KEY PAYROLL LTD
💤Zombieactive
SC432987 · ltd · incorporated 2012-09-19
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
£43.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueStrong 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: 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
1 live charge · oldest 9.9y
45/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 9.9 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (83/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
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, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
41 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 · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £43,311
Cash YoY
+34%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£14k
↑ 34% YoY
Net Worth
£43k
↑ 1.8% YoY
Current Assets
£408k
↑ 596% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-09-30 | 2023-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £43.3k | £42.5k |
| Current assets | £408.2k | £58.6k |
| Cash | £13.6k | £10.2k |
| Debtors | £394.6k | £48.5k |
| Net assets | £43.3k | £42.5k |
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
3
filings
- • 2 gazette
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-07📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2026-02-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-01-13📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2024-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-22📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-09-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-16📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-07-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-09-01📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2018-08-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-28📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2018-05-18📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2017-10-26➖WALKER, Gary Robert resigneddirector
- 2017-10-25➕WALKER, Gary Robert appointeddirector
- 2017-10-25📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2017-10-20➖WALKER, Gary Robert resigneddirector
- 2016-06-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2016-03-30➕WALKER, Gary Robert appointeddirector
- 2012-09-19🏢Company incorporatedAs KEY PAYROLL LTD
- 2012-09-19➕MELVILLE, Lynsey appointeddirector
Owner dependency
75/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Miss Lynsey Melville Individual · British · DOB 11/1987 · age 39 | 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 · Trade services · G postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JGML LANDSCAPES LTD→ SC666509 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| JMCC CAPITAL→ SC870202 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| JS JETWASHERS LTD→ SC819219 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| K & R SECURITY LIMITED→ SC751750 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| KALYAAL GROUP LTD→ SC818137 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| KATIE MCCLAY HEALTH & BEAUTY LTD→ SC585826 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| KELVINDALE INDUSTRIAL AND BUSINESS SERVICES LIMITED→ SC153338 · est 1994 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 31y | — | — |
| KITTOCHSIDE CATTERY LIMITED→ SC321328 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| KLEEN TURF LTD→ SC875487 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| KMS CLEANING SERVICES LTD→ SC873000 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| KNIGHTS GUARD SECURITY LTD→ SC606890 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| KNIGHTSWOOD (PROPERTY AND INVESTMENTS) COMPANY LIMITED→ SC129505 · est 1991 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2012-09-19
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC82990 — Other business support service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Unit 3 Kpp Chartered Accountants
Rosyth Road
Glasgow
G5 0YE
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-06-30
Last made up to: 2024-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-10-03
Last: 2025-09-19
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
MELVILLE, Lynsey→
Activedirector · ~39y · appointed 2012-09-19
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WALKER, Gary Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2017-10-25 · resigned 2017-10-26
WALKER, Gary Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~56y · appointed 2016-03-30 · resigned 2017-10-20
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 | A registered charge | — | 22/06/2016 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (41 total)
gazette-filings-brought-up-to-date
gazette · DISS40
2026-02-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-02-04
gazette-notice-compulsory
gazette · GAZ1
2026-01-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-10-16
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-09-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-10-05
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-06-30
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2023-03-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-10-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-09-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2021-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-10-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-09-30