Due diligence Adviser check · Eight steps

Check an adviser yourself.

We don't recommend advisers, match you with firms, or sell your details. This page does something better: it teaches you to verify any adviser, using the FCA's own public register — the way the regulator intends.

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Step 01 Who they are 0 of 3

Identify the individual

Start with the person, not the firm. Get the exact spelling of their name and ask how they appear on the FCA Register before you look anything up.

Full name and job title, in writing. Email or a card is fine. Names can be shared; you want the exact one to search.
Ask which firm they are authorised through. Advisers act for a firm; the firm carries the permissions. If they hesitate, note it.
Ask for their qualifications. Level 4 Diploma is the regulatory minimum. Chartered or Certified Financial Planner indicates further study.

Step 02 Who stands behind them 0 of 3

Identify the firm

Every regulated firm has a unique Firm Reference Number. Names can be similar; FRNs are not.

Get the Firm Reference Number (FRN). It is printed on their letterhead and website footer. Search by FRN, not by name.
Note the trading name and legal name. They may differ. The Register lists both.
If they are an appointed representative, get the principal firm too. The principal carries the authorisation and the responsibility. Check both.

Step 03 On the Register 0 of 3

Verify FCA status

The FCA Register is the official, free, public record of every firm and individual authorised to carry out regulated activities in the UK. Five minutes here is the most important due diligence you will ever do.

Search the FRN at register.fca.org.uk. Use the Register’s own site. Do not follow a link the adviser sent you.
Confirm the status reads “Authorised”. “Appointed representative” is acceptable if the principal is authorised. Lapsed, cancelled or “no longer authorised” means walk away.
Check the individual appears in the directory. Certified and assessed persons are listed with what they are qualified to do and any regulatory history.

Step 04 What they may do 0 of 3

Check the permissions

Authorisation is not a blanket. Open the permissions section of the firm’s record and confirm it covers the thing you need advice on.

“Advising on investments” for pensions and investments. Most advice firms hold this. Confirm rather than assume.
“Advising on regulated mortgage contracts” for mortgages. A separate permission. Investment advisers do not automatically hold it.
“Advising on pension transfers and opt-outs” for DB transfers. Legally required for transfers over £30,000. Without it, the firm cannot lawfully advise you on this.

Step 05 Limits and history 0 of 3

Check restrictions and disciplinary history

The Register shows requirements, restrictions and public enforcement actions on a firm’s record. Read them; they are there for you.

Read any “requirements” on the firm’s record. Voluntary or imposed limits on what the firm may do, often after a regulatory concern.
Look for disciplinary history. Public final notices and actions appear on the record. One is a question to ask; a pattern is an answer.
Use the contact details on the Register, not the ones you were given. Clone-firm scams impersonate real authorised firms with swapped numbers and emails. Ring the Register’s number to confirm you are dealing with the real firm.

Step 06 What it costs 0 of 4

Understand the fee structure

Percentages are for comparing; pounds are for deciding. Get every figure in cash terms, in writing, before you commit.

“What will my first year cost, in pounds?” Initial and ongoing charges, written down. Convert any percentage with the fee impact calculator.
“What is the total cost including platform and fund charges?” Firms must be able to show aggregated costs if you ask.
“What does ongoing service include, and can I decline it?” One-off advice exists. A firm that will not quote a fixed fee for a defined piece of work is telling you about its business model.
“How are you paid on protection and mortgage business?” Commission still exists there and must be disclosed.

Step 07 Whose side they are on 0 of 3

Identify conflicts of interest

Restricted advice is not disqualifying, but you should know exactly how it is restricted and who benefits.

“Are you independent or restricted?” They must tell you. Ask what the restriction is: a panel, an in-house fund range, a parent company’s products.
“Who is your typical client?” You want a firm whose normal client resembles you.
Any steer towards unregulated investments. Overseas property, forestry, storage pods, crypto schemes. The wrapper of authorisation does not extend FSCS protection to unregulated products.

Step 08 The final checks 0 of 4

Know what to ask before you sign

Regulated advice processes are deliberately slow. Anything that hurries you is a sales tactic, not a plan.

No money moves before a written suitability report. The report records what was recommended and why. It is your main protection if things go wrong.
Payee name matches the Register entry. Personal accounts, overseas accounts, cryptocurrency or a mismatched payee should end the conversation.
No guarantees, no urgency. “Guaranteed 12%”, “no-risk growth”, “this closes Friday” — no.
Fees are in writing as cash amounts. Refusal to put costs in writing as pounds is a red flag on its own.

Redress If something has already gone wrong In this order

The escalation route with real teeth

These protections exist only when you dealt with an authorised firm acting within its permissions. Steps 3 and 4 above are what keep them available to you.

1 Complain to the firm first In writing. Authorised firms must have a complaints process and respond within set timescales.
2 Escalate to the Financial Ombudsman Free, independent, and able to order compensation — if the response is unsatisfactory or late.
3 If the firm has failed, check the FSCS The compensation scheme covers eligible claims against authorised firms that cannot pay.
4 If you suspect a scam Report to Action Fraud and the FCA consumer helpline — and warn your bank immediately if money has moved.

Continue with Background reading

About this toolkit: general education from an independent publisher. We are not the FCA and not an FCA-authorised firm. No firm pays to appear in this toolkit, we never see who you contact through the Register, and nothing here is regulated advice or a recommendation of any firm.