Administration

Protects a struggling company from its creditors while an administrator tries to rescue it or sell the business. We help companies and directors in Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford and across Yorkshire and the UK.

Please note: this page is a brief, general overview to help you understand your options. It doesn’t cover every detail or every possible route, and it isn’t legal or financial advice. Every situation is different, so please talk to us before making any decisions.

In short: protects a struggling company from its creditors while an administrator tries to rescue it or sell the business.

Administration puts a licensed insolvency practitioner, called the administrator, in charge of a company that can’t pay its debts. While the company is in administration, creditors can’t take legal action against it without permission. This gives breathing space to work out the best way forward.

The administrator’s first aim is to rescue the company. If that isn’t possible, they try to get a better result for creditors than closing the company straight away would, often by selling the business and its assets.

What happens

  1. The directors, or sometimes a lender, appoint the administrator.
  2. The administrator takes control of the company and writes to its creditors.
  3. Within eight weeks, the administrator sends creditors their plan for the company.
  4. The business may keep trading while a buyer is found.
  5. Administration normally lasts up to a year, although it can be extended.

Things to know

  • Sometimes the sale of the business is agreed before the administrator is appointed and completed straight afterwards. This is called a “pre-pack”. It can protect the value of the business and save jobs, because trading carries on.
  • If the buyer in a pre-pack is connected to the current directors, there are extra checks to make sure creditors are treated fairly.
  • The administrator must look into how the company was run and report on the directors to the Insolvency Service. This happens in every case.

Other options

Administration isn’t right for everyone. These are the other corporate insolvency options, or you can compare them all.

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