Complaints procedure

How to make a complaint to Companies House about our level of service.

Make sure you’re using the correct service

There’s a different process to:

We do not deal with consumer rights complaints about goods or services.

Read the guidance about identity verification at Companies House before making a complaint about this new process.

What you can complain about

You can only use this process to complain about the level of service we’ve provided. For example: 

  • the time we’ve taken to complete a request
  • poor customer service or unprofessional communication 
  • incorrect advice or guidance 
  • accessibility 
  • incorrect information we’ve published by mistake

How to complain 

Use the online form to make a complaint to Companies House.

You’ll need to tell us: 

  • your full name
  • your email address, so we can contact you
  • what your complaint is about, with enough detail so we can investigate (for example, what happened and when, and what would resolve the issue)

It may be helpful to include: 

  • a phone number, if you would prefer us to call you
  • your company name and number, if relevant
  • any evidence to support your complaint

We’ll keep this information confidential. It will not be available to the public.

Make a complaint

If you need extra support with your complaint 

You can contact Companies House and tell us if you need extra support with your complaint because of a health condition or your personal circumstances.

See accessibility support for Companies House users.

What happens when you complain to Companies House 

Companies House will review your complaint. We’ll investigate what happened and what should have happened. This is called a ‘first tier’ review.

Normally, we’ll contact you within 28 days of receiving your complaint. We’ll tell you the outcome of the first tier review and what the next step is.

If we cannot give a full response in this time, we’ll tell you what we’re doing and when you can expect a full reply. This might happen if your complaint needs more detailed investigation. We’ll give a contact name and a complaint reference number.  

We will not treat you differently to anyone else because you’ve made a complaint. We will handle your complaint fairly, confidentially and investigate the issues thoroughly.

If you disagree with the outcome of the first tier review 

You can ask for your complaint to be reviewed a second time. This is called a ‘second tier’ review. 

The head of complaints will review your complaint, look at how your complaint was handled at the first tier review and let you know the outcome.

The decision from the second tier review is final. You will not be able to ask Companies House for another review.

If you disagree with the outcome of the second tier review 

You can ask the independent adjudicators to review your complaint. We’ll tell you how to do this.

This service is free and independent of Companies House. 

You can only ask the independent adjudicators to look at your complaint if you’ve had a first and second tier review from Companies House. 

The adjudicators only investigate complaints about:  

  • our level of service  
  • mistakes we’ve made 
  • our complaint handling process

Your complaint must be less than 6 months old. 

If you disagree with the independent adjudicators 

You can ask your MP to refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

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