--- title: "HMRC Winding-Up Petition Against Purplebricks" url: https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/hmrc-winding-up-petition-against-purplebricks/ date: 2026-09-24 modified: 2026-09-24 lang: en author: "Hamza Chaudhry" description: "HMRC has presented a winding-up petition (CR-2026-007319) against Purplebricks Property Limited, the online estate agency backed by Sir Charles Dunstone. The petition was filed at the High Court on 22 September 2026 and the company has publicly attributed the position to an administrative error which it says is being resolved. The action is a stark reminder that even well-capitalised consumer brands remain vulnerable to Crown enforcement where PAYE, VAT or corporation tax liabilities are left unresolved. Our specialist winding-up petition solicitors examine what directors and stakeholders should do when HMRC moves to compulsory liquidation." categories: - "Business and Property Courts" - "Companies Court" - "Companies House" - "Company Rescue" - "Creditor Advice" - "Debt Recovery" - "Hearing representation" - "HMRC" - "HMRC Petitions" - "Injunctions" - "Insolvency" - "Insolvency Act 1986" - "Insolvency Litigation" - "Validation Orders" - "Winding up order" - "Winding Up Procedure" - "winding up searches" - "Winding-Up Petitions" tags: - "Companies Court" - "High Profile Winding-up Petition" - "HMRC" - "HMRC Winding-Up Petition" - "Insolvency" - "Online Estate Agent Insolvency" - "Purplebricks Property Limited" - "Winding Up Order" - "Winding Up Petition" - "Winding-Up" image: https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/HMRC-Winding-Up-Petition-Against-Purplebricks-1024x559.jpg word_count: 1210 --- # HMRC Winding-Up Petition Against Purplebricks [Purplebricks Property Limited](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14856837) has been served with an [HMRC winding-up petition](https://lexlaw.co.uk/practice-areas/winding-up-petitions-solicitors-london/hmrc-petition-winding-up/) (case number CR-2026-007319), placing one of Britain's best-known online estate agents at the door of the [Companies Court](https://www.judiciary.uk/courts-and-tribunals/business-and-property-courts/business-list-general-chancery/insolvency-and-companies-list/). The petition was filed on 22 September 2026 and is currently listed as open on the court file, with HMRC represented by its Legal Group in Stratford and the company recorded as a litigant in person. Purplebricks has publicly attributed the position to an administrative error which it says has been resolved and states that the petition is being withdrawn. In our experience acting for directors facing [HMRC winding-up petitions](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/step-by-step-guide-for-directors-responding-to-a-hmrc-winding-up-petition/), the days between presentation and [Gazette advertisement](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/insolvency) are the days that decide whether the business survives. ## Background to the HMRC Winding-Up Petition The petition has been presented against Purplebricks Property Limited (14856837), the trading company behind the online estate agency [Purplebricks](https://www.purplebricks.co.uk/). [HMRC](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs) presented the winding-up petition on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, and the company has confirmed publicly that it was in "active dialogue" with HMRC on what it describes as an "admin error" prior to service. The petition has been presented against Purplebricks Property Limited (company number 14856837), the trading company behind the online estate agency Purplebricks. The company's registered office is at 146 Freston Road, London, W10 6TR. It was incorporated on 9 May 2023 under the name Strike Bidco Limited and adopted its current name on 15 June 2023 following Sir Charles Dunstone's acquisition of the Purplebricks business through his Strike venture, reported at a nominal value of £1. The underlying brand was founded in 2012 by Michael and Kenny Bruce as Purplebricks Group PLC (company number 08047368, since renamed [Bricks Newco Limited](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08047368) and dissolved on 23 May 2026), listed on the London Stock Exchange with a peak valuation of approximately £1.3 billion, previously backed by fund manager Neil Woodford, before difficulties following an expansion into Australia forced a restructuring. [Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/14856837) records that Purplebricks Property Limited's statutory accounts for the year ending 28 March 2025 were due by 24 June 2026 and remain overdue. The Company attributes the delay to the appointment of a new chief financial officer. ## The Legal Framework: HMRC as Petitioning Creditor A [winding-up petition](https://lexlaw.co.uk/winding-up-petition-court-hearing-representation-advocacy-solicitors-london/) is a formal application to the [High Court](https://www.judiciary.uk/courts-and-tribunals/high-court/) for compulsory liquidation under [section 122(1)(f) of the Insolvency Act 1986](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/45/section/122), on the ground that the company is unable to pay its debts within the meaning of [section 123](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/45/section/123). HMRC enjoys a privileged position as petitioning creditor: it need only establish that a tax debt exceeding the £750 statutory threshold is due and unpaid, and the petition is presumed regular unless the company demonstrates a [bona fide dispute on substantial grounds](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/opposing-a-winding-up-petition/). ## The Purplebricks Position: Admin Error and Withdrawal Purplebricks' public statement is instructive. The company has said that its "liability for taxes as they are due have been dealt with and the petition is being withdrawn", supported by a letter from its accountants, BK Plus, describing the position as an administrative error which has been resolved. HMRC's own statement confirms that the Department "only file[s] winding-up petitions once [it has] exhausted all other options". A petition is not, however, a fait accompli. Between presentation and hearing, the petitioning creditor may withdraw the petition with leave of the court under the [Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1024/contents). Where the debt is settled or genuinely disputed before advertisement, an [application to withdraw the winding-up petition](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/withdrawing-a-winding-up-petition/) can, in practical terms, be dealt with on paper. ## Why Gazette Advertisement is the Critical Fault Line? The 7-day window before [Gazette advertisement](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/) is the single most commercially important period. Advertisement under rule 7.10 of the [Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1024/contents) puts the world on notice, and banks will almost invariably freeze the company's accounts to protect themselves against [section 127 of the Insolvency Act 1986](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/45/section/127), which retrospectively voids dispositions of company property after presentation unless subsequently validated by the court. For a consumer-facing estate agency, freezing of accounts, payroll disruption, and adverse publicity can be commercially catastrophic even where the underlying debt is entirely resolved. Practitioners routinely deploy the [validation order](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/validation-order/) and, where appropriate, an [injunction to restrain advertisement](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/restraining-injunctions-against-winding-up-petitions-and-advertisements/) to protect trading operations while resolution is negotiated. ## Practical Guidance for Directors Served with an HMRC Petition Directors of a company served with an HMRC winding-up petition should act on the following priorities: - Instruct specialist insolvency solicitors immediately. The procedural window is measured in days, not weeks. - Reconcile the HMRC debt. Obtain the underlying assessments, statements and correspondence and establish whether the debt is genuinely due, disputed, or the product of an internal reconciliation issue. - Notify the company's bank. Where advertisement is imminent, apply for a [validation order](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/practice-note-on-validation-orders-lawyers-london/) to preserve trading. - Engage [HMRC's Solicitor's Office](https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/office/5395/hmrc-solicitors-office). Where the debt is admitted, a [Time to Pay proposal](https://taxdisputes.co.uk/) supported by evidence may support withdrawal or adjournment. - **Consider an injunction.** Where the petition is defective, based on a disputed debt, or amounts to abuse of process, an [urgent injunction application in the Companies Court](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/obtaining-injunction-restrain-presentation-winding-up-petition/) can restrain both presentation and advertisement. - Prepare the withdrawal application. Where terms of settlement are agreed, the petition can be withdrawn under the [Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/1024/contents), typically on the payment of HMRC's costs. - Review director exposure. Once a petition is presented, [section 130(2) of the Insolvency Act 1986](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/45/section/130) stays other proceedings and directors' powers narrow; post-petition transactions can be later challenged. ## How Our Expert Insolvency Barristers and Solicitors Can Help? Facing an HMRC winding-up petition is a high-pressure moment for any company, and the reputational and commercial consequences are usually more damaging than the underlying tax debt. [Our specialist winding-up petition barristers and solicitors](https://lexlaw.co.uk/our-people/) act for directors, shareholders and boards across the full range of [Companies Court work](https://www.judiciary.uk/courts-and-tribunals/business-and-property-courts/business-list-general-chancery/insolvency-and-companies-list/), from urgent applications to [restrain advertisement](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/restraining-injunctions-against-winding-up-petitions-and-advertisements/) and [validation orders](https://lexlaw.co.uk/practice-areas/winding-up-petitions-solicitors-london/validation-orders-solicitors-london/) to negotiated settlement, withdrawal and, where necessary, contested hearings before the [Insolvency and Companies List](https://www.judiciary.uk/courts-and-tribunals/business-and-property-courts/business-list-general-chancery/insolvency-and-companies-list/). We work in tandem with our sister [tax disputes team](https://taxdisputes.co.uk/) to resolve the underlying HMRC position at pace. Early specialist advice materially improves outcomes. Call ☎ [02071830529](tel:+442071830529) or [request a legal case assessment](https://lexlaw.co.uk/legal-case-assessment/). ## HMRC Winding Up Petitions: Frequently Asked Questions 2026 **Does an "admin error" defeat an HMRC winding-up petition?** Not automatically. Where the underlying tax liability is discharged or genuinely disputed, HMRC will typically consent to withdrawal on payment of its costs. Directors should not rely on informal assurances. Nothing short of a court order dismissing or withdrawing the petition removes the [section 127](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/45/section/127) risk to post-presentation transactions. **Can Purplebricks trade normally while the petition is outstanding?** In principle, yes, but in practice most banks freeze accounts once a petition is advertised in [The Gazette](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/). A [validation order](https://windinguppetitionsolicitors.co.uk/validation-order/) is the standard mechanism to preserve day-to-day trading, payroll and supplier payments pending disposal of the petition. **How quickly must directors respond to an HMRC winding-up petition?** Directors should instruct specialist insolvency counsel within 24 to 48 hours. Advertisement in The Gazette typically follows 7 business days after service, and the period before advertisement is when injunctive relief, [Time to Pay negotiations](https://taxdisputes.co.uk/) and withdrawal applications are most effectively deployed. **What is the risk of personal liability for directors?** Once a petition is presented, directors face heightened exposure under the [Insolvency Act 1986](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/45/contents), including potential [wrongful trading](https://professionalnegligenceclaimsolicitors.co.uk/) claims under section 214, misfeasance under section 212, and personal claims by liquidators where dispositions post-petition are not validated.