HOWBURN LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC452345 · ltd · incorporated 2013-06-14
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 Jun 2025
Net worth
£-216.9k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Sector: Real estate
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed property-backed borrower — 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: Cash flow review and working-capital discipline. Cash down -90% YoY — forensic review of receivables, stock turns, and creditor days. Most likely exit: distressed disposal / insolvency (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
4 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 11.3y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 11.3 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)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
4 charges (4/4 with lender, 4/4 with type)
90
Directors & officers
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 3 total, 3 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
46 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
55
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · FRS 102Negative net assets
Liabilities exceed assets by £216,943
Cash draining
Cash down 90% YoY
Cash YoY
-90%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£537
↓ 90% YoY
Net Worth
-£217k
↓ 22% YoY
Current Assets
£11k
↓ 40% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-06-30 | 2024-06-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £185.5k | £-57.2k |
| Current assets | £11.1k | £18.4k |
| Cash | £537 | £5.4k |
| Debtors | £10.5k | £13.0k |
| Net assets | £-216.9k | £-177.3k |
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 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (29 events)Click to expand
- 2026-03-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-12-09📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-06-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-10📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2025-01-10🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2025-01-08📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-01-07📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2025-01-07🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Allica Bank Limited
- 2024-12-24📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-12-24🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2024-12-23🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Allica Bank Limited
- 2024-10-30📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-10-30📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2024-10-30📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-10-30📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-10-14➖LAKIN, Christine Alexis resigneddirector
- 2024-10-14➖LAKIN, Ian Mcdonald resigneddirector
- 2024-03-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-03-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-03-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-01-22🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2015-01-13🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2013-06-14🏢Company incorporatedAs HOWBURN LIMITED
- 2013-06-14➕LAKIN, David Ian Christopher appointeddirector
- 2013-06-14➕LAKIN, Christine Alexis appointeddirector
- 2013-06-14➕LAKIN, Ian Mcdonald 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 13 years.
- 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr David Ian Christopher Lakin Individual · British · DOB 03/1987 · age 39 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 14/10/2024 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mr Ian Mcdonald Lakinceased 14/10/2024· 25-50% shares
- Christine Alexis Lakinceased 14/10/2024· 25-50% shares
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 · Property · AB postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JTS PROPERTIES LTD→ SC618819 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| JU03 MAC LTD→ SC750555 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| JUST BEHOLD LTD→ SC777152 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| JW KEGS PROPERTIES LTD→ SC784454 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| KAN MURRAY LTD→ SC812878 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| KCN KIDD LTD→ SC816682 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| KILBRIDE PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS LTD→ SC717970 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| KINCLUNY DEVELOPMENT TRUST→ SC406401 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| KINDERGARTEN (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→ SC146118 · est 1993 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 32y | — | — |
| KINELL SERVICES LIMITED→ SC350950 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| KINGER PROPERTY LIMITED→ SC706656 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| KINTAIL MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ SC214155 · est 2000 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 25y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2013-06-14
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC68209 — Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate
Registered office
5 Carden Place
Aberdeen
AB10 1UT
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-03-31
Last made up to: 2025-06-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-07-03
Last: 2025-06-19
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
LAKIN, David Ian Christopher→
Activedirector · ~39y · appointed 2013-06-14
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LAKIN, Christine Alexis→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · appointed 2013-06-14 · resigned 2024-10-14
LAKIN, Ian Mcdonald→
Resigneddirector · ~84y · appointed 2013-06-14 · resigned 2024-10-14
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 | Allica Bank Allica Bank Limited | A registered charge | 4 properties | 07/01/2025 | — | |
| outstanding | Allica Bank Allica Bank Limited | A registered charge | — | 23/12/2024 | — | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | 2 properties | 22/01/2015 | 10/01/2025 | |
| satisfied | Lloyds Banking Group Bank of Scotland PLC | A registered charge | — | 13/01/2015 | 24/12/2024 |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (46 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-03-12
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-18
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2025-01-10
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-01-08
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2025-01-07
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-12-24
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-10-30
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2024-10-30
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-10-30
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-03-28
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-19