Buying UK business data: what to check

Nine checks before you order

1. Where do the data come from?

The Companies House register can be downloaded free of charge, but it contains no phone numbers, email addresses or websites, and no sole traders. Any list with contact details therefore combines the register with other sources: map data, directories, company websites or data that businesses supplied themselves. Ask which source each column comes from. “From various sources” is not an answer.

2. How current are the data?

Ask for a date and how closed, dormant or struck-off businesses are handled. According to the ONS, 317,440 businesses were started and 280,370 closed (provisional) in the UK in 2024, so any stock of records changes noticeably every year. A specific date says more than “continuously updated”.

3. How many records have the field you need?

A total of millions of records says little. What counts is how many records in your industry and region have the field you need: a complete postal address for direct mail, an email address for a campaign, a phone number for calls. Ask for these counts for your selection before you order.

4. Are email addresses really the business’s own?

Map data and directories sometimes carry the email address of an agency, a franchise head office or the directory itself for many unrelated businesses. Ask how such shared addresses are handled. We, for example, do not count an address as a business’s own if three or more records with different names share it.

5. Does the list show the legal form?

Under PECR, marketing emails to corporate subscribers need no prior consent, but sole traders and partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland count as individual subscribers and need consent or a soft opt-in (regulation 22(3) PECR). A list that cannot tell them apart forces you either to take a risk or to email no one. A company number from Companies House is the clearest sign of an incorporated business.

6. Has the list been screened against TPS and CTPS?

Live marketing calls must not go to numbers registered with the Telephone Preference Service or the Corporate TPS (regulation 21 PECR). Ask whether and when a list was screened, and screen it again yourself before each campaign; registrations change.

7. Is there a sample file?

A sample with the real column structure shows spellings, formats and empty fields before you pay. Check that postcodes, company numbers with leading zeros and phone numbers survive your import.

8. What may you do with the data?

Buying and renting are different. A rented list may only be used for an agreed mailing, often only through a mailing house. A bought list can be imported into your CRM. Clarify passing data to service providers and how long you may use it.

9. What does a usable record cost?

Divide the price by the number of records you can actually use for your purpose. A cheap list with few complete addresses can cost more per usable record than a more expensive one.

Five warning signs

• “Opted-in B2B emails for everyone” without saying who gave consent to whom and when.
• No source given, or the claim that Companies House supplies phone numbers and emails.
• No date for the data.
• No sample file and no field description.
• No identifiable provider, no legal notice and no working contact address.

Market size as a plausibility check

Official figures help you judge whether a promised number of records is realistic. The ONS counted 2,786,985 businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE in March 2026; the Companies House register held 5,711,779 live companies on 1 November 2026, many of them dormant or without trading activity. Figures per industry and region are on our data pages. A list that promises far more active businesses with contact details than these figures suggest deserves questions.

After the purchase

1. Keep the original file unchanged and test the import with a copy.
2. Match against your CRM by company number or VAT number where available.
3. Remove companies in liquidation or with a proposal to strike off before a campaign.
4. Give named individuals the Art. 14 UK GDPR information at the latest with your first message.
5. Keep a suppression list for opt-outs and do-not-call requests and apply it to every later campaign.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use purchased UK business data for email marketing?

For limited companies, PLCs, LLPs and Scottish partnerships, yes, without prior consent, as long as every email identifies you and offers a valid opt-out (regulation 23 PECR). Sole traders and partnerships in England, Wales and Northern Ireland need consent or a soft opt-in (regulation 22 PECR), which a purchased list cannot provide. So check the legal form first.

How can I tell whether a database is up to date?

Ask how current each source is and how closed businesses are identified. A reliable provider gives a date and explains what “active” means. “Updated daily” without an explanation is not a quality feature.

What does UK business data cost?

That depends on the selection, the fields and the usage right. Compare offers by the price per record you can actually use for your purpose, and check whether you buy the data or only rent it for a single mailing. Our prices per industry are on the pricing page.

As of 4 November 2026. Figures on births and deaths: ONS, Business demography, UK: 2024 (deaths provisional). This article is general information and does not replace legal advice in an individual case.