🔎 UK Companies House Filing and Control Watch

Companies House filing history AND persons with significant control for the companies you name, in one cell: a new filing appearing, and a PSC being added, removed or having their nature of control change. PER-COMPANY SCOPE: the public service serves one company at a time, so this watches your list — it is not a whole-register feed. Filing documents are not opened or parsed.

## Source
    Companies House public company information service (public, logged-out)
    - https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/{number}/filing-history

• https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/{number}/persons-with-significant-control

  Public, logged-out only — no API key, login, cookie or CAPTCHA.
  
    ## Pricing
    | Event | Price (FREE tier) |
    |---|---|
    | Actor start (`apify-actor-start`) | $0.02 one-time |
    | Source check (`source-check`) | $0.10 |
  

| Per delta (company-delta) | $0.05 |

`source-check` ladder, GOLD-floored: **$0.10 / $0.09 / $0.08 / $0.067**, charged
    once per run after enumeration terminates — seed and genuine-zero runs included.
    The per-delta value event (`company-delta`) is the **primary** event and is priced at **$0.05 per delta** at the FREE tier. Ladder, GOLD-floored: **$0.05 / $0.045 / $0.04 / $0.0335** (FREE / BRONZE / SILVER / GOLD-PLATINUM-DIAMOND). `source-check` still charges; it is no longer the headline event. Billed deltas are capped at 500 per run and any overflow is reported as a withholding rather than charged.

    ## Snapshot mode is a PREVIEW
    `watch_mode: false` returns at most **25 records**, hard-capped in code regardless
    of `max_items`, labeled `output_mode: "preview"`. This cell sells change detection,
    not bulk record export.

    ## Watch semantics
    First watch run stores a private baseline and emits **zero** deltas. Later runs emit
    `NEW` / `CHANGED` / `REMOVED` keyed on the source-native id with `before` / `after`
    and `changed_fields`. A build whose signature shape changes RE-SEEDS rather than
    emitting a storm of deltas nobody caused.

    ## Source cadence
    Companies House publishes filings on business days. A newly accepted filing appears in the history immediately but its DOCUMENT can take days to process, which the cell handles explicitly — see the README note on filing keys.

    ## A note on filing keys you should know about

A filing appears in the history the moment Companies House accepts it, but its DOCUMENT can take days to process — the service says so on the row itself. During that window the row carries no transaction id. Measured live: 24 of 25 rows had an id and the one that did not was the newest filing.

Rather than drop it, this cell gives such a row a deterministic key built from its date, type and description, so a brand-new filing is reported immediately. When the document later lands, that filing's key becomes the official transaction id — which surfaces as a key change, not a silent substitution. If you reconcile on transaction_id, use document_available to tell the two states apart.

PSC entries carry no official identifier on the public page at all, so they are keyed on company number + normalised name + notified-on date. That is the strongest identity the public service offers, and a PSC renaming themselves will read as a removal plus an addition.

## Terminal states
    `NORMAL` · `SUCCEEDED-0: GENUINE_EMPTY` · `SUCCEEDED-0` (no change) · `PARTIAL` · `BLOCKED`.
    A zero with no evidence FAILS loud rather than exiting 0 quietly.

Output is one company_record row per result; billing is pay-per-event, the value event being one company delta (a $0.02 start fee per run, then $0.05 per company delta plus one $0.10 source check per run that reads the source).

No login, no API key and no CAPTCHA solving are involved: the source is read logged-out with an identified contact User-Agent.

📊 Sample Output

Real rows from run wicpTkWzjg67s7Nxu on build 0.1.14 (2026-09-17), the same input as the Quick start below — every value is as the source published it (emails masked, long text shortened):

kind	company_number	filed_on	filed_on_iso	filing_type	transaction_id
filing	00445790	16 Sep 2026	2026-09-16	SH03	MzU0MzY3ODg5MGFkaXF6a2N4
filing	00445790	26 Aug 2026	2026-08-26	SH06	MzUzOTMzNzQ1OWFkaXF6a2N4
filing	00445790	26 Aug 2026	2026-08-26	SH06	MzUzOTMzNzMyN2FkaXF6a2N4
filing	00445790	26 Aug 2026	2026-08-26	SH06	MzUzOTMzNzQ1OGFkaXF6a2N4
filing	00445790	26 Aug 2026	2026-08-26	SH06	MzUzOTMzNzIwOGFkaXF6a2N4
filing	00445790	06 Aug 2026	2026-08-06	SH03	MzUzNjI5NTk1OGFkaXF6a2N4
filing	00445790	06 Aug 2026	2026-08-06	SH03	MzUzNjI5NTk0OWFkaXF6a2N4
filing	00445790	06 Aug 2026	2026-08-06	SH03	MzUzNjI5NTk1OWFkaXF6a2N4

The run finished with the status message: NORMAL: emitted 10 item(s)

✅ What you get

Each row is flat JSON with these fields (from the dataset schema and the sample run; a field the source does not publish for a given row is null):

• record_key (string/null) — e.g. ch:00445790:filing:MzU0MzY3ODg5MGFkaXF6a2N4
• kind — e.g. filing
• company_number — e.g. 00445790
• filed_on — e.g. 16 Sep 2026
• filed_on_iso — e.g. 2026-09-16
• filing_type — e.g. SH03
• description — e.g. Purchase of own shares. ANNOTATION Clarification hmrc confirmation received that
• transaction_id — e.g. MzU0MzY3ODg5MGFkaXF6a2N4
• document_available — e.g. True
• source_url — e.g. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00445790/fili
• scope_note — e.g. filing-history listing only; the filing document is not opened
• record_type (string) — e.g. company_record
• delta_type (string/null) — null in every sample row

Every run also writes a RUN_RECEIPT record to its key-value store with the source checks it made and the counts it charged — diagnostics never land in the paid dataset.

⚙️ Sample inputs

1. Quick start — the Store example (this is what the sample above came from)

{
  "company_numbers": [
    "00445790",
    "03977902"
  ],
  "watch_filings": true,
  "watch_control": true,
  "filing_pages": 1,
  "filing_types": [],
  "watch_mode": false,
  "baseline_id": "default",
  "max_items": 10
}

The sample run charged exactly: 1 × $0.02 apify-actor-start + 1 × $0.10 source-check + 0 × $0.05 company-delta = $0.12 on the Free tier — snapshot preview rows are delivered unbilled; only the source check and the start fee were charged.

2. A smaller, narrowed run

{
  "company_numbers": [
    "00445790",
    "03977902"
  ],
  "watch_filings": true,
  "watch_control": true,
  "filing_pages": 1,
  "filing_types": [],
  "watch_mode": false,
  "baseline_id": "default",
  "max_items": 5
}

Caps the run at 5 rows; same billing shape as the sample run above.

3. Watch mode on a schedule

{
  "company_numbers": [
    "00445790",
    "03977902"
  ],
  "watch_filings": true,
  "watch_control": true,
  "filing_pages": 1,
  "filing_types": [],
  "watch_mode": true,
  "baseline_id": "default",
  "max_items": 10
}

The first run seeds a private baseline and emits zero deltas; every later run emits one row per change, billed at $0.05 each plus the $0.10 source check; billed deltas are capped at 500 per run.

🧾 JSON sample record

One real record from run wicpTkWzjg67s7Nxu, exactly as it lands in the dataset (emails masked, long text shortened):

{
  "record_key": "ch:00445790:filing:MzU0MzY3ODg5MGFkaXF6a2N4",
  "kind": "filing",
  "company_number": "00445790",
  "filed_on": "16 Sep 2026",
  "filed_on_iso": "2026-09-16",
  "filing_type": "SH03",
  "description": "Purchase of own shares. ANNOTATION Clarification hmrc confirmation received that appropriate duty has been paid on this repurchase",
  "transaction_id": "MzU0MzY3ODg5MGFkaXF6a2N4",
  "document_available": true,
  "source_url": "https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00445790/filing-history",
  "scope_note": "filing-history listing only; the filing document is not opened",
  "record_type": "company_record",
  "schema_version": "1.0",
  "output_mode": "preview",
  "preview_cap": 25,
  "preview_truncated": 0
}

🔧 How it works

Transport. Plain HTTPS from the Apify platform, no proxy. Every request carries an identified contact User-Agent.

Watch semantics. Snapshot mode (watch_mode: false) returns a preview capped at 25 records. Watch mode keys every record on a source-native id, stores a private baseline in a named key-value store, and on each later run emits one delta row per change (new / changed / removed). A blocked fetch is never diffed, so a source outage cannot show up as a mass removal.

Terminal states. A run ends NORMAL, CAPPED (your cap was reached), PARTIAL (something was withheld and the message says what), GENUINE_EMPTY (the source was read and truly had nothing in scope) or BLOCKED (the source refused or changed shape — the run FAILS loud and bills nothing). A zero-row run is never reported as a silent success.

Charging. Each company delta is charged at the moment it is pushed (company-delta); a row that fails to charge is not delivered, so the dataset count always equals the charged count. One source-check is charged per run that actually read the source.

What is not done. No login, no cookie or CAPTCHA bypass, no private or personal-account data, no browser automation.

⏰ Set it on a schedule

A single run is a snapshot. The value is the feed: open the actor in Apify Console → Schedules → Create new, add this actor with input 3 above (watch_mode: true), and pick a cadence:

• Daily — 0 7 * * * (07:00 UTC): catch changes within a day.
• Weekly — 0 7 * * 1: a Monday digest.

The baseline persists in a named key-value store between runs, so every scheduled run compares against the last one; use a different baseline_id for independent watches. Schedules can also POST results to a webhook (Console → Integrations).

💰 Pricing example

Event	Free	Bronze	Silver	Gold
Actor Start (apify-actor-start)	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02	$0.02
Source check (source-check)	$0.10	$0.09	$0.08	$0.07
Company Delta (company-delta)	$0.05	$0.04	$0.04	$0.03

Worked at the live Free-tier price (watch mode, one delta per change):

• 8 company deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 8 × $0.05 = $0.52
• 25 company deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 25 × $0.05 = $1.37
• 500 company deltas: $0.02 start + $0.10 source check + 500 × $0.05 = $25.12

A run that delivers zero rows charges the $0.02 start fee plus the $0.10 source check (the source was read and reported empty). A BLOCKED run (source refused) fails loud and charges no value event. The start fee is charged once per GB of run memory; the default run memory is 1024 MB.

Yield on the sample run: NORMAL: emitted 10 item(s). max_items is a hard ceiling on what is delivered and billed, never a target. Snapshot output is capped at 25 records regardless of the cap you set; watch mode is the full feed.

⚖️ Legal & ToS

This actor reads public data only. It collects only what the source publishes to any visitor, identifies itself with a contact User-Agent, and does not access accounts, private data or anything behind authentication. Use the output in line with the source's terms and your local law; the intended use is B2B research and monitoring.

❓ FAQ

Q: Do I need an API key or a login?
A: No. the input schema has no key field and the actor carries no secrets.

Q: Why did my run return 0 rows?
A: Read the run's status message. GENUINE_EMPTY means the source was read and had nothing in scope for your input (in watch mode the first run always seeds the baseline and returns zero deltas); BLOCKED means the source refused and the run failed without billing a value event — retry later or narrow the input. A zero-row run bills the start fee plus one source check.

Q: How many rows can one run return?
A: Up to max_items (default 500); snapshot previews stop at 25. Raise the cap for a bigger run; you pay per delivered row.

Q: What does watch mode remember between runs?
A: A private baseline of source-native record ids in a named key-value store (baseline_id names it, so several independent watches can coexist). Each later run diffs the live source against it and emits only changes.

Q: How fresh is the data?
A: Every run reads the source live at run time; nothing is cached between runs except the watch baseline. Put it on a schedule for a continuous feed.

Q: What formats can I export?
A: The dataset downloads as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or RSS from the run's Dataset tab or the Apify API, and any run can push to a webhook or integration.

Q: How is this different from the other company registry checks actors?
A: Same output shape and billing model; this one covers UK Companies House Filing and Control Watch. The siblings under Related Actors cover the other sources or slices — run several on one schedule for a combined feed.

🆘 Troubleshooting

• Run FAILED with BLOCKED → the source refused the request or changed its page shape → nothing was billed beyond the start fee; retry after a while, and if it persists open an Issue with the run id.
• Status says CAPPED → your cap (max_items) was reached → raise it for a bigger run.
• Input validation error on start → a field is outside the schema's allowed values → start from the Quick start block and change one field at a time.
• Run TIMED-OUT → a very wide request on a slow day → raise the run timeout in Run options or narrow the input; what was delivered before the timeout is still in the dataset.
• First watch run shows no deltas → expected: it seeds the baseline; changes appear from the second run.

🔗 Related Actors

• Oregon New Businesses — Monthly Formation Feed — Oregon businesses registered in the latest published month, from the Secretary of State's official monthly new-business file — registry number, busin…
• Texas Franchise Taxpayer Status Check — Resolves Texas taxpayers against the Comptroller's official franchise-tax account-status service — by 11-digit taxpayer number, SOS file number or ex…
• UK Charity Eligibility Lookup — Charity Commission register — Look up UK charities on the official Charity Commission register — one verdict per query with number, name and status. No API key; pay per answer
• UK Food Hygiene Establishment Check — Check UK establishments against the official FSA food-hygiene ratings API — one official answer per identifier (FHRSID or name): current hygiene rati…
• UK Food Hygiene Prospect Finder — FSA Ratings — Prospecting lists of UK food businesses from the FSA's own public ratings API: rating, scores, address and authority contact per establishment
• UK Gambling Operator Licence Check — GC Register — UK Gambling Operator Licence Check — Gambling Commission register
• 🏢 About NexGenData — NexGen Watch is NexGenData's fleet of 256 public monitoring and lookup actors built on official sources, pay-per-result. Browse the catalog at apify.com/nexgenwatch.

⭐ Found this useful?

If this actor saved you a manual check, a quick review on the Apify Store helps other teams find it. Feature request or a source that changed? Open it from the Issues tab — every one is read.