What Is an Asset Trace?
An asset trace (also known as an asset check) is a comprehensive pre-sue enquiry designed to establish an individual's financial position before you commit to litigation or enforcement action. This service is essential for solicitors, insolvency practitioners, and creditors who need to assess whether a judgment would be recoverable before incurring legal costs.
Our asset trace and asset check service combines Land Registry property searches, company directorship analysis, CCJ searches, and insolvency checks to provide a clear picture of the subject's asset base. The report is discreet, compliant, and confidential — no footprint is left on credit files and no CRA search is conducted.
Discreet • Compliant • No Footprint
Data from fully compliant sources. Not from a CRA. This service is intended for circumstances where a legal exemption to the Right to be Informed applies, such as the prevention of fraud, debt recovery, or in contemplation of legal proceedings.
What's Included in Our Asset Trace
Our comprehensive asset trace and asset check service includes:
- Full Property Ownership Search - Land Registry searches at all linked addresses revealing:
- Property owner name(s)
- Property purchase date
- Purchase price (for properties purchased after October 2001)
- Mortgages and charges with dates
- Title number and tenure type
- Full Directorship Search - Companies House searches identifying:
- Current directorships and officer positions
- Resigned directorships (last 10 years)
- Shareholdings and significant control
- Company financial indicators
- CCJ Search - County Court Judgment search revealing any registered judgments against the subject at linked addresses
- Insolvency Check - Insolvency Service search for bankruptcies, IVAs, DROs, and administration orders
- Linked Address Discovery - identification of current and historical addresses associated with the subject
- Sanctions Screening - comprehensive check against UK and international sanctions lists
When to Use an Asset Trace
An asset trace or asset check is commonly instructed for:
- Pre-sue enquiries - Before commencing litigation, establish whether the debtor has assets worth pursuing. An asset check helps you advise clients on the commercial viability of legal action.
- Enforcement planning - After obtaining judgment, identify specific assets to target for enforcement (property for charging orders, directorships for examination).
- Debt recovery strategy - Prioritise collection efforts based on the debtor's financial position. Focus resources on recoverable debts.
- Insolvency investigations - Asset tracing for insolvency practitioners investigating debtors' affairs, identifying property that may form part of the estate.
- Fraud investigations - Trace assets that may have been dissipated or concealed as part of a fraud investigation.
- Commercial due diligence - Verify the financial standing of a potential business partner, counterparty, or high-value customer before entering into agreements.
Who Uses This Service?
Our asset trace and asset check service is used by:
- Solicitors and legal professionals - Pre-action assessment, enforcement planning, and advising clients on recovery prospects
- Insolvency practitioners - Investigating bankrupts and company directors, tracing assets for distribution to creditors
- Credit managers - Assessing exposure and prioritising collection activities
- In-house legal teams - Due diligence on counterparties and enforcement of commercial debts
- Finance and lending professionals - Security verification and exposure assessment
What We Need From You
To conduct an asset trace or asset check, we require:
- Full name of the subject (including any known aliases or former names)
- Date of birth
- Current or last known address
- Any known company associations (optional but helpful)
- Details of any known assets you wish to verify (optional)
- Your lawful basis for the search (see below)
Lawful Basis
This asset trace and asset check service is available only where a valid lawful basis and a legal exemption to transparency (where applicable) exist under the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
We require clients to indemnify us by confirming the purpose of the search is lawful, such as:
- The recovery of a debt
- The prevention or detection of fraud
- In contemplation of legal proceedings
- Insolvency investigations (where you are an appointed office holder)
Sanctions Screening
Every asset trace includes comprehensive sanctions screening against:
- UK HM Treasury consolidated sanctions list
- EU consolidated sanctions list
- US OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) sanctions list
- UN consolidated sanctions list
This screening is essential for compliance with anti-money laundering regulations and sanctions legislation. If a match is found, we will highlight this in your report.
Turnaround Time
Asset traces and asset checks are typically completed within 1 working day. Complex cases involving multiple properties or extensive directorship histories may take up to 48-72 hours.
We deliver your report by secure email in PDF format.
Frequently Asked Questions
The terms "asset trace" and "asset check" are often used interchangeably. Both refer to an investigation to identify assets owned by or connected to an individual. Some practitioners use "asset check" for a quick pre-sue enquiry and "asset trace" for a more in-depth investigation, but our standard service is comprehensive and suitable for both purposes.
We do not use credit reference agencies, so no search record is created that could alert the subject or affect their credit file. No footprint is left on any CRA database. This service is intended for circumstances where a legal exemption to the Right to be Informed applies.
While we do not leave a footprint on credit files, individuals have a statutory right to request a copy of their personal data held by any organisation (a Subject Access Request). We may withhold information about a search only where a specific legal exemption applies, such as for the prevention of crime, the recovery of a debt, or where legal professional privilege or litigation privilege applies.
We can identify assets that are registered in the subject's name or connected to them through companies they control. This includes property held solely or jointly at the Land Registry, and directorships/shareholdings registered at Companies House. Deliberately concealed assets held in third-party names or offshore may require more extensive investigation — please contact us to discuss complex cases.
We cannot access bank account details without a court order. However, property searches may reveal mortgage lenders, and directorship searches may identify companies through which the subject banks. This intelligence can support applications for third-party disclosure orders or Norwich Pharmacal orders.
Our Land Registry search will reveal all registered proprietors, including joint owners. We will report the names of all owners and the nature of the ownership (joint tenants or tenants in common where disclosed). This is important for enforcement planning as only the debtor's beneficial interest can be targeted.
Our standard asset trace focuses on UK assets held at the Land Registry, Companies House, and UK insolvency records. We can extend searches internationally for an additional fee — please contact us to discuss your requirements for overseas asset tracing.
Yes. All data we access comes from fully compliant sources including public registers (Land Registry, Companies House, Insolvency Service). Our searches are conducted in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018, UK GDPR, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. You will be asked to confirm your lawful basis for the search when placing an order.
A credit check through a CRA (Credit Reference Agency) leaves a visible "footprint" on the subject's credit file. Our asset trace uses Land Registry, Companies House, and other compliant sources that do not create a searchable record. This makes asset traces ideal for pre-sue enquiries where you need to assess viability without alerting the debtor.
Need a Pre-Sue Asset Check?
Order your asset trace online now, or contact our team to discuss complex requirements. With over 128 years of experience, we deliver thorough, accurate asset investigations.