What do charges mean in a Ltd company?

Charges are security granted over a company's assets to creditors (most often banks) — they work like a pledge or mortgage. Their presence means the company has secured debt and a secured creditor has priority over the covered assets. They are public at Companies House.

How is a fixed charge different from a floating charge?

A fixed charge is security over a specific asset (e.g. property) that the company cannot freely dispose of. A floating charge covers a changing pool of assets (e.g. stock) and crystallises onto specific assets only in case of trouble. The document creating the security is often called a debenture.

Are many charges a bad sign?

Charges in themselves are normal — many healthy companies use secured financing. What matters is the number of current charges, their creditors and the context (e.g. a young company with many fresh charges facing a large order). It is one element of risk assessment — not decisive on its own, but worth taking into account.

Where can I check a British company's charges?

Charges are in the public Companies House data, but scattered and raw. A UKCompany report gathers them together with status, directors, PSC and accounts into one PDF, with terms explained and in your language — as a ready-made write-up and a dated record of the check, not a raw printout. The first report after creating an account is free.

Ltd company charges — how to check secured debt

Published: 2026-07-25

Charges are the security a British Ltd company grants over its assets to creditors — most often banks. Their presence in the register is an important signal: it says the company has secured debt and part of its assets is subject to creditors' rights. For a counterparty this is significant risk information. This guide explains what a Ltd company's charges mean, their types and how to check them at Companies House. This is informational material — not legal or financial advice.

What are a Ltd company's charges?

A charge is security granted over a Ltd company's assets to a creditor — it works like a pledge or mortgage. When a company takes a loan or financing, the creditor often secures its debt against the company's assets. If the company fails to repay, the secured creditor has priority to satisfy itself from the covered assets ahead of others.

British Ltd companies register such charges at Companies House, so they are publicly visible. For you as a counterparty, many current charges mean a large part of the company's assets may already be subject to the rights of banks or other creditors — worth taking into account when deciding whether to give trade credit or a long payment term.

Fixed charge and floating charge — what is the difference?

Charges usually come in two types. A fixed charge is security over a specific, identified asset (e.g. property or a machine) — the company cannot freely dispose of that asset without the creditor's consent. A floating charge is security over a changing pool of assets (e.g. stock or receivables) that shifts during trading; only in case of trouble does such a charge crystallise onto specific assets. The document creating the security is often called a debenture.

In practice, what matters more than the name when assessing a counterparty is how many charges are outstanding versus already satisfied, who the creditor is and when the security was created. The table below sets out the key terms.

Ltd company charges — key terms
Term	What it means
Fixed charge	security over a specific asset
Floating charge	security over a changing pool of assets
Debenture	the document creating the security
Outstanding	a current charge (still in force)
Satisfied	a released charge (debt repaid)

How to check a Ltd company's charges?

Charges are part of a company's public data at Companies House — alongside status, directors and persons with significant control (PSC). When checking a British counterparty, it is worth looking not only at whether it exists and is active, but also at the list of its charges: how many are current, in whose favour and how old.

This data, though, is scattered across register sections and presented raw, and the specialised terminology (fixed and floating charge, debenture) is easy to confuse — even when English is no barrier. A UKCompany report gathers it into one PDF — status, directors, PSC, charges and financial documents — with terms explained and in your language. It is a ready-made write-up and a dated record of the check, not a raw printout; UKCompany is not an authority or Companies House, and the fee covers preparing and delivering the report. We cover the company form itself in the guide on what a Ltd company is. You generate the report in the search — the first report after creating an account is free.

Frequently asked questions

What do charges mean in a Ltd company?: Charges are security granted over a company's assets to creditors (most often banks) — they work like a pledge or mortgage. Their presence means the company has secured debt and a secured creditor has priority over the covered assets. They are public at Companies House.
How is a fixed charge different from a floating charge?: A fixed charge is security over a specific asset (e.g. property) that the company cannot freely dispose of. A floating charge covers a changing pool of assets (e.g. stock) and crystallises onto specific assets only in case of trouble. The document creating the security is often called a debenture.
Are many charges a bad sign?: Charges in themselves are normal — many healthy companies use secured financing. What matters is the number of current charges, their creditors and the context (e.g. a young company with many fresh charges facing a large order). It is one element of risk assessment — not decisive on its own, but worth taking into account.
Where can I check a British company's charges?: Charges are in the public Companies House data, but scattered and raw. A UKCompany report gathers them together with status, directors, PSC and accounts into one PDF, with terms explained and in your language — as a ready-made write-up and a dated record of the check, not a raw printout. The first report after creating an account is free.

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This guide is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. Laws and registry rules may change — the information held in the relevant country's official registers is always decisive.