Key facts: London
- Active companies, SIC 69201 (accounting and auditing), London registered office
- 8,594
- Counted
- 18 October 2026
- Rank among the 11 London professions on this site
- 2nd
Count from the Companies House register, 18 October 2026.
Accountancy practices registered in London
Companies House lists 8,594 active companies giving accounting and auditing (SIC 69201) as their activity with a London registered office (18 October 2026). That puts accountancy practices 2nd of 11 London professions here, behind clinics (21,051) and ahead of engineering consultancies (5,921).
SIC 69201 is for accounting and auditing; bookkeeping (69202) and tax consultancy (69203) have their own codes, so practices that mainly do those are not counted here. A registered office is also not always where a firm trades.
What lenders check for a London accountancy practice
Accountancy practices are supervised by a professional body such as the ICAEW, which issues practising certificates and supervises anti-money laundering compliance. Audit work needs registered auditor status.
Lenders value recurring fees: they look at client retention, the spread of fee income, the terms of any deferred consideration and the buyer's record of integrating clients.
What London accountancy practices usually fund
Practices grow by buying fee blocks and whole firms, fund partner succession, and smooth the January peak with working capital and partners' tax funding.
Fee income bunches around the January self-assessment deadline and year ends, while salaries are monthly, which is why short-term working capital is common in the autumn.
Premises and security in London
Buying a freehold for a accountancy practice in England brings Stamp Duty Land Tax at non-residential rates, and a lender secures the loan with a legal charge registered at HM Land Registry. For leased premises, expect a lender to ask for the lease and to match the loan term to it.
Lenders for London accountancy practices
Lenders for accountancy practices are not organised by region, so neither is our search: for London, as anywhere, we search the whole market and approach the lenders whose criteria fit. Fees depend on the lender; nothing is payable upfront.
Common questions
How many accountancy practices are there in London?
Companies House lists 8,594 active companies with SIC 69201 and a London registered office (18 October 2026). Partnerships and sole traders are not included.
How are fee block purchases usually structured?
Commonly an initial payment with deferred consideration tied to client retention. Lenders look at that structure when deciding what to fund upfront.
Can you arrange finance for a London accountancy practice?
Yes. We are a whole-of-market broker, not a lender, and search the market for lenders whose criteria suit the accountancy practice. Fees depend on the lender; nothing upfront.
