Free Company Credit Check

[Davidad]

I don't suppose anybody knows of where you can obtain free credit check information on other companies ? Our debtors list is increasing and we should perhaps take a more proactive approach to sales in the future.

Thanks

 

[GRDCredit]

Interesting question!

Free? Most companies will allow you to have a few checks for free as an insight into your business but I dont know of any who will offer you any more than a few for free.

To be frank, it seems like you are going about this the wrong way. You should be looking to review the credit risk of all your current and future customers as well as monitoring them in the future - for example if a company checks out OK now but has a CCJ lodged against it in a couple of months time, you want to know about it!

How many customers are you talking about?

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

I don't suppose anybody knows of where you can obtain free credit check information on other companies ? Our debtors list is increasing and we should perhaps take a more proactive approach to sales in the future.

Thanks

Barclays used to offer this I cant recall the terms etc - if you bank with them it might be worth checking out.

 

[David Griffiths]

Barclays used to offer this I cant recall the terms etc - if you bank with them it might be worth checking out.

Credit Focus. £10 per month plus VAT and sends emails if the credit score of one of your cases moves up or down.

 

[Davidad]

Thanks. £10pm seems a reasonable insurance policy to me and we will follow it up.

Barclays do provide a 'free' credit check service but you have to be signed up and be paying for one of their business banking options.


Thanks for the suggestions

 

[veganline]

I've been searching for freebies...
duedil.com give you the accounts which Companies House would charge a pound for. They add graphs for cash, book value; they calculate average debtor days, and provide nifty cross-referencing of directors' other companies.

companycheck.co.uk offer the same with a different graphic format and explanation of ratios, and an option to download accounts as a spreadsheet. They have a harder selling technique to try to make you buy paid-for addons.

opencorporates.com show free accounts with no nags to view adverts or buy additional services, and are more international. They have fewer tips for interpreting accounts. Opencharities.com is from the same people, but accounts at the Charities Commission are free to view anyway.

do-business.net (quite well known as Dunn & Bradstreet) and
companieshouse.gov.uk/toolsToHelp/WCInfo.shtml
...both offer free monitoring. The first sent so many emails about "a positive change" or "a negative change" about companies that I gave-up paying any attention; all the information referred-to is paid-for.
Companies House monitor only the filing of documents including applications to put a company into receivership.

There may be free searches of vexatious litigents emerging, but I am not sure. These could be good when applying for a job - to find out whether the firm has trouble staying out of the employment tribunal from one year to the next. It could also be a measure of un-reasonableness generally. Searches of County Court judgements are I think £15 at registry trust.

I'm no great expert on this and would like to know of any other grood freebies. As mentioned abouve, several credit reference agencies offer one report for free to new customers.