Dissolved companies are companies that have been struck off the register and are no longer in existence. This means that a dissolved company name can be registered by a new or existing company.
There are no legal restrictions in place 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.
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 the time of its closure.
In the first instance, you should consider accessing the dissolved company’s last set of accounts. This information is available online via Companies House Service. You may also want to carry out 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, or customer reviews associated with the dissolved company, which will give you a good idea about the reputation and notoriety of the business.
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.
Registering 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 WebCHeck. 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 £52.99 plus VAT. The registration process will be carried out online, with no documents to sign or post. Your new business should be incorporated at Companies House within 24 hours and your start trading immediately thereafter.
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