN SOLUTIONS LIMITED→ SC853694 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PALMER CAMPBELL LIMITED→ SC405183 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| PALMER OLE ENGINEERING LIMITED→ SC768469 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-04-24
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC41100 — Development of building projects
Registered office
Halidon House 17d Windmill Way West
Ramparts Business Park
Berwick Upon Tweed
Northumberland
TD15 1TB
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-29
Last made up to: 2025-04-29
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-08
Last: 2026-04-24
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Active
JAMES, Anja Elina→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2012-04-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (45 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-30
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2026-03-11
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-03-11
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-02-17
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2026-02-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-01-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-10-19
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-28
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-02-01
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-shortened
accounts · AA01
2023-02-01
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2023-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-12