Is there any way to check if a sole-trader is registered with HMRC or still trading officially?

[DTony]

Hi, advice needed please. Is there any way to check if a sole-trader is registered with HMRC or still trading officially? I’ve just heard that a business (not ltd and only one employee) has rebranded their van and I’m about to start a small claims process against them.

 

[Mr D]

You can ask the business.

Presumably you have a claim either against them personally because you dealt with them operating as self employed or else you have a claim against a limited company because you contracted with the limited company.

Not sure how what they are now is relevant to what business you are owed money by.

 

[Mark T Jones]

It would make no difference. Your claim is against the individual

 

[DTony]

Thank you! I hadn’t realised my claim would be against the individual. So even if they stop trading under one name it won’t matter. That’s a huge relief.

I would ask the business but they will not respond to me at all. They completed a bathroom refit in August but have left numerous problems with workmanship and caused extensive damage to a room underneath from a leak. They’ve refused to fix any of it and I’m not alone unfortunately, a few people have had major issues.

 

[Mr D]

Thank you! I hadn’t realised my claim would be against the individual. So even if they stop trading under one name it won’t matter. That’s a huge relief.

I would ask the business but they will not respond to me at all. They completed a bathroom refit in August but have left numerous problems with workmanship and caused extensive damage to a room underneath from a leak. They’ve refused to fix any of it and I’m not alone unfortunately, a few people have had major issues.

Then you've just got the fun of getting a judgement and getting paid.

 

[DTony]

Indeed! Not expecting this to be an easy process. Win or lose, get the money or not, this business deserves to be held accountable. The more public I make it in my local area, the more people are saved from their incompetence.

 

[Gecko001]

Note sole trader business

Thank you! I hadn’t realised my claim would be against the individual. So even if they stop trading under one name it won’t matter. That’s a huge relief.
.

How do you know this is a sole trader business? If it is a sole trader business, the name of an individual should be on all business correspondence and invoices etc.. Note sole trader businesses can have dozens of employees and by the same token Ltd company can comprise just one person. The "sole" refers to the fact that there is one individual who is personally responsible for all financially responsibilities of the business and not to the number of people in the business.

 

[DTony]

I’m not sure where I’ve suggested otherwise, in terms of what a sole-trader or limited company means.

The company isn’t registered with companies house. Which they would need to do if Limited as far as I understand.

They have provided no information other than their name on their invoice and had to be pushed to provide one at all.

 

[Noah]

They have provided no information other than their name on their invoice and had to be pushed to provide one at all.

Ammunition for you. Threatening to report them for invoice-less cash transactions to HMRC for investigations into VAT and other tax dodging might give them more incentive to sort your problem out (hopefully not "permanently").