Record a charge over company property
Enter a mortgage or charge on the company's register of charges and start its registration at Companies House.
Screenshots are retaken from IQ Entities on every release. Updated 14 October 2026.
When a company grants security, a legal charge over a property to its bank or a debenture to a lender, record the charge on the company's Register of Charges in IQ Entities. A UK company has 21 days from the charge's creation to register it at Companies House. A charge not registered in time is void against a liquidator or administrator, so record it the day it is signed.
Add the charge
Open the company and choose Charges under Securities in its sidebar, then choose Add charge.
Enter the Date of creation. Fill in Property acquired on only when the charge is over property the company acquired already subject to it; that makes it an MR02 rather than an MR01.
Under Persons entitled, name the lender or security trustee. Choose Add another for each further chargee, or tick There are more persons entitled than those named.
Give a Short description of the property charged, choose whether it is a Floating charge, and tick what the instrument contains: a fixed charge, a negative pledge, or the company acting as bare trustee.
Enter the Instrument description, such as "Legal charge" or "Debenture", and attach the Certified copy of the instrument. Companies House will not register a charge without it, and it must be a PDF.
Choose Add charge.
The charge is listed as Outstanding, with the days left to register it.
Register it at Companies House
Choose the actions button at the end of the charge's row.
Choose Register at Companies House. This opens the filing task for the MR01, or the MR02 for acquired property.
When Companies House registers the charge, it assigns a charge code, which is needed before a satisfaction or release can be filed.
When the charge is repaid or released
Choose Edit from the charge's menu and set the Register status to Satisfied in part, Satisfied in full or Property released, with the date. Recording a satisfaction or release raises the task to file it (MR04 or MR05).
Tips from practice
- Ask the lender's solicitors for the certified copy of the instrument at signing. Without it the 21 days run while you wait.
- Short particulars are only needed for a charge created before 6 April 2013, which Companies House identifies by its particulars rather than a code.
- When a charge is repaid, change its status rather than deleting it, so the history of the company's security stays on the register.