Buyer guides

Plain-English guides to checking a business and its company history before you pay a solicitor or put money down.

Company history check vs business history check: what to check before buying a UK business

Searching for a company history check before buying a UK business? Learn why a standard company credit check misses premises licences, sole traders and lease traps, plus what a full business and company history check covers.

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Nearly four months in, the vendor changed their mind. Here's why we started BizHistoryCheck

Nearly four months into buying a business, the vendor changed their mind. The founder of BizHistoryCheck on what to check before buying a business, and why public records come first.

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What to look for when buying a pub, café or restaurant in the UK

What to look out for when buying a pub, café or restaurant in the UK: the company, licence, hygiene rating, rates, lease and figures, and the questions to ask before you pay a solicitor.

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Red flags when buying a small business: 8 public-record checks before you instruct a solicitor

Eight UK public-record red flags to look out for before you pay a solicitor: company filings, insolvency, phoenix companies, licences, hygiene, rates, lease and reviews.

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