Companies House credit checks for new customers
The problem
Half your bad debts are from customers you should never have given credit to in the first place. You don't check Companies House because it's another thing to remember, the team forgets, and by the time the unpaid invoice is 90 days late, the company's in the gazette.
How EF-CapFlow solves it
Three steps. One outcome.
Auto-check on customer creation
When a new customer is added to EF-CRM, EF-CapFlow pulls their Companies House record: incorporation date, accounts filing status, charges, directors' other companies, county-court judgments.
Risk score and recommendation
EF-CapFlow assigns a risk score (green/amber/red) and a recommended credit limit. Red customers can only buy on prepayment; amber on pro-forma; green on terms.
Continuous monitoring
EF-CapFlow re-checks every customer monthly. If a director resigns en masse, accounts are filed late, or a CCJ appears, you get an alert and the credit limit auto-tightens.
The outcome
What you should expect
- Bad debt down by 40-70% in the first year
- No more "we should have known" moments after a customer folds
- Sales team gets instant credit decisions, not 3-day finance reviews
- Audit trail satisfies your insurer and your bank
Common questions
Frequently asked
Is the Companies House data free or paid?▼
EF-CapFlow uses the free Companies House API for the core data. Optional add-ons (Experian, Creditsafe) deepen the score with payment-history data — these are paid passthrough.
What about sole traders and partnerships?▼
For non-incorporated entities, EF-CapFlow checks individual director records via the Insolvency Service register and prompts you to take a director's personal guarantee where appropriate.
Can I override the risk score?▼
Yes — every override is logged with the reason and the user, so you have a defensible record if things go wrong later.
Try EF-CapFlow free for 7 days
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