Due diligence checklist: share purchase

Legal due diligence checklist for the acquisition of a private limited company, whether a standalone company or the holding company of a corporate group which is being sold.

Read more

When do I use this document?

  • for the legal due diligence for a company acquisition
  • as initial requests for the sellers and company to answer and provide supporting documents

What are the key features?

  • requests in tabular form, with the answers to be inserted in the table
  • requests covering 9 main subject areas, including:
    • corporate
    • contracts
    • litigation and compliance
    • assets
    • intellectual property
    • commercial property
    • employees
    • finance and insurance
    • taxation

What other documents are available?

For a form of due diligence checklist for a business purchase transaction, see

When do I use this document?

  • secured loan agreement for a secured loan of a fixed amount to be drawn in a single advance
  • for a borrower which is a company incorporated in England and Wales
  • for a loan repayable on a single repayment date or in instalments

What are the key features?

  • easy to edit, with 21 clauses over 13 pages
  • single advance of specified loan amount
  • regular interest payments at either fixed or floating interest rate by reference to specified bank’s base rate of interest
  • repayment either on a single repayment date or in instalments
  • undertakings from the borrower, including to provide information to the lender and prohibition on granting security and additional borrowings
  • events of default, including a failure by the borrower to repay the loan or interest, leading to the lender having the right to demand immediate repayment

What else do I need to know?

The security would need to be created and governed by a separate security document between the borrower and the lender, depending on the nature of the secured property or assets.  Examples of security documents include:

  • a charge over property
  • a charge over shares
  • a debenture, containing fixed and floating charges over all of the borrower’s assets and undertaking

What other documents are available?

For a form of unsecured loan document, see

For forms of unsecured and secured facility agreements, for advances of loans in several lump sums, see

Explanatory Guides

As with all of our document templates, your purchase will include access to clear explanatory guidance on the document and its use.

Updated by a lawyer on 30/05/2025

Create your document in 3 Easy Steps
Amanda | Bannister Creative
“It’s hard to find legal documents on the internet you can really trust. Knowing an expert lawyer has drafted what I need, gives my business the edge and gives me peace of mind.”
Elle, Founder | Winslow skincare & aesthetics.
“As an SME Paperrock saves us the legal fees we’ve previously had to spend. In these challenging times that's a big help. Great products and support.”
Giles, MD | Boniti Ltd.
Shopping Basket

Sample available