Free 30-minute consultation|Call-backs returned the same working day
femi@loftusstowe.com|Companies in England and Wales
A validation order is the court's permission for payments a company needs to make after a winding up petition is presented. For Birmingham companies, the county court and the High Court both deal with these petitions from the same Bull Street building. I am Femi Ogunshakin, an insolvency solicitor acting for companies across England and Wales. Your first 30-minute consultation is free. See how validation orders work.
Paid-up share capital decides which court can take the petition. Both Birmingham options share one address, so the front page of the petition is the quickest way to tell them apart.
Birmingham is a county court hearing centre with jurisdiction over the company winding up parts of the Insolvency Act 1986. It can wind up a company whose paid-up share capital is £120,000 or less.
Above £120,000 of paid-up share capital, only the High Court can wind the company up. The Business and Property Courts in Birmingham hear company winding up petitions.
Both sit at Priory Courts, 33 Bull Street, Birmingham B4 6DS. The court endorses the hearing venue on the petition when it is filed.
The Gazette notice names the court too. Birmingham High Court notices have been titled "Business and Property Courts in Birmingham, Insolvency & Companies List (ChD)". A new Business and Property Division replaced the Chancery Division on 1 October 2026, so that wording may change.
Birmingham had 37,245 enterprises in March 2024. Retail, food and drink service, and specialised construction were the three largest sectors by count. Each of them relies on money moving through the bank every week.
Card takings land in the business account each day. Staff are often paid weekly, and stock is bought on short terms. Once the account is frozen, takings sit there and the next payroll cannot leave.
Routine trading payments such as wages, rent and suppliers are regularly allowed in validation orders. Where the evidence is not all ready, the court may still grant limited relief for a short period to cover wages.
If payroll is days away, say so when you call. I will tell you straight away whether the timing works.
Specialised contractors pay for materials, plant hire and labour before the main contractor pays them. A gap of even a few days can stall a site.
Some trade through more than one company, with money moving between them. Payments that move value to directors or connected companies are rarely allowed, and only where there is an exceptional case. The court wants credible evidence that the company is solvent, or that the payments will not prejudice the unsecured creditors as a class.
The Insolvency Service does not publish a company insolvency count for Birmingham. Its statistics guide says it "does not hold accurate information on the location of companies".
The Gazette notice is the turning point. Banks usually freeze the account once it appears.
If paid-up share capital is £120,000 or less, the County Court at Birmingham can hear it, and so can the High Court. Above that figure only the High Court can, and its Birmingham base is the Business and Property Courts in Birmingham.
They are separate courts in one building: Priory Courts, 33 Bull Street, B4 6DS. The venue written on your petition shows which one has the case.
I act for companies across England and Wales and have no Birmingham office. You can call, email or book a time online, and the first 30 minutes are free.
Where wages or other essential payments cannot wait, the court may grant limited relief for a short period before all the evidence is in. Tell me the payroll date on the first call.
Wages, rent and supplier payments are regularly allowed. Payments to directors or connected companies rarely are. More on this in what a validation order is.
No. It covers payments only, and the court can still make a winding up order if the debt is left unpaid. See what a winding up petition means for the options on the debt itself.
Thirty minutes with me, by phone or at a booked time.
The fixed fee for a validation order application is £10,000 to £15,000 plus VAT, depending on the size of the petition debt. See the full fee breakdown.
Who you will deal with
Femi O. Ogunshakin
Solicitor, Tax Adviser and Former HMRC Inspector
Validation order applications are a large part of my practice. Most of the petitions I deal with are brought by HMRC, and my time as an HMRC inspector means I know how the petitioning side builds and runs these cases.
You will deal with me directly rather than with an introducer or a case handler. The work is carried out through Nexa Law, where I practise. The first 30 minutes are free.
Tell me which Birmingham court issued the petition and the hearing date on its front page. The first 30 minutes are free, and I will tell you whether a validation order can help.
07867 795 439
Email femi@loftusstowe.com
Prefer a set time? Book your free 30-minute consultation.
Call-back requests are returned the same working day, usually within a few hours. Requests sent out of hours are returned the next working morning.
