Trust & transparency

What "XS-ORIZED Verified" means

How local matching works

When Ask the Owl thinks a qualified professional may be the right route, it suggests a trade (for example, a plumber). The Owl can suggest a trade, but it cannot choose who is shown. A separate system on our servers decides that, using fixed rules:

1. The professional offers that trade.
2. Every check required for that trade has been completed and has not expired.
3. Their listing is active and they are accepting enquiries.
4. They cover your postcode district or area, or you are within the travel distance they gave us.

Being nearby is never enough on its own. If nobody matches, we say so. We only show professionals further away if you choose to search a wider area, and we label those results clearly.

How we use your postcode

We use your postcode only to find professionals who cover your area. To work out approximate distances, we send it to postcodes.io, a free service that uses official Office for National Statistics data. We do not save your postcode, and we never pass it to the professionals shown.

The checks we perform

Each check is recorded on its own, and a professional's card shows only the checks that have actually been completed:

• Identity — the person or owner is who they say they are.
• Business details — trading details and, where relevant, Companies House registration.
• Qualifications — certificates relevant to the work.
• Registration — trade registers such as Gas Safe (required for gas work) or an electrical competent-person scheme.
• Insurance — current public liability cover, including its expiry date.
• References — evidence of previous work, where we ask for it.

Each trade has its own required checks. For example, a gas engineer must have a current Gas Safe registration and insurance. A professional missing any required check is not shown for that trade.

Right now, every check is done by hand by the XS-ORIZED team, and we record who reviewed it and when. We are not yet linked automatically to any external register. Having a website, social media pages or good online reviews is never accepted as proof on its own.

Reviews and expiry

Every professional has a scheduled re-verification date, usually every 12 months. Evidence with an expiry date, such as insurance or registration, is tracked. When required evidence expires, the professional automatically stops appearing for that trade until they renew it. Each day we check for evidence that is about to expire and alert our team.

Commercial relationships

Listings are free at the moment. If we ever introduce featured placements or referral fees, those results will be clearly labelled "Featured · paid". Paying will never let a professional skip a check or appear outside the area they cover.

External directories

When we can't find a match, we may link to independent directories such as TrustMark or the Gas Safe Register. We have not checked those listings ourselves. They are run by the organisations named.

What verification does not guarantee

Verification means the checks above were completed on the date shown. It does not guarantee a professional's workmanship, honesty, prices, availability or future conduct, and XS-ORIZED does not supervise their work. Your contract is with the professional. Please confirm details, get written quotes and check their registration yourself for regulated work. In an emergency, such as a gas smell, sparking or flooding near electrics, call the National Gas Emergency line on 0800 111 999, your electricity network on 105, or 999.

Report a problem, request a correction or challenge a decision

Visitors can report inaccurate information or complaints. Professionals can ask for corrections, or challenge a rejection or suspension, using this form. We review every report and keep a record of what we decided.

Are you a tradesperson? Apply to join.