Dissolved companies are companies that have been struck off the register and are no longer in existence.
If you are wondering whether you, as a new or existing company, can use the name of a dissolved company, the answer is yes. There are no legal restrictions to prevent the use of these names, aside from the standard company name rules and regulations set out in the Companies Act 2006 and secondary legislation.
However, using the name of a dissolved company can impact your business’s reputation—read on to learn more.
Research the dissolved company
If you are considering using a dissolved company name, we strongly advise that you research the business that previously traded under the name. It’s important to determine the reputation of the dissolved company because this could have a significant impact on your own business image.
Whilst your business will be issued with a different company registration number (CRN) and have no legal association with the dissolved company, previous customers and creditors may confuse the two businesses. This could be problematic if the company provided bad customer service, received negative press or had outstanding liabilities at its closure.
What is a company house name checker and how do you use it?
This tool allows you to get information about a company for free through Companies House (the registrar of companies in the UK), which holds the details of more than 4.5 million companies.
To check if your favoured company name has any history, enter it into the search box. Results are based on up-to-date information, including:
- Company registered address and nature of business
- Company status (active or dissolved)
- Date of incorporation and dissolution
- Current and resigned officers
- Previous company names
If the company is officially dissolved, it means it is legally terminated. It has settled its remaining debts and sold off or distributed its remaining assets among shareholders. This means it is no longer in existence, and no legal rights are attached to the name, so if you want it, you can take it.
Check the company’s filing history
You should also consider accessing the dissolved company’s last set of accounts. This information is available online under the ‘Filing History’ tab of the Companies House search tool. You may also want to conduct a credit check to determine whether the business had any County Court Judgements (CCJs).
Additionally, an Internet search will also reveal any news articles, press releases, or customer reviews associated with the dissolved company, which will give you a good idea about the business’s reputation and notoriety.
On the flip side, if the dissolved company was a reputable business, this could be extremely beneficial for your company. It might attract the attention of potential consumers – and if you deliver excellent service and products to satisfy these customers, your business could flourish through positive association.
How to buy a dissolved company name
If you are planning to use a dissolved company name, you should first check that it is available to register. You can do this using Rapid Formations’ free name-check tool or via Companies House. If the name is available, you can use it to:
- register a new company
- change the name of an existing company
Our company formation packages are available for companies limited by shares or guarantee and limited liability partnerships, with prices starting at £2.99 plus VAT. The company registration process will be online, with no documents to sign or post. Your new business should be incorporated at Companies House within 24 hours, and you start trading immediately thereafter. This includes a free .com or .co.uk domain name for 1 year to help establish the online presence of your new business. The Companies House filing fee of £50.00 is not included in our company registration package prices.
Please note that the information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or professional advice. While our aim is that the content is accurate and up to date, it should not be relied upon as a substitute for tailored advice from qualified professionals. We strongly recommend that you seek independent legal and tax advice specific to your circumstances before acting on any information contained in this article. We accept no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage that may result from your reliance on the information provided in this article. Use of the information contained in this article is entirely at your own risk.
Join The Discussion
Comments (10)
I have a company that I previously voluntarily dissolved. Can I re-register the name under a new number, or will it be a problem that I was a director of the original company?
Thank you for your kind comment.
Firstly, when a company is dissolved, the name becomes available for others to register. If no one has claimed the name since the dissolution, you should be able to re-register it under a new company number. This would essentially create a new legal entity with a fresh start, even though it shares the same name.
As for being the previous director, this shouldn’t cause any problems unless there were unresolved issues such as outstanding debts, investigations, or director disqualifications tied to the old company. However, it’s always a good idea to check with Companies House directly before to avoid any surprises.
Kind regards,
The 1st Formations Team
Hello, I used to have a company, which was voluntarily struck off in 2015. Since then, I have had a limited company and I would like to use that company’s name as a “trading as” name. Is this possible, or is it possible to change the current limited company name to the one struck off in 2015?
Thank you for your comment, Mark. You can use the old company’s name as a trading name since trading names are not registered, though this offers less protection. To protect the company name more, you might consider changing it. First, check if the name is available on Companies House here – https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company-name-availability. Additionally, see if the company name is trademarked by searching here – https://www.gov.uk/search-for-trademark.
Kind regards,
The Rapid Formations Team
Can a company operate under a name of a dissolved company that hasn’t been registered as new?
Thank you
Thank you for your kind question.
Once a limited company is dissolved, the name that limited company used at the time of dissolution becomes available for use by another company immediately. Therefore, a completely separate limited company can operate under the company name of a dissolved company.
If you were not associated to the dissolved company in question, we recommend you carry out due diligence regarding the dissolved company, to ensure using the same name would not damage your reputation by association.
I trust this information is of use to you.
Kind regards,
Graeme
Can you transfer a Company name to a new Company?
If not, if you change the name of the existing Company, how long until the old name becomes available to be used or the new Company and how do you ensure someone else does not take the name during the change process?
Hi Nick
Thank you for your question.
You cannot transfer a company name to another company. You must first of all change the name of the existing company. This will normally take 3 to 6 working hours; however, it may take up to 24 hours dependent on Companies House workload.
Once the company name has been changed, and the desired name is no longer attached to a company, it will immediately become available for use with another company. Unfortunately there is no way of ensuring the name is not taken by someone else during the transfer process.
Kind regards,
Graeme
The name I wish to use is dissolved, but as I add the name to the checker, it comes up as name is not available to register, please explain.
Dear Marcel,
Thank you for your message.
Where a company name is listed as not being available, there can be many reasons for this. I would suggest that you call our Customer Service team (020 7871 9990) and advise them of the name you would like and they can check if there are any reasons why the name would not be available.
Best regards,
Rapid Formations Team