VouchedFor

VouchedFor: a UK directory for vetted financial, mortgage, legal and accounting advisers

VouchedFor operates a UK-focused review and directory platform that connects individuals with financial advisers, mortgage advisers, solicitors and accountants. The site presents itself as a place to find local, rated professionals, and it combines adviser listings with client reviews and verification checks. According to the information available, the platform lists thousands of advisers and has accumulated more than 310,000 client reviews to date.

The service is free for the public to use. VouchedFor charges advisers a subscription fee to be a verified member and, for some enquiries submitted through the site, an enquiry fee. The company states that these payments do not influence reviews or search rankings; rankings are based on advisers' reviews and their distance from the user. Some advisers can also join a free-of-charge membership plan that allows them to collect client reviews, and these advisers can be included or excluded through a search filter.

How professionals are vetted

VouchedFor describes a verification process that varies by profession. Financial advisers are checked against the Financial Conduct Authority Register, their education is checked, their fees are checked, and they must confirm whether they operate as independent or restricted. Mortgage advisers are verified with their firms, which in turn are checked against the Financial Conduct Authority Register; their education and fees are also checked. Solicitors are checked against the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Law Society of Scotland or the Law Society of Northern Ireland. Accountants must be qualified members of one of the Chartered Accountancy bodies in the UK. The site indicates that the full list of checks is available on each professional's profile under a 'Checks' tab.

Review integrity and monitoring

The platform states that it verifies the identity of all reviewers and never removes or edits negative reviews. Professionals are asked to verify that each reviewer is a genuine client. Where a professional does not verify a reviewer, VouchedFor contacts the reviewer to verify their identity itself. The company also monitors data to detect potentially fraudulent reviews and conducts investigations where required. Advisers have a public right of reply, and abusive reviews may be removed when notified. Users who contact a professional through VouchedFor are asked to write a review after a couple of weeks; these are labelled as 'First Impressions'.

At the time of writing, the site reports an average customer rating of 4.8 out of 5 and states that 94% of people recommend the advisers listed.

Coverage across the UK

The directory organises advisers by region, with sections for Central England, London, North England, Scotland & Northern Ireland, East England, South East England, South West England, Wales and Isle of Wight. The same regional structure appears for financial and mortgage advisers, solicitors and accountants. Users can search by town, city or postcode, by advice type, or by adviser or firm name.

What the platform aims to change

VouchedFor presents its model as a way to raise standards and lower costs by making professionals' performance more visible. It argues that if the best professionals do not have to spend large amounts of time and money on business development or on impressing clients with expensive offices, they can keep their charges down. The site also aims to show which professionals have helped people in similar situations and how they did it, so users can identify who to contact.