ACF CLEANING LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
SC227534 · ltd · incorporated 2002-01-30
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Mar 2025
Net worth
£699.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
82/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other service activities n.e.c.
Sector: Other service activities
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: active trading company with exceptional profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 82/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Discharge stale live charges. 1 live charge(s) created 15+ years ago — likely paid but undischarged. Clean register. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · 2 lenders · oldest 18.0y
30/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Oldest live charge is 18.0 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Two lenders — manageable, but coordination required.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
67 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
82/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £699,517
Cash YoY
+41%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£193k
↑ 41% YoY
Net Worth
£700k
↑ 12% YoY
Current Assets
£1.1m
↓ 1.7% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £1.34M | £1.17M |
| Current assets | £1.09M | £1.11M |
| Cash | £193.1k | £137.1k |
| Debtors | £642.5k | £867.0k |
| Net assets | £699.5k | £622.0k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (28 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-09-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-08📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2023-06-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-29📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-11-29🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2022-11-24📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2022-08-03📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-12-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-10-12📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2021-10-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-10-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-10-12📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2021-03-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-06📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2019-08-23🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Funding Circle Limited
- 2019-08-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2018-08-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2012-01-31➖FORBES, Morag resignedsecretary
- 2008-04-17🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Royal Bank of Scotland PLC
- 2002-01-30🏢Company incorporatedAs ACF CLEANING LIMITED
- 2002-01-30➕FORBES, Andrew Craig appointeddirector
- 2002-01-30➕FORBES, Morag appointedsecretary
- 2002-01-30➕OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2002-01-30➖OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2002-01-30➕JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
- 2002-01-30➖JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
Owner dependency
93/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 24 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
85/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 24 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 24 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Andrew Craig Forbes Individual · British · DOB 03/1967 · age 59 | 25–50% | 25–50% | board control25-50% shares · 25-50% voting · board control | 30/06/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Morag Forbesceased 23/11/2022· 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 STAR CAR WASH FALKIRK LTD→ SC844185 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ABC. AMBULANCE SERVICES (UK) LTD.→ SC555212 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| ABERDONA FARMING CO LTD→ SC380386 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ACADEMY HOUSE EDUCATION LIMITED→ SC519113 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| ACE BUILDERS LTD→ SC372371 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ACE INDUSTRIAL CLEANING LIMITED→ SC736000 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AGF SPORT AND FITNESS LTD→ SC608766 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| ALBION MOBILITY LIMITED→ SC366032 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| ALLOA SHED CENTRE LTD→ SC558303 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| AMAC LANDSCAPING SCOTLAND LIMITED→ SC820851 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| AMBER BLUE EAST CENTRAL LIMITED→ SC404406 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AN GOLDEN GATE LTD→ SC768816 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2002-01-30
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC96090 — Other service activities n.e.c.
Registered office
Unit 5 Commercial Centre
Stirling Enterprise Park
Stirling
FK7 7BF
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-08
Last: 2025-11-24
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
FORBES, Andrew Craig→
Activedirector · ~59y · appointed 2002-01-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
FORBES, Morag→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2002-01-30 · resigned 2012-01-31
OSWALDS OF EDINBURGH LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2002-01-30 · resigned 2002-01-30
JORDANS (SCOTLAND) LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2002-01-30 · resigned 2002-01-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
1
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Funding Circle Funding Circle Limited | A registered charge | — | 23/08/2019 | 29/11/2022 | |
| outstanding | Lloyds Banking Group Royal Bank of Scotland PLC | Bond & floating charge | 1 property | 17/04/2008 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (67 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-11-06
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-11-29
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-06
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2023-11-08
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-06-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-12-13
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-11-24
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2022-11-24
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-08-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-02-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-12-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-10-12