Bookkeepers: watching your client list

Updated 7 October 2026. This guide describes what the public register shows; it is not legal, credit or tax advice.

Why a client list needs watching

A bookkeeper or accountant who looks after dozens of limited companies hears about trouble late: a client stops answering, a bank feed goes quiet, a director mentions a problem in passing. Much of what matters is already public by then. Companies House and The Gazette record director changes, overdue accounts, charges, strike-off proposals and insolvency notices, and they do it whether or not anyone is looking.

What on the register matters for a practice

• Overdue accounts or confirmation statement. Your own filing work depends on them, and a missed deadline brings penalties for the client.
• Director appointments and resignations. A change of director often means a change of who instructs you, and sometimes a change of who is authorised to approve filings.
• A new registered office. Statutory post may now go somewhere you cannot see it.
• A proposal to strike off. Sometimes deliberate, sometimes an administrative error that must be objected to within a short window.
• Gazette notices. A winding-up petition or a liquidation appointment ends the engagement as you know it and may leave an unpaid fee.

A simple routine

• Put every client number on one list. Filing Radar's watchlist accepts a pasted list of company numbers, so onboarding a whole practice takes a minute.
• Read the alerts as a prompt to call, not as a verdict. The register shows what was filed, not why.
• Keep your own record. Note the date of an alert and what you did about it; it helps if a client later disputes when you knew.
• Add new clients at engagement, and remove them when the engagement ends.

How this differs from Companies House Follow

Companies House's free Follow emails announce filings. They do not tell you that accounts have gone overdue, because no filing happens, and they do not cover The Gazette. A watchlist compares each company's current state with the last time it looked, so absences show up too.

Filing Radar reports what the public register shows. It is not accounting, legal or credit advice. See also a credit-control checklist for monitoring customers.