Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction and Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to Local Financial Advice ("we", "us", or "our"). Local Financial Advice is a trading style of Lead Technologies (Europe) Limited, a company incorporated in England and Wales (company number 6574342), authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under registration number 947409.

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our website at localfinancialadvice.io and our adviser matching service (collectively, the "Service"). By accessing or using our Service, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms in full.

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use our Service. These Terms apply in addition to any other terms or conditions we may publish from time to time. In the event of a conflict, these Terms shall prevail unless we expressly state otherwise.

2. About Our Service

Local Financial Advice operates as a free-to-consumer lead generation and matching service that connects individuals residing in the United Kingdom who are seeking financial advice with regulated financial advisers and financial planning firms who are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Our Service is entirely free for consumers. We generate revenue by charging financial advisers a fee for introductions made through our platform. This commercial arrangement does not influence or determine which adviser we match you with; our matching is based on your stated needs, location, and the characteristics of advisers in our network.

We are not a financial adviser, nor do we provide financial advice ourselves. We act solely as a facilitator, connecting consumers with appropriate regulated advisers. Any advice you receive will come from the matched adviser, who is independently responsible for their advice and is subject to FCA regulation.

Our Service is available exclusively to residents of the United Kingdom and relates only to financial advisers based in and regulated in the United Kingdom.

3. Eligibility to Use Our Service

To use our Service, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age;
• Be a resident of the United Kingdom;
• Provide accurate, complete, and truthful information when submitting an enquiry;
• Have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement;
• Not be accessing our Service on behalf of another person without that person's knowledge and consent.

By using our Service, you represent and warrant that you meet all of the above eligibility criteria. We reserve the right to refuse access to our Service to any person at our sole discretion, without notice or explanation.

Our Service is not intended for use by financial advisers seeking to promote their own services. Advisers wishing to join our network must contact us separately via our commercial channels.

4. How Our Matching Service Works

When you submit an enquiry through our website, you provide us with information including your postcode, the type of financial advice you are seeking, and your contact details. We use this information to identify suitable FCA-regulated advisers within our network who operate in or near your stated location and who offer the type of services you are looking for.

We will share your enquiry and contact information with up to three matched advisers, who will then contact you directly to introduce themselves and arrange a free initial consultation. By submitting an enquiry, you expressly consent to your details being shared with matched advisers for this purpose.

We cannot guarantee that any specific adviser will be available, that a match will be found in every case, or that any particular number of advisers will contact you. Advisers may contact you by phone, email, or both.

You are under no obligation to proceed with any adviser following an introduction. The relationship between you and any financial adviser is entirely separate from your relationship with us, and any engagement with an adviser is governed by the terms agreed directly between you and that adviser.

5. FCA Regulatory Compliance

Local Financial Advice is a trading style of Lead Technologies (Europe) Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under registration number 947409. Our FCA registration can be verified at register.fca.org.uk.

Every financial adviser and financial planning firm admitted to our network is required to hold, at the time of joining and on an ongoing basis, full authorisation by the Financial Conduct Authority. We conduct due diligence checks on all advisers prior to their inclusion in our network, including verification of their FCA registration status.

Notwithstanding our vetting process, we do not accept liability for the advice given by any individual financial adviser introduced through our Service. Each adviser is independently regulated by the FCA and is individually responsible for their advice, their conduct, and their compliance with FCA rules and guidance.

If you are concerned about the regulatory status of any adviser introduced to you, you are encouraged to verify their registration at register.fca.org.uk and to exercise your own judgment before proceeding.

6. User Obligations and Conduct

When using our Service, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, complete, and truthful information in all submissions;
• Use the Service only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with these Terms;
• Not submit multiple, duplicate, or fraudulent enquiries;
• Not impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity or affiliation;
• Not use automated systems, bots, or scripts to access or use our Service;
• Not attempt to circumvent, disable, or interfere with security features of our website;
• Not use our Service in any way that could damage, disable, or impair our website or servers;
• Not engage in any conduct that we reasonably consider to be inappropriate, offensive, or harmful.

We reserve the right to immediately terminate your access to the Service and to report unlawful activity to the appropriate authorities if you breach any of these obligations.

7. Adviser Network Standards

All financial advisers and firms included in our matching network are required to meet the following minimum standards:

• Hold valid authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority;
• Maintain appropriate professional indemnity insurance;
• Hold relevant professional qualifications (minimum QCF Level 4 or equivalent);
• Comply with all applicable FCA rules, including the Consumer Duty;
• Offer a free initial consultation to consumers introduced by us;
• Provide full transparency about their fee structure before commencing any engagement.

Advisers who fail to meet these standards are removed from our network. However, we cannot guarantee the ongoing suitability, quality, or conduct of any adviser beyond our verification checks, and we are not liable for any acts or omissions of any adviser introduced through our Service.

8. No Personal Financial Advice

The information published on our website is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. Nothing on our website constitutes financial advice, investment advice, legal advice, or any other form of regulated advice.

We do not recommend any specific financial product, investment strategy, pension arrangement, or any other financial instrument. Any information we publish regarding financial products or strategies should be treated as general information only and should not be relied upon when making financial decisions.

All financial decisions should be made in consultation with a suitably qualified, FCA-regulated financial adviser who has reviewed your individual circumstances, financial position, risk appetite, and objectives. Your matched adviser is responsible for providing regulated advice tailored to your specific situation.

Past performance of any financial product or investment is not a reliable indicator of future results. All investments carry risk, and the value of investments may fall as well as rise.

9. Intellectual Property Rights

All content on our website, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, icons, images, audio clips, digital downloads, data compilations, and software, is the property of Lead Technologies (Europe) Limited or its content licensors and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable intellectual property laws.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use our website for the purpose of using our Service as a consumer. This licence does not permit you to:

• Copy, reproduce, or republish any content from our website without our prior written consent;
• Modify, adapt, or create derivative works based on our content;
• Use our trademarks, brand names, or logos without our express written permission;
• Use any content for commercial purposes without our prior written consent.

Any unauthorised use of our intellectual property may result in legal action. Requests for permission to use our content should be directed to info@localfinancialadvice.io.

10. Data Protection and Privacy

We take the protection of your personal data very seriously. Our collection, use, and storage of your personal data is governed by our Privacy Policy, which forms an integral part of these Terms and is incorporated by reference.

By using our Service, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy and consent to the processing of your personal data as described therein. Our processing activities are conducted in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and all other applicable UK data protection legislation.

When you submit an enquiry, your personal data (including your name, phone number, email address, and postcode) will be shared with matched financial advisers in our network for the purpose of fulfilling your enquiry. You have the right to withdraw this consent at any time by contacting us at info@localfinancialadvice.io.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Lead Technologies (Europe) Limited shall not be liable for:

• Any loss or damage arising from financial advice given or not given by any adviser introduced through our Service;
• Any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive loss or damage arising from your use of our Service;
• Any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunities;
• Any loss arising from your reliance on information published on our website;
• Any interruption, suspension, or unavailability of our website or Service;
• Any third-party products, services, websites, or content linked to from our website.

Where our liability cannot be excluded by law, our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising under or in connection with these Terms or the use of our Service shall not exceed £100 (one hundred pounds sterling).

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by English law.

12. Disclaimers and Warranties

Our Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without any warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

We do not warrant that:

• Our website or Service will be available at all times or without interruption;
• Our website is free from errors, viruses, or other harmful components;
• Any match made through our Service will result in a successful engagement with a financial adviser;
• Any adviser introduced will be suitable for your particular needs or circumstances;
• The information on our website is accurate, complete, or current at all times.

We endeavour to maintain the accuracy and currency of all information published on our website but accept no responsibility for any inaccuracies or omissions.

13. Complaints Procedure

We are committed to providing a high standard of service. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of our Service, we want to hear about it so that we can address your concerns.

Step 1 – Contact Us: In the first instance, please contact us directly by emailing info@localfinancialadvice.io or by telephone on 0800 008 6169. Please provide your name, contact details, a description of your complaint, and what you would like us to do to resolve the matter.

Step 2 – Acknowledgement: We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days and aim to provide a full response within 8 weeks.

Step 3 – Escalation: If you are not satisfied with our response, you may refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS can be contacted at www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk, by post at Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR, or by telephone on 0800 023 4567.

If your complaint relates to the advice given by a matched financial adviser (rather than our matching service), that complaint should be addressed directly to the relevant adviser in the first instance, and then, if unresolved, to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

14. Amendments to These Terms

We reserve the right to amend, update, or replace these Terms at any time at our sole discretion. We will notify you of any material changes by updating the "Last updated" date at the top of these Terms and, where appropriate, by posting a notice on our website.

Your continued use of our Service following the posting of any amended Terms constitutes your acceptance of those amended Terms. We therefore encourage you to review these Terms periodically.

If you do not agree to the amended Terms, you must stop using our Service immediately. The version of these Terms in force at the time of any enquiry or transaction will govern that enquiry or transaction.

15. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.

Each party irrevocably agrees that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms or their subject matter or formation.

If you are a consumer and reside in Scotland or Northern Ireland, you may also rely on mandatory consumer protection laws applicable in your jurisdiction.

If any provision of these Terms is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed from the remaining Terms, which shall continue in full force and effect.

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and us in relation to your use of our Service and supersede all prior agreements, representations, and understandings relating to the same.