County coverage · Hampshire
Insolvency & Director AdviceAcross Hampshire: Independent and Confidential
Our main office is in Hampshire, so directors from Basingstoke to the coast get advice from a firm that is genuinely local and entirely independent of any insolvency practice.
Free initial advice · Confidential · No obligation · Lines open 8am to 6pm · We act for directors, not creditors
Speaking to directors in Hampshire
- A straight read of where the company actually stands
- The options open to you, explained without jargon
- Where you are personally exposed, and where you are not
- What to do this week, not in three months
Lines open 8am to 6pm, 7 days a week · Nothing you tell us goes any further.
Serving company directors across the county
Hampshire is not one economy but several: the M3 corridor, the maritime south, the rural east and the garrison and aviation towns. Each produces different pressures on owner-managed companies.
Where in Hampshire we work
Our main office sits near Alton in east Hampshire, and we advise directors throughout the county, Basingstoke, Winchester, Andover, Aldershot, Farnborough, Fleet, Petersfield, Bordon, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Havant and the Southampton and Portsmouth areas.
Being based in the county means in-person meetings are practical rather than theoretical, and most Hampshire directors can be seen within days rather than weeks.
How quickly we respond in Hampshire
Lines are open 8am to 6pm, seven days a week and the first conversation is usually the same day. Because the main office is in Hampshire, travel within the county is short and an urgent meeting can normally be arranged quickly.
Where a statutory demand, petition or enforcement visit is in play, ring at the point it happens rather than waiting for a working day.
The kinds of business we see in Hampshire
Construction, groundwork and civil engineering contractors, marine and boatyard businesses along the Solent, aerospace and defence supply chain firms around Farnborough, agricultural and land-based businesses in the east and north of the county, road haulage and plant hire, hospitality, independent retail and a large professional and technology base along the M3.
Nearly all lease their premises, and the majority of the smaller companies took a Bounce Back Loan.
What Hampshire directors call about
HMRC arrears remain the leading reason. Then unpaid Bounce Back Loans, overdrawn director's loan accounts and personal guarantees on unit leases, plant finance and trade accounts.
Seasonal businesses, marine, hospitality, agricultural, call disproportionately in the quiet part of their year, which is exactly when a fixed HMRC instalment becomes unmanageable.
What we advise on in Hampshire
Every service below is available to directors in Hampshire and the surrounding area, starting with the same free and confidential first conversation.
HMRC Debt & Pressure
What HMRC can and cannot do next, and what a realistic Time to Pay proposal looks like for a seasonal Hampshire business.
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Bounce Back Loan Problems
Where liability for an unpaid Bounce Back Loan actually sits and how it is dealt with if the company closes.
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Business Restructuring
Where a viable trade sits inside a struggling company, we test honestly whether restructuring can protect it.
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Closing a Limited Company (CVL)
The cost, timetable and director duties of a CVL, explained before you appoint anybody.
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Overdrawn Director's Loan Account
Establish the balance and the exposure before a liquidator does, while there are still choices to make.
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Personal Guarantees
Find out precisely which guarantees you have signed across leases, plant and trade accounts, and what they expose.
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General Director Advice
Confidential guidance on your duties, your exposure and the next sensible move.
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Company Insolvency Advisory
A clear read on whether the company is insolvent and what each available process would mean for you.
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Advice Before You Engage an IP
What an office-holder will investigate and how to prepare, before any appointment is made.
Read moreWhy Hampshire directors use us
We act for directors and investors. We are not an insolvency practice and hold no insolvency licences, so our advice never has to serve two masters.
Our main office is in the county
The business is based near Alton in Hampshire, with a registered office in Northampton and further offices in Manchester, Leeds, Bradford and Birmingham.
Independent of insolvency practices
We never take an appointment, so we are never the party reporting on your conduct to creditors.
Same-day first conversation
Lines open 8am to 6pm, seven days a week across the county.
Licensed practitioners on introduction
Credentials among those we refer to include Fellow of the Insolvency Practitioners Association, membership of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals, the International Association of Insolvency, Restructuring and Bankruptcy Professionals and the Turnaround Management Association.
Independent valuers
A panel of auctioneers and valuers, some RICS-associated depending on the case, for plant, vehicles and premises.
Specialist HMRC support
A retired former HMRC inspector works with us on specialist tax matters where the position is contested.
What puts Hampshire companies under pressure
Coastal weather, seasonality, defence procurement cycles and an expensive property market all leave a mark on local balance sheets.
Seasonal earning patterns
Marine, tourism, hospitality and agricultural businesses earn unevenly across the year while HMRC instalments and rent fall due monthly regardless.
Coastal and weather exposure
Marine and outdoor trades along the Solent lose working weeks to weather, and lost days are rarely recoverable within the same season.
Defence and aerospace contract cycles
Suppliers around Farnborough and Aldershot carry headcount and tooling against programme timetables that can slip by quarters at a time.
High property and rent costs
Commercial rents across the M3 corridor are high relative to margin, and the leases carry director guarantees as standard.
Older rural and converted premises
Farm conversions and older units in east Hampshire bring repairing obligations and dilapidations claims that arrive as a lump sum.
Construction payment chains
Contractors working across the county's housing and infrastructure pipeline carry retentions and long certification periods.
How we work with you
The same defined sequence for every director we advise in Hampshire, so you always know what happens next and what is expected of you.
- 01
First call
You tell us what has happened and what you are worried about. Free, confidential and usually same day.
- 02
Position review
We look at the company's finances and your personal exposure, guarantees, loan account, dividends and timeline.
- 03
Options set out
Restructuring, negotiation or closure, compared in plain English with what each would mean for you.
- 04
The right specialists
Where a formal process is needed we introduce you to a licensed insolvency practitioner suited to the case.
- 05
Alongside you throughout
We stay involved while the process runs, so somebody in the room is always acting for you.
Taking advice in Hampshire before anything is committed to
The value sits at the beginning of the process, not the middle. This is what an independent review covers and why the order matters.
Who is acting for whom
An insolvency practitioner, once appointed, realises the company's assets, distributes them in the statutory order, and reports on the conduct of every director in the relevant period. Those duties run to the creditors.
That is the design of the role, not a failing of it. It does mean somebody independent should review the position from your side before an appointment is made, and in Hampshire that can happen face to face.
What we review
Company and personal positions together, because in an owner-managed Hampshire business they cannot sensibly be separated.
- HMRC arrears by tax type and any Time to Pay history
- Bounce Back Loan balance and how the funds were used
- Personal guarantees across leases, plant and vehicle finance and trade accounts
- Director's loan account balance and how it arose
- Dividends declared against distributable reserves at the time
- Asset disposals in the last two years and prices achieved
Where a business can be preserved
Not every struggling company should close. A Northampton fencing and groundwork contractor unable to meet its tax liabilities was liquidated with assets independently valued and bought at a fair price; the trade continued and the new company continues to grow and thrive.
Where the threat is an allegation rather than a debt, evidence resolves it. An Oxford transport company accused of fraud and theft after buying stolen, already-financed plant machinery was shown to be the victim, and recovered its contracts and standing.
Where we work from in the south
Our main office is near Alton, which serves east Hampshire directly and the rest of the county easily. We also advise across the Surrey border around Guildford and Farnham, and along the coast into Southampton and Portsmouth.
Nationally we hold offices in Manchester, Leeds, Bradford and Birmingham, with a registered office in Northampton.
Hampshire: questions directors ask
Do you cover the whole of Hampshire?
Yes. Our main office is near Alton and we advise directors across the county, including Basingstoke, Winchester, Andover, Aldershot, Farnborough, Fleet, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport and Havant.
How quickly can you reach a director in Hampshire?
Lines are open 8am to 6pm, seven days a week and the first conversation is usually the same day. Because the main office is in the county, in-person meetings are quick to arrange.
What does advice cost in Hampshire?
The initial advice is free, confidential and carries no obligation. Where a licensed insolvency practitioner is later needed, their costs are set out clearly before anything is agreed.
Is there emergency availability across Hampshire?
Yes, 8am to 6pm, seven days a week. Statutory demands, petitions and imminent enforcement should be raised immediately rather than left until the next working day.
Are you insolvency practitioners?
No. We are a director advisory firm acting for directors and investors, holding no insolvency licences. We introduce licensed practitioners where a formal process is required.
My business is seasonal. Will HMRC accept uneven payments?
Proposals that reflect genuine seasonality are more credible than flat instalments a business cannot sustain, but they must be realistic and supported. We help construct and present the case.
Can we meet in person rather than by phone?
Yes. With the main office in Hampshire, face-to-face meetings across the county are straightforward.
Will HMRC, my bank or my landlord be told I called?
No. The conversation is confidential and nobody is contacted on your behalf without your instruction.
Do you deal with personal debt or bankruptcy?
No. We deal with company insolvency and director advisory only.
I have already met a practitioner. Is it worth speaking to you now?
Yes, provided nothing has been signed. Independent review before an appointment still changes outcomes.
Not sure where to start?
Describe the situation in one call. If a different service fits better, we will say so and point you to it.
0330 223 5754Free · Confidential · No obligation · Lines open 8am to 6pm, 7 days a week
Speak to a Hampshire-based adviser today
Free, confidential and no obligation. Find out where the company stands, where you are exposed personally and what your realistic options are.
0330 223 575407770 666896- The initial conversation is genuinely free and carries no obligation
- Everything you tell us stays between us
- We are independent: we act for you, not for your creditors
Free, confidential and no obligation. Company insolvency and director advisory only; we do not advise on personal debt.