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Server rooms come up in almost every trading-company case, and the hardware is rarely the part anyone wants to spend time on. Here is how we work with practitioners, and what we need from you.
Server and network hardware is an awkward class of asset in an insolvency. It is worth something, sometimes a lot, but the figure depends on detail nobody has to hand on day one. It tends to sit in a building whose lease is running, and it is disproportionately likely to be subject to a finance agreement that nobody has located yet.
None of that is unusual to us. What follows is the practical side.
We price per unit, in writing, within one working day of receiving a list. The figure is per line rather than a single number for "the IT", which matters for two reasons.
First, a line-by-line figure is evidence. It shows what each item was assessed at and can go on the file, into a report to creditors, or in front of anyone who later asks how the number was arrived at. A lump sum for a server room shows only the conclusion.
Second, it lets you carve items out. If three machines turn out to be on finance and the rest are not, you remove three lines rather than reopening the whole valuation.
A written figure costs you nothing and does not commit the estate to anything. If it is useful only as a second data point against another quote, that is a perfectly reasonable use of it.
You will know this better than we do: hardware on hire purchase, lease or finance is not the company's to sell, and a valid retention of title claim can put a supplier ahead of the estate on goods that are physically on site. Server hardware is bought on finance more often than most equipment classes, and the paperwork is often the least organised thing in the building.
What that means for us is simple. We buy on the basis that the seller has confirmed title and authority to sell — that is a term of every purchase we make, not a special condition for insolvency work. We do not need you to have resolved every claim before you talk to us; we do need the list to reflect what you are actually in a position to sell by the time we collect.
If items come off the list between valuation and collection, tell us and we will reprice the remainder. That is normal and does not cause a problem at our end. What causes a problem is discovering it on the loading bay.
Not every server room contains value. Older estates, stripped machines and equipment that has been sitting powered down in a damp unit for a year can be worth very little, and we would rather tell you that in writing on day one than turn up and renegotiate.
If a line is worth little, our valuation says so. You can then make your own decision about it with a documented figure behind you, rather than an impression.
Two things we do not do, so there is no ambiguity: we do not buy hardware that was faulty, dead or untested when it came out of service, and we do not price by weight. Value comes from specification and condition — what actually moves it is here.
Send whatever list exists — even a partial one from the first site visit. An early written figure is more useful than a complete one that arrives after the building has to be handed back.
Get my priceFree and insured, anywhere on the UK mainland, and we can work to the constraints a case usually brings:
Payment is by bank transfer once the hardware is checked in against the agreed list, to the estate account or whichever entity is selling. We take identification for the selling party before releasing funds, the same as on any purchase — tell us early who is signing so that is straightforward on the day.
Whatever exists. A first-visit list is genuinely more useful than a perfect one later:
If the position on some of it is still unclear, list it and flag it. We will price it separately so you have the number if it turns out to be sellable, and can drop it cleanly if not.
Send us the list. You'll have a written per-unit valuation back within one working day.
Get my price