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H R Fire & Safety Ltd.


Harry Webster admits he never had any great ambition to start his own business, but more than three decades after setting up H R Fire & Safety, he is looking forward to seeing son Darren carry it on into the future.

For 20 years, Lambert Roper & Horsfield’s Keith Lyons has provided expert advice to the Leeds-based business, which looks after the fire safety needs of more than 2,000 industrial and commercial clients in the north of England, becoming a friend as well as an accountant in the process.

Darren, who came into the business after firstly following a career in estate agency, runs the company, with Harry putting in three days a week to help out. As Harry prepares for the day that he steps aside completely, a new era is beginning in the relationship between H R Fire & Safety and Lambert Roper & Horsfield, where Nick Frost is now also closely involved in the Leeds firm’s affairs.

H R Fire & Safety – named after Harry and wife Ruth – started trading in 1977. Harry had previously worked in the fire safety industry for a multi-national firm but when a move to smaller company, as MD of its northern division, failed to work out, he found himself going it alone with only a briefcase and a month’s salary in lieu of notice behind him.

Since then, the business has grown into one of the largest independent specialists in the region. It now employs 13 people and as well as supplying and maintaining fire extinguishers provides related products and services, including supplying fire hose reels and fire exit signs and servicing fire alarms.

The company originally became a Lambert Roper & Horsfield client on the recommendation of a neighbouring business, Specialist Hose Supplies, and the firm now provides services to H R Fire & Safety including year-end accounts, pre-year end tax planning, tax compliance and dividend planning, as well as advice on personal finance issues.

Harry says: “We have had a lot of help from Keith and if we need advice or to arrange a meeting on a particular issue, we know he or Nick are only a phone call away. We have a very good relationship with them.”

In fact, Keith was one of the first people Harry turned to when Specialist Hose Supplies was struggling and up for sale, to discuss with him the viability – “and the pros and cons” – of buying the firm. As a result he decided to go ahead and with Keith’s help, the business has now been turned around and is trading successfully from a new home within H R Fire & Safety’s premises.

Harry says: “We get people ringing us up and say ‘We are accountants, we can do your books and do you a good deal’ but we’re not interested. Lambert Roper & Horsfield are far more than just accountants – we class them as friends.”

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Latest News

Is 2025 your year to incorporate? Here are our top tips

January 16th, 2025

Nearly 900,000 companies were incorporated in 2024 – an 11.2 per cent increase compared to 2023. More entrepreneurs are recognising the benefits of limited companies.

The advantages of limited companies include limited personal liability, mitigated taxation and greater exposure to investment opportunities.

To help you start your journey towards limited company status, here are our top tips:

Research

Taking the first steps towards incorporation should not be taken lightly. Whilst it limits liability if things go wrong, it does come with some strict compliance requirements in regard to regular reporting to Companies House, which you need to prepare for.

Paying yourself

As a director, you can pay yourself via salary, dividends, or both to maximise your take-home pay.

The most efficient approach is often to pay yourself a lower salary, so you are not liable for Income Tax or National Insurance Contributions (NICs), but still contribute enough towards your state pension, and take the rest as dividends, which is subject to a lower tax rate.

Be aware that it may not always be possible to pay a dividend if your profits aren’t sufficient.

Structuring your company

When considering the distribution and management of share rights in a limited company, several key aspects must be carefully planned and managed. You will need to define how dividends are paid, voting rights and share structure.

At this stage, you may also need to discuss a future exit, including transfer, drag-along and tag-along rights.

As part of this process, you will need to address how the shares and shareholder rights align with the company’s Articles of Association.

Open a business bank account

Open a separate bank account for your business as soon as possible. Some founders make the mistake of thinking they can mix personal and business finances at the beginning, but it makes applying for reliefs and paying taxes more complicated as you have to declare what each transaction is for and when it was made.

Treat your business like a separate entity (because it is)

If you plan to inject personal funds into your company or take money out, do it properly through a Director’s Loan Account.

Make sure to detail each transaction going in and out of the business and never take out excessive amounts of money, as this can attract attention from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and lead to fines.

If you are considering incorporation, you should seek professional advice and ongoing support to reduce the potential for errors and non-compliance with Companies House regulations.

Ready to take the next step? Contact us today for expert advice on incorporating your business.

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