Background check

[Mitch3473]

May seem a silly question but.....I want to do a little background check on the owner of a potentially large contract. Not 100% sure as he gives no home, office or any real contact details other than email. Where do I begin.........Thanks

 

[Mark T Jones]

Where is this information from?

‘Large contract” would imply a business of some substance. Their website and any correspondence should provide you with formal (legal) business details.

 

[Mitch3473]

One would have thought.....but it doesn't, hence my slight concern.

 

[Mark T Jones]

One would have thought.....but it doesn't, hence my slight concern.

I’d certainly question their professionalism

Next step, ask for details of the legal entity you will be contracting with


Consider personal guarantees

 

[Mr D]

May seem a silly question but.....I want to do a little background check on the owner of a potentially large contract. Not 100% sure as he gives no home, office or any real contact details other than email. Where do I begin.........Thanks

So when he got in touch with you, all you had was an email address?
Can you track any details from the email address?

You'll have more before agreeing to anything.

 

[Noah]

May seem a silly question but.....I want to do a little background check on the owner of a potentially large contract. Not 100% sure as he gives no home, office or any real contact details other than email. Where do I begin.........Thanks

Not silly at all - large contract needs a large, not little, background check - probably worth signing up for one of the online services that can help you to dig deep.

Already a red flag that you don't have pertinent information - tread carefully.

 

[tony84]

I agree with @Noah, definitely not silly.
Do your due diligence, if you are not happy by the end of it, be prepared to walk away. You can walk away from a contract and live to fight another day.

With so little information being offered up, I would be pretty direct and just ask for the information you want, I am not sure what that would be but I suppose:
Company name, if limited - can you find them on companies house? How long have they been trading? Does the owner have a habit of opening and closing companies?
If they are a sole trader, is the owner on companies house?
Can you find the owners on the bankruptcy register?

 

[Jessica A.]

I agree with everyone who commented before me. If it's a potentially large contract, then you have all the right to do a background check and to know the company you will be dealing with. If they don't provide you with any details at all, then ASK.

 

[Mark Laurie]

Surely it is standard practice to ask for full company information before dealing with them. If you wanted to insure the debt the insurance company would definitely want full disclosure including their inside leg measurement. I would suggest you use something like Experian Business Express as a starting point.

 

[Dario.c]

Does he belong to a company? If so, I would look into company house

 

[DontAsk]

If they are a sole trader, is the owner on companies house?

Why would they be?

 

[tony84]

Why would they be?

They may own other companies or have a history of closing ltd companies.

 

[Deleted member 59730]

Where do I begin.........Thanks

How did they find you? Ask for 2 trade references.

Are they based in Nigeria or Croatia?