Why does company landlord verification cost £220, and is there an alternative?

Company landlord verification costs £220 because any company check can become a complex ownership verification, which we cannot predict or control.

When you submit a company landlord for verification, our provider (Griffin) assesses the ownership structure. If any of the following apply, the check automatically becomes a complex ownership verification:

• One or more shareholders are overseas
• One or more shareholders are another company
• One or more directors are overseas

We cannot know in advance whether a company will be classified as complex - the determination happens at the point Griffin examines the ownership structure. Because we're charged £220 for complex ownership checks, we must pass this cost on for all company verifications.

Fees

• Initial verification: £220 (one-off)
• Annual re-verification: £110 (applies if the payee is active, meaning they have received or paid funds within the last six months)

Is there an alternative to the £220 fee? 

If you want to avoid the company verification fee, you can verify a director as an individual instead. This satisfies AML compliance requirements while keeping verification costs lower.

This approach is suitable when:

• The company structure is straightforward but may still trigger complex ownership classification
• You want predictable verification costs
• The director is UK-based (overseas directors will incur the higher fee regardless)

Fees for individual verification

• Initial verification: standard individual rate - more info here.
• No annual re-verification fee, but the monthly OFSI monitoring fee still applies

Note: this is a business decision for you and your client. Some landlords may prefer full company verification for their own compliance records.