How to check an equity release adviser is genuine

Equity release is a regulated decision, and the single best protection you have is to check the person advising you before you sign anything. This is a guide that teaches you to do that yourself, in a few minutes, using the two public registers that matter. We cannot live query the registers from this page, and you should be wary of any site that claims it can verify an adviser for you. Instead, follow the steps below and look the adviser up directly, on the official sources, with your own eyes.

1. 1 Find them on the FCA Financial Services Register

   Go to register.fca.org.uk and search the adviser name or, better, their firm. Every legitimate equity release adviser is either directly authorised or an appointed representative of an authorised firm. If you cannot find them at all, stop there and ask questions. A genuine adviser will give you their firm name and reference number without hesitation.

2. 2 Check the status says Authorised

   On the register entry, look for a clear status of Authorised, not a status that says no longer authorised, applied to cancel, or in administration. The register also shows the dates they have held permission. An authorised firm that has been on the register for years is reassuring, though a newer firm is not automatically a problem.

3. 3 Check they hold the right permissions

   Authorisation alone is not enough. The firm must hold the specific permissions for the work, which for equity release means advising on and arranging regulated mortgage contracts and, for lifetime mortgages, the lifetime mortgage permission. If the register entry does not show mortgage and home finance permissions, they are not the right firm for this.

4. 4 Confirm Equity Release Council membership

   The Equity Release Council sets the consumer standards that matter, including the no negative equity guarantee and the right to stay in your home for life. Check the adviser or firm in the member directory at equityreleasecouncil.com. The major lenders only accept business from Council member advisers, so membership is both a quality signal and a practical necessity.

5. 5 Look for any disciplinary or warning history

   The FCA register flags warnings, requirements, and any enforcement history on a firm. The FCA also publishes a separate Warning List of firms to avoid. A clean record is what you want. If you see warnings, or the firm name is close to but not exactly a known firm, treat that as a red flag for a possible clone scam.

6. 6 Sense check the person against the firm

   Make sure the individual adviser actually sits within the authorised firm you checked. Appointed representatives are listed under their principal firm. If someone claims to advise but appears nowhere on the register under any firm, do not proceed. You can also ask for their individual FCA reference and look it up directly.

The two registers, with direct links

• FCA Financial Services Register, register.fca.org.uk the official record of every authorised firm and individual
• Equity Release Council member directory, equityreleasecouncil.com confirms the firm signs up to the Council standards

A worked example you can repeat

To show the checks in practice, here is the record of Richard Parker, the adviser behind this site, used purely as a worked example so you can see what a clean entry looks like and try the same lookup yourself.