HIGHLAND PLANT HIRE LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC134161 · ltd · incorporated 1991-09-25
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
£-33.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Renting and leasing of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment
Sector: Administrative & support services
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 (83/100, director aged 68). 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 20.3y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 20.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
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
7 officers (2 active, 7 linked, 3 with DOB)
79
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
83 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 £33,896
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
-£34k
↓ 133% YoY
Current Assets
£19k
↓ 19% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 105 (micro)| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £-3.6k | £20.6k |
| Current assets | £18.9k | £23.1k |
| Net assets | £-33.9k | £-14.5k |
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
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-01-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-01-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2021-01-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2018-01-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2017-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-03-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2015-10-26📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2014-10-13📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2014-10-13📍change-sail-address-company-with-new-addressaddress · AD02
- 2006-01-27🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2006-01-04➖PATERSON, Elizabeth Forrest resignedsecretary
- 2006-01-04➖MUIR, John resigneddirector
- 2006-01-01➕PATERSON, Andrew Ross appointedsecretary
- 1999-04-01➕PATERSON, Elizabeth Forrest appointeddirector
- 1997-12-01➖MOFFAT, Adelaide Sharp resignedsecretary
- 1997-12-01➕PATERSON, Elizabeth Forrest appointedsecretary
- 1997-12-01➖MOFFAT, William Dow resigneddirector
- 1997-12-01➕MUIR, John appointeddirector
- 1991-09-25🏢Company incorporatedAs HIGHLAND PLANT HIRE LIMITED
- 1991-09-25➕MOFFAT, Adelaide Sharp appointedsecretary
- 1991-09-25➕JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1991-09-25➖JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 1991-09-25➕MOFFAT, William Dow appointeddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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 27 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
95/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. 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 27 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 35 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Elizabeth Forrest Paterson Individual · Scottish · DOB 06/1958 · age 68 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 04/10/2016 |
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 · Professional services · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HENDERSON KILDAVAIG LTD→ SC380007 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| HIEROPHANT LIMITED→ SC727264 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| HIGH VOLTAGE DESIGN AND CONSULTING LIMITED→ SC843777 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| HIGHLAND CAPITAL PARTNERS LIMITED→ SC361717 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| HILDIBERG DESIGN STUDIO LTD→ SC844823 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| HINTERLAND STUDIO LTD→ SC838464 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| HMM ACCOUNTING SERVICES LTD→ SC546242 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| HOFN REAL ASSETS LIMITED→ SC880363 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HOLONYC LIMITED→ SC852554 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HORIZON OPERATIONS LIMITED→ SC858650 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HORIZON PROFESSIONAL ADVISORY LTD→ SC876716 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| HOSICK INDUSTRIES LIMITED→ SC574795 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated1991-09-25
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC77320 — Renting and leasing of construction and civil engineering machinery and equipment
Registered office
37 Carlaverock Crescent
Tranent
East Lothian
EH33 2DY
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-17
Last: 2025-10-03
Officers (2 active · 5 resigned)
PATERSON, Andrew Ross→
Activesecretary · appointed 2006-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
PATERSON, Elizabeth Forrest→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 1999-04-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MOFFAT, Adelaide Sharp→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1991-09-25 · resigned 1997-12-01
PATERSON, Elizabeth Forrest→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 1997-12-01 · resigned 2006-01-04
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1991-09-25 · resigned 1991-09-25
MOFFAT, William Dow→
Resigneddirector · ~83y · appointed 1991-09-25 · resigned 1997-12-01
MUIR, John→
Resigneddirector · ~78y · appointed 1997-12-01 · resigned 2006-01-04
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 | Lloyds Banking Group The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 27/01/2006 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (83 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-01-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-10-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-01-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-01-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-01-31
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-01-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-01-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2019-10-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-01-30