Regulatory accuracy is this site’s entire value. These are the rules we hold ourselves to so that you can rely on what you read.
Where our facts come from
Claims about rules come from the rules. Before a guide states a deadline, a right or an obligation, we check it against the primary source: the legislation on legislation.gov.uk, the FCA Handbook, the ombudsman scheme’s own published rules. We don’t check against another website’s summary of them. Sources are linked at the foot of every guide, so you can check us the same way we checked them.
Where the position is genuinely uncertain or mid-change, maybe because of a reform announced but not yet law or a scheme being replaced, we will let you know. The Status lines you’ll see on some pages exist for exactly this: live situations, dated.
Dates mean something here
“Published” on a byline means just that: the page went up on that date and hasn’t yet had a full re-review.
“Updated” means more: the date the page was last reviewed against its sources, not a cosmetic refresh. A page only earns the word by being re-checked.
“Checked” on a Status line is the date we last verified that live situation. Rules change, and a consumer guide need to ensure that it keeps up to date. If a date looks stale to you, you can flag it by telling us.
Who writes, and who checks
Every piece carries a named author with their credential shown. Where a piece has been checked by a second qualified person, the byline says “Legally reviewed by” and names them; an author never reviews their own work. Guides that state legal rights are written or reviewed by someone qualified to read the source material.
Reader cases
Cases come from readers through Tell us what happened, and none are published on trust alone: we verify with the reader by email, and where the detail matters, we ask to see the paperwork. This can include the letters, the final response, the dates. Readers choose how they appear: first name, anonymised, or background only. Nothing is published without explicit permission, and we don’t pay for stories.
The companies we write about
Naming companies is the point. How firms handle complaints is the story, and we do it on evidence: documents, published ombudsman decisions, verified reader accounts. Where we report specific conduct by a specific company, we give them the opportunity to respond before or alongside publication, and material responses are reflected.
Independence
Advertising and affiliate income never touch editorial decisions. How we make money sets out every revenue stream and the lines we won’t cross. Nobody we cover pays us; nobody who pays us is covered differently for it.
When we get it wrong
We will, sometimes! The rules are intricate and they often change. What we owe you is that mistakes get fixed fast, visibly, and on the record: the corrections page explains the standard and keeps the log, which is public precisely so you can judge us by it.