Gaming influencers: verify UK agencies on Companies House

Can I check an agency before I sign?

Yes. Companies House lets you search a UK company without charge, so check the legal entity before agreeing to a deal. A trading name alone is not enough: the contract should identify the registered company that will owe you money or receive rights.

You are putting your channel, audience and sometimes your likeness in another party's hands. That company may be new, overdue with filings or different from the name on its letterhead. A short register check helps you identify who you are dealing with before you commit.

The same principle applies to a brand: verify the company named in the contract, not just the label familiar to viewers. Paid partnerships also involve ASA and CAP Code requirements, while audience data can bring UK GDPR responsibilities. Ask for the registered name and company number if the other party cannot supply them.

If you trade through your own limited company, you also have company filing obligations. GOV.UK guidance on setting up a company, Corporation Tax and running a limited company explains registration and the basics of trading as a company, including filing requirements for creators.

What does the Companies House record tell me?

It confirms the company's identity and current status, and gives you a trail of its filings. Search the company name or number using the Companies House Find and update company information service; basic company information, filing history, accounts and PSC details are free to view.

Start with the overview: note the company number, incorporation date, registered office and status. An active status is not a guarantee of good performance, but liquidation, administration or a proposal to strike off is a reason to stop and ask questions before proceeding.

Accounts are useful even when a small company files abridged or filleted accounts and does not show turnover or profit. You can still see whether accounts exist, whether they were filed on time and whether the company describes itself as dormant. Filing history shows those documents and dates in context.

Check the officers and their appointment dates, then note other companies they run. A director attached to several dissolved companies is a pattern to ask about, not proof of wrongdoing. The supplier due diligence approach of matching the contracting party to the evidence is useful here too.

Who owns or controls the company?

The PSC register names the people or firms with significant control, giving you a view of who ultimately owns or controls the agency. Compare it with the officers list and with the person who is negotiating your agreement, rather than assuming the person who pitched you has authority.

Control can mean more than 25 per cent of shares or voting rights, the right to appoint or remove most of the board, or significant influence or control. The PSC register guidance explains the statutory thresholds and what counts as control, including how a firm's ownership chain must lead to a registrable individual.

If the contact is not a PSC and holds no shares, ask who can approve changes to your deal. An offshore shell company at the end of an ownership chain may leave you with a weaker bargaining position than the agency's letterhead suggests. A PSC entry that seems out of step with claims of recent independence also merits a question.

Directors have duties to act in the company's interests and keep records, as set out in the director essentials guidance. This check does not establish whether an agency will perform well; it helps you understand who is behind the company and who may be able to make decisions about your agreement.

Does the contract name the company I checked?

It should. Take the company number and legal name from the agreement and compare them with the register.

If the number does not exist, belongs to a different company or is missing from a contract that gives only a trading name, ask for corrected details before signing. The contract areas to check explain broader deal terms.

Pay particular attention if an agency invoices the brand and pays you later: you are allowing a company you have just met to hold money owed to you. An assignment clause may let it transfer your deal to another company you have not checked. Compare payment, assignment and termination terms with the entity and evidence on the register.

Termination should not let one side leave easily while locking the other in for years. Negotiate that imbalance before signing, because a clean company record cannot fix an unfair clause. When choosing among suppliers as well as agencies, the fit and evidence checklist offers a way to define the job and ask for evidence.

Which filing details deserve a closer look?

Dormant accounts, repeated late filings and frequent company name changes deserve questions. None proves dishonesty on its own, but each can conflict with the way an agency presents itself. Look at the filing dates and previous names, then ask the company to explain any mismatch before you sign.

Repeated late accounts may point to cash pressure, weak administration or both; one late filing may be a one-off, but a pattern deserves attention. A company reporting dormant accounts while claiming to handle brand deals may be trading through another entity or misrepresenting its activity. Read about dormant accounts and check which entity holds the work.

Other details worth noting include an office shared with many unrelated companies, directors resigning shortly before filing deadlines, a strike-off application while deals are being pitched, charges by lenders and an unexpected change to the accounting period. Taken together, these markers call for more scrutiny, but do not establish dishonesty.

For a direct brand approach, request the registered company name and number in writing. A familiar label may use a parent company, licensee or regional subsidiary; the company on the contract is the one responsible for paying you. Search that entity, and ask the brand to confirm the legal counterparty if you were given only a trading name.

How do I finish the check before signing?

Set aside time to work through the records in order and write down what you find. The search is public and does not require permission or a paid service.

Compare the contract details with the company record, then resolve discrepancies before you agree to exclusivity, payment terms or any transfer of rights.

The risk scenario example reduces to one lesson: a young agency with late accounts, a director linked to dissolved companies and a shared office gives a creator specific reasons to request the company number and negotiate exclusivity, payment timing and assignment terms before signing.

Keep a dated note of the company number, officers, registered office and issues you asked about. Companies file annually, but status and ownership may change between filings, so repeat the check before renewal, an exclusivity extension or a deal larger than usual. If a payment dispute arises, those recorded details help identify the counterparty.

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