MATTHEW LEE JOINERY LTD
💤Zombieactive
09730526 · ltd · incorporated 2015-08-13
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 Sept 2024
Net worth
£357.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
72/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Joinery installation
Sector: Construction
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 72/100 (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 (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 7.5y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 7.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (69/100)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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
38 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
72/100Strong
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
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £357,235
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£208k
Net Worth
£357k
Current Assets
£610k
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|
| Total assets | £910.8k |
| Current assets | £609.7k |
| Cash | £207.5k |
| Debtors | £288.6k |
| Net assets | £357.2k |
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 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
- 2026-05-12📄change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2025-01-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-07-18📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-07-18📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2024-07-18🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2024-03-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-30📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-10-27📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2023-10-20🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Handelsbanken PLC
- 2023-10-20🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Handelsbanken PLC
- 2023-04-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-08-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-08-19📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-08-16📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2019-08-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-08-16📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-08-16📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-08-13📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-01-18🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2018-11-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Security Trustee Limited
- 2015-08-13🏢Company incorporatedAs MATTHEW LEE JOINERY LTD
- 2015-08-13➕GARNER, Louise Anne appointedsecretary
- 2015-08-13➕LEE, Matthew 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 11 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
50/100
Moderate signalSome succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Matthew Lee Individual · British · DOB 06/1981 · age 45 | 50–75% | 50–75% | board control50-75% shares · 50-75% voting · board control | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Louise Anne Garner Individual · British · DOB 01/1966 · age 60 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFFERSON ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS LIMITED→ 12021353 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| JOHN G. GRAY (HOMES) LIMITED→ 02152886 · est 1987 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 38y | — | — |
| JUSEPO LIMITED→ 02584815 · est 1991 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
| KEVIN ARMSTRONG LIMITED→ 06300961 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| KZRE LTD→ 14204035 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| LOCKWOOD PATERSON LIMITED→ 05737896 · est 2006 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 20y | — | — |
| LOVE LANE MEWS LIMITED→ 06433927 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| LOWICK CONSTRUCTION LIMITED→ 10494209 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| M & H PLUMBING & HEATING ENGINEERS LTD→ 11996232 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| MADEN PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS (CORNHILL RD) LTD→ 11676584 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| MATTWOOD DEVELOPMENTS LTD→ 08670894 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| MCBLAIN SERVICES LIMITED→ SC625649 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2015-08-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43320 — Joinery installation
Registered office
The Workshop
West Moneylaws
Cornhill On Tweed
Northumberland
TD12 4QD
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-08-26
Last: 2025-08-12
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
GARNER, Louise Anne→
Activesecretary · appointed 2015-08-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LEE, Matthew→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2015-08-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
4
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:4 of 4 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Handelsbanken Handelsbanken PLC | A registered charge | — | 20/10/2023 | — | |
| outstanding | Handelsbanken Handelsbanken PLC | A registered charge | 1 property | 20/10/2023 | — | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | 1 property | 18/01/2019 | 18/07/2024 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Security Trustee Limited | A registered charge | — | 13/11/2018 | 18/07/2024 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (38 total)
change-account-reference-date-company-previous-extended
accounts · AA01
2026-05-12
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-08-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-08-21
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-07-18
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-07-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-15
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-10-30
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2023-10-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-08-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-08-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-08-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-06-29