Existing UK PLC administration
Bought, inherited, abandoned by the old provider or simply left lying for years: your PLC gets its order back. We take over the administration, find every gap and close it.
| For | owners and boards of existing PLCs, listed or not |
| Identity verification | existing directors give their code with the next confirmation statement |
| Without verification | no confirmation statement, and an offence if a director carries on acting |
| PLC deadlines | annual accounts and AGM each within six months of the year end |
| Outcome | registers in order, overdue filings made, a new secretary, a calendar |
Who this package is for
Some PLCs are well run. And then there are the others. The company was formed for a project that slipped. The previous provider stopped trading. The director who looked after things has left. Or you took over shares and only now realise nobody knows where the minute book is.
Since the Companies House reforms, this kind of thing shows up faster. Identity verification has been mandatory since 18 November 2025, and a confirmation statement only goes through once every director is verified. Existing directors give their personal code with the company's next confirmation statement. A director who carries on acting without verification commits an offence, and Companies House has said it will mark unverified names on the public register. A neglected register is no longer a cosmetic flaw.
How we take over your PLC
We work backwards: first establish what is there, then put right what is missing, then set up the ongoing work.
- 1
Gather the records
Articles, registers, minutes, accounts, correspondence and the Companies House record. If the previous provider still holds anything, we request it.
- 2
Handover audit
We reconcile: do the share register and capital match the filings? Were allotments authorised? Were all deadlines met? Which directors and PSCs are still unverified? You receive a written report with priorities.
- 3
Urgent steps
What is pressing comes first: identity checks that are due, an overdue confirmation statement, annual accounts with the bookkeeper and auditor, a missed AGM.
- 4
New secretary and registered office
A qualified secretary is appointed, the registered office is moved, and the changes are filed.
- 5
Close the gaps
Missing or defective resolutions are passed late or confirmed where the law allows, and registers are corrected. For transfers without a proper instrument of transfer, we work out what has to be supplied.
- 6
Calendar and handover
You receive the deadline calendar from today and can hand the ongoing work to PLC Company Secretary.
What our audits find most often
Typical problems and the rule behind each.
| Problem | Rule | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| No secretary, or one without the qualification | every PLC needs a secretary, and the directors must see to the qualification | a qualified secretary is appointed |
| Shares allotted without authority | authority by the articles or a resolution, valid for five years at most | review and, where possible, confirmatory resolutions |
| AGM not held | AGM within six months of the year end | hold it now and set the calendar from there |
| Directors not verified | code with the next confirmation statement | verification before filing |
| Transfers on the register without an instrument | entry only with a proper instrument of transfer | request the documents, check stamp duty |
Companies Act 2006 s271, s273, s336, s551, s770; GOV.UK identity verification guidance
A PLC's annual accounts must reach Companies House six months after the financial year ends; a Ltd has nine. The AGM falls in the same six-month window. So if you take over a neglected PLC, you are often already in the middle of a deadline. The audit tells you which one on day one.
And if the PLC no longer needs to be a PLC?
Sometimes the honest outcome of the audit is that the company no longer needs public company status. No listing plan, no public offer, only the heavier duties. In that case the PLC can be re-registered as a private limited company by special resolution and amended articles. After that, the Ltd's longer deadlines apply and a secretary is no longer required.
Whether that is wise depends on your plans and on what the company does today. For a pure parent company, the UK Holding Company is often the better fit. The differences in detail are in PLC or Ltd.
What to have ready for the takeover
Everything you have, even if it is incomplete. We will find the gaps anyway.
- Company number and name, and your role (shareholder, director, buyer, heir)
- Articles, share register, minutes and resolutions, as far as they exist
- The latest annual accounts and contact details of the bookkeeper and auditor
- Contact details of the previous provider or secretary
- A list of current directors and PSCs and where their identity verification stands
Questions
My previous provider will not hand over the records. What now?
We request them in writing and keep a record of it. Much can be rebuilt from the Companies House register. Where it comes to legal claims against the provider, you need a lawyer; we can put you in touch with one.
Our PLC is listed. Will you still take it on?
The company secretarial side, yes. Duties to the exchange and the market stay with the nominated adviser, sponsor or corporate adviser, and we work alongside them.
How much work is a takeover?
That depends on what has been left lying. A PLC with complete registers and only one missing confirmation statement is quick to take over. A company with no minutes, unclear allotments and several overdue accounts needs more. That is why every takeover starts with the audit: afterwards you know in black and white what needs doing, before you commit to anything else.
How quickly do I need to act?
If directors are not yet verified or filings are overdue: now. The next confirmation statement is the date on which it shows.
Do you also handle the tax side?
Tax returns are a separate engagement. How the PLC and its distributions are taxed is something we work through in a UK Tax Consult; how a UK PLC is taxed gives an overview.