Complain about a limited company
You can complain to the Insolvency Service, Companies House or the Serious Fraud Office if you suspect a limited company or its directors of fraud or serious misconduct.
Complain to the Insolvency Service
You can complain to the Insolvency Service if you have reasonable grounds to suspect a company of:
- causing significant harm to customers, suppliers etc
- breaking the law, eg fraud
- serious misconduct
- having a significant irregularity in its affairs
You can also report someone who’s disqualified as a director, but is taking part in the management of a company.
What happens next
If the Insolvency Service decides that your complaint is serious enough, they will either:
- carry out a confidential investigation
- pass your complaint on to another public body, if appropriate – tell them if you don’t want them to do this
If they find anything wrong and have enough evidence, they may ask a court to:
- close the company down
- disqualify the companyÂs directors
If they find an offence may have been committed, they’ll send a report to the appropriate authority, who will decide whether to carry out a criminal investigation.
What can’t be investigated
The Insolvency Service won’t usually investigate complaints where:
- there’s no public interest (eg an internal company dispute)
- an investigation by somebody else is already underway
- the main issue is that the company isn’t paying its debts
How to complain
Complain about a company using the Insolvency ServiceÂs online complaints form
You can email them at Intelligence.Live@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.
You can also write to them:
Intelligence Hub
Investigations and Enforcement Services
Insolvency Service
3rd Floor Cannon House
18 Priory Queensway
Birmingham
B4 6FD
Give as much information as you can when you complain.
Complain to Companies House
Companies House deals with complaints about companies that fail to file documents such as annual accounts or returns, or file fraudulent documents.
If you suspect a company of breaking the law on the filing of documents, email the details to fraud@companieshouse.gov.uk.
Serious and complex fraud
If your complaint relates to a serious and complex fraud involving more than £1 million, check the Serious Fraud OfficeÂs criteria for taking on cases to see if you should report it to them.