What is the charges register at Companies House?
What is a charge?
A charge is security a company gives a lender over some or all of its assets, so the lender can take or sell those assets if the loan is not repaid. Common forms:
- Fixed charge over a specific asset, such as a property, a vehicle or a piece of machinery.
- Floating charge over a changing pool of assets, such as stock and book debts, which the company can keep trading with until the charge "crystallises".
- Debenture, the usual bank document that combines fixed and floating charges over everything the company owns.
- Legal mortgage over land or buildings.
Invoice finance, asset finance and rent deposit arrangements can also create charges.
What is the register and why does it exist?
The register is a public list of those charges, kept by Companies House for each company. Under section 859A of the Companies Act 2006, the company or the lender delivers a statement of particulars, with a certified copy of the charge document where there is one, within 21 days beginning with the day after the charge was created. If it is not registered in time, the charge is void against a liquidator, an administrator and other creditors, which is why lenders almost always file it themselves.
The register warns other creditors: if the company fails, a bank holding a debenture is paid from the secured assets before unsecured suppliers.
How do you read a charge entry?
Open the company on the Companies House service and select the "Charges" tab. Each entry shows:
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Charge code | A unique reference, made of the company number and a sequence |
| Created and delivered dates | When the security was given and when it reached Companies House |
| Persons entitled | The lender, for example a high street bank or a finance company |
| Brief description | The assets covered, if any are named, and whether there is a floating charge or a negative pledge |
| Status | Outstanding, partially satisfied or fully satisfied |
When the debt is repaid, the company can file a statement of satisfaction, so the status changes to satisfied. Filing it is not compulsory and some companies never do, so an "outstanding" charge can sometimes relate to a loan that was repaid years ago.
How common are outstanding charges?
Outstanding charges are normal and not a sign of distress on their own. On 1 October 2026, 12.1% of active UK companies had at least one outstanding charge on the register, and the share depends heavily on industry:
| Industry (SIC section) | Active companies with an outstanding charge |
|---|---|
| Real estate activities | 40.8% |
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 23.8% |
| Manufacturing | 16.1% |
| All active companies | 12.1% |
| Construction | 11.1% |
| Information and communication | 3.8% |
Property companies borrow against buildings, so for them a charge is routine. A software consultancy with several new charges in a short period is worth a closer look.
What to look for when checking a company
- New charges just before trouble. A new debenture filed shortly before overdue accounts or a strike-off notice can mean a lender is tightening its position.
- Who the lender is. A high street bank, an invoice finance house or an individual director tell different stories. A director taking a debenture over the company's assets ranks ahead of unsecured trade creditors.
- A floating charge over everything. If the company fails, the charge holder is paid from stock, debtors and cash ahead of unsecured suppliers, so a trade creditor may recover little.
Our Companies House red flags guide puts charges alongside other warning signs. If you monitor companies through our API or MCP server, the watchlist raises an alert when a new charge appears; you can get a free key on the developer docs page.
Sources
- Companies Act 2006, section 859A: charges created by a company
- Companies Act 2006, section 859H: consequence of failure to deliver charges
- Companies House: find and update company information
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