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UK insolvency, explained
Clear, practical guides to liquidation, administration, CVAs and company distress — written for directors, creditors and anyone trying to make sense of the register.
What Is a CVL? Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation Explained (Meaning, Process, Cost)
CVL meaning in plain English: what a creditors' voluntary liquidation is, how the process works step by step, what it costs, what happens to directors and employees, and where to see the latest CVLs.
Read guideAdministration vs Liquidation: What's the Difference?
Administration rescues, liquidation closes. A clear comparison of the two main UK corporate insolvency procedures — who controls the company, what happens to jobs, and which creditors get paid.
What Happens When a Company Goes Into Administration? (UK Guide)
Going into administration, explained: what it means for a UK company, the moratorium, who runs the business, what happens to staff, customers and suppliers, how long it lasts and how it usually ends.
Pre-Pack Administration Explained (and Why It's Controversial)
A pre-pack administration sells a business the instant it enters administration. How pre-packs work, the SIP 16 and connected-party rules, and why they divide opinion.
How to Check If a Company Is Insolvent, in Liquidation or in Administration (Free UK Search)
Step-by-step ways to check whether a UK company is insolvent, in liquidation, in administration or in a CVA — using Companies House, The Gazette, the insolvency register and Insolvency List, all free.
The Insolvency Act 1986: A Plain-English Guide
The Insolvency Act 1986 is the backbone of UK corporate and personal insolvency law. A jargon-free tour of what it covers — liquidation, administration, CVAs, wrongful trading — and how later reforms updated it.
UK Retail & DIY Administrations: Why the High Street Keeps Failing
Retail and DIY chains keep entering administration. The structural pressures behind the failures, what happens to shops, staff and gift cards, and how to track new retail administrations.
CVA vs CVL: Rescue the Company or Wind It Up?
A CVA keeps a company trading under a creditor-approved repayment deal; a CVL closes an insolvent company for good. How the two differ, and how to tell which fits.
Gazette Insolvency Notices: How to Find and Read Them
How to search The Gazette's insolvency notices and decode each type — winding-up petitions and orders, liquidator and administrator appointments, creditors' meetings — plus where to see the latest UK notices in one list.
How to Find and Choose a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner
What a licensed insolvency practitioner does, how they're regulated, how to check someone is genuinely licensed, and the questions to ask before you appoint one.
Members' Voluntary Liquidation (MVL): Closing a Solvent Company
An MVL is how a solvent company is closed down tax-efficiently. What it is, when it makes sense, how the declaration of solvency works, and how it differs from a CVL.
Companies House: What It Is and How to Use It (Free)
Companies House is the UK's official company register. What it records, how to search it free, what its insolvency-related flags mean, and how to spot early warning signs.