What is a Notice of Intention (NOI) to Appoint Administrators?

A Notice of Intention to Appoint Administrators is the filing that buys you 10 business days of protection from creditors before the administrator is formally appointed.

Those 10 days are often the most valuable days in the entire insolvency process, because they let you prepare while creditor enforcement is frozen.

We see directors who do not realise this filing exists until their insolvency practitioner mentions it. The NOI (Notice of Intention) is not the appointment itself. It is the preliminary step that creates an interim moratorium: no winding-up petitions can proceed, no bailiffs can enforce, and no creditor can take action against the company while the notice is in force.

That breathing space is critical when you need a few days to finalise the administrator’s appointment, agree terms, and prepare the company’s affairs for handover.

Quick Answer: What Is a Notice of Intention to Appoint Administrators?

The NOI is a filing at court (Form ADM1) that signals you intend to appoint an administrator. It creates an interim moratorium lasting 10 business days from the date of filing.

During this period, no creditor enforcement, legal proceedings, or winding-up petitions can proceed against the company without the court’s permission. The NOI must be followed by the actual appointment (Form ADM2) within the 10-day period, or the moratorium expires and creditors can resume enforcement.

We tell directors: the NOI is your emergency brake. If a winding-up petition is about to be heard, a creditor has instructed bailiffs, or HMRC is escalating enforcement, filing an NOI stops everything in its tracks while you complete the administration appointment.

Who Can File a Notice of Intention to Appoint?

The company’s directors. This is the most common route. The directors resolve to appoint an administrator and file the NOI at court. No court hearing is needed. We advise directors to have the proposed administrator already identified and ready to act before filing, because the 10-day window passes quickly.

A qualifying floating charge holder. A bank or lender that holds a qualifying floating charge over the company’s assets can also file an NOI. This typically happens when the lender wants to appoint an administrator of its own choosing, sometimes over the directors’ objections.

Creditors who do not hold a qualifying floating charge cannot file an NOI. They must apply to the court for an administration order instead, which is a different and slower process.

The Notice of Intention Interim Moratorium: What It Stops

From the moment the NOI is filed, the following are frozen:

• Winding-up petitions. Any petition already before the court is stayed. No new petition can proceed.
• Enforcement action. Bailiffs cannot take control of goods. County court enforcement is paused.
• Legal proceedings. No creditor can commence or continue court proceedings against the company without the court’s permission.
• Landlord forfeiture. A landlord cannot re-enter the premises for non-payment of rent.

We stress the winding-up petition protection specifically because this is the most common reason directors file an NOI. If a petition has been advertised in the London Gazette and the hearing is days away, the NOI stays the petition and gives you time to formalise the administration appointment.

Without the NOI, the court could grant the winding-up order and the opportunity for administration would be lost.

The 10-Day Notice of Intention Window: What You Must Do

The interim moratorium lasts 10 business days. During this period, you must:

1. Finalise the administrator appointment. Agree terms with the proposed IP, complete the consent to act, and file Form ADM2 at court.
2. Notify all creditors. The NOI must be served on any person who has appointed or is entitled to appoint an administrative receiver, and on any qualifying floating charge holder.
3. Notify the petitioning creditor (if a winding-up petition is active). They need to know the NOI has been filed so they can inform the court.
4. Prepare the company’s affairs for handover. The administrator will want records, accounts, and a clear picture of the company’s financial position. The better prepared you are, the faster the administrator can act once appointed.

If you do not complete the appointment within 10 business days, the moratorium expires automatically. Creditors can resume enforcement, the winding-up petition can proceed to hearing, and you may not be able to file a second NOI without the court’s permission.

We advise treating the 10-day window as non-negotiable. Have everything ready before you file, not after.

Common Mistakes When Filing a Notice of Intention

We see these errors regularly:

• Filing without a proposed administrator in place. The 10 days are not enough time to find, interview, and engage an IP from scratch. Have the IP ready before you file.
• Not serving the NOI on all required parties. Failure to notify secured creditors can invalidate the moratorium. Follow the statutory requirements exactly.
• Using the NOI as a delaying tactic. Filing an NOI with no genuine intention to appoint an administrator is an abuse of process. The court can lift the moratorium on application by a creditor, and repeated tactical filings will be challenged.
• Missing the 10-day deadline. If the appointment is not completed in time, the moratorium expires and you are back where you started, often in a weaker position because creditors now know you were considering administration and failed to follow through.

Notice of Intention Filing: What to Do Next

If creditor enforcement is imminent and you are considering administration, speak to a licensed insolvency practitioner immediately. They can advise whether an NOI is appropriate, prepare the paperwork, and ensure the appointment is completed within the 10-day window.

Company Debt’s insolvency practitioners handle urgent administration appointments. A confidential conversation today could be the difference between an orderly administration and a chaotic compulsory liquidation.

FAQs on the Notice of Intention to Appoint Administrators