Terms & Conditions
These terms set out the agreement between you and the operator of Free Business Directory when you browse the directory, create an account, manage a business listing, submit an article or buy a paid service. Please read them with our Privacy Policy.
Last updated
Who we are and what the service is
Free Business Directory is a UK directory for local discovery and owner-managed business profiles. It is operated by BRIGHT MARKETLY LTD, a company registered in England and Wales.
Company number: 16545126.
Registered office: 67 Fernhead Road, London, England, W9 3EY.
In these terms, we and us mean that operator, and you means anyone using the service. If you act for a business, you confirm you are allowed to bind it to these terms.
Using the service and changes to these terms
You can browse the public directory without an account. By creating an account, submitting a listing or article, or buying a paid service, you agree to these terms. We record the version of the terms and Privacy Policy you accept.
We may update these terms when the service or the law changes. The date at the top shows the latest version. Material changes will not remove rights you have already paid for, and we will take reasonable steps to tell affected account holders.
The Content Policy page is a short placeholder and detailed content rules may be published later. Business listings are also subject to the published Business Listing Policy, which explains how profiles may be created, claimed, corrected, restricted or removed.
Accounts and email verification
Owner accounts use your email address and one-time codes sent to it. We do not use passwords for owner sign-in. You must use an email address you control, keep access to it secure and not share codes.
You are responsible for activity carried out through your account. Tell us promptly if you think someone else has gained access.
Business listings and accuracy
You must give accurate, current and complete information about a business, including its name, description, services, areas, contact details and category, and keep it up to date. You must not describe a business in a misleading way or list a business you have no authority to represent.
Listings and changes are reviewed by administrators before or after they appear, and we may approve, reject, edit, hide or remove them. A listing being published is not a check, certification or endorsement of the business, and we do not guarantee any listing is accurate or complete.
A listing marked as managed by its owner shows that an account holder manages it. That status is not independent verification of the business, its quality, or its claims.
Some profiles may be created using public Companies House information before a business representative claims them. An unclaimed profile does not mean that the business created or approved it, has a commercial relationship with us, or is endorsed by us. The Business Listing Policy explains how these profiles work.
Official company information remains separately sourced from the public record. Claiming a profile permits an authorised representative to manage commercial profile information; it does not transfer ownership of the underlying factual corporate record.
Ownership, authority and company registry data
To claim or manage a listing, you must have authority to act for the business. We may ask for evidence, such as an email address at the business domain or other proof of your connection, and may refuse or reverse a claim if we are not satisfied.
Where you enter a company number, we may retrieve public Companies House information. A registry lookup shows that a company exists on the register. It is not proof that you own or may manage the listing, and it is not proof of authority. Some profiles may be created from public company information before anyone claims them.
Public corporate record information is kept separate from the trading details, content and paid features that owners control. Registered-office details are not published as a trading address unless the owner chooses to use them.
Directory profiles created from public records
Free Business Directory may create and publish business profiles using information obtained from official and publicly available sources, including Companies House.
A business does not need to have registered for an account or submitted its details to us before such a profile is created.
Automatically created profiles are intended to provide factual directory information and may initially contain only limited corporate information.
An unclaimed profile does not mean that the relevant business:
- has created an account with us;
- has approved the profile;
- has purchased services from us;
- is affiliated with us; or
- is endorsed by Free Business Directory.
Authorised representatives may claim eligible profiles and add or correct commercial information.
Where information is sourced from an official public register, we may continue displaying appropriate factual company information even if the profile has not been claimed or enhanced, subject to applicable law.
Official company information and commercial information
Official company information may come from Companies House and can include:
Official company information:
- company name;
- company number;
- company status;
- company type;
- date of incorporation;
- registered office information; and
- SIC codes and registered business activities.
Commercial information is separate from official company-register information. It may be supplied or managed by an authorised business representative and can include:
Owner-supplied commercial information:
- trading name;
- website;
- telephone number;
- business email;
- business description;
- services;
- service areas;
- opening hours;
- logo and photographs; and
- commercial business location.
An owner cannot directly rewrite an official Companies House record through the Free Business Directory listing editor. Claiming a profile gives an authorised representative access to eligible commercial profile information; it does not transfer ownership of or change the underlying public company record.
Corrections to public and listing information
If information comes directly from Companies House and is incorrect at source, the business may need to correct the underlying Companies House record. We cannot change the official register through the directory.
Where incorrect information originates from Free Business Directory or from owner-supplied commercial content, you may request a correction through the Contact page. Please identify the information and provide enough detail for us to review it. We may check the relevant source, update our copy where appropriate, or ask for further information.
Requests to restrict or remove information
We will consider requests to restrict, correct or remove information in accordance with applicable law and the nature and source of the information concerned.
A request involving personal information does not automatically require removal of factual corporate information that we are otherwise lawfully entitled to display. This is not an absolute rule: we assess each request and any applicable data-protection rights on its circumstances, and may restrict, correct or remove information where appropriate.
Our assessment may take account of:
- whether the information is personal or corporate information;
- the nature, accuracy and source of the information;
- whether it remains in an official public record;
- applicable law and the rights of the person making the request; and
- the interests and rights of other affected people.
Articles and other content you submit
You keep the rights you already hold in content you submit, including articles, images and descriptions. By submitting content you confirm that you have the right to publish it and that it complies with these terms.
You give us a non-exclusive licence to host, display, reproduce and format your submitted content as necessary to operate the directory. It does not transfer ownership of your content to us. After content is removed from publication, limited copies may remain in caches, backups or records where necessary for lawful retention or legal claims.
Submitted articles are reviewed by administrators and may be approved, rejected with a reason, or removed. A paid plan does not guarantee publication. Paid publication is not an endorsement of the quality of a business.
Acceptable use
You must not use the service, or submit content, in a way that:
- is unlawful, or encourages unlawful activity;
- is defamatory, harassing, discriminatory or abusive;
- infringes copyright, trade marks, database rights, confidentiality or other rights of anyone else;
- is false, misleading or impersonates a person or business;
- is spam, including repeated, irrelevant or automated promotional content, or links added mainly to manipulate search engines;
- attempts to gain unauthorised access, interfere with the service, or scrape it in a way that harms it.
Reports and complaints about content
If you think a listing or article is wrong, unlawful or infringes your rights, use the contact form and choose the reason that fits, such as Report a business or Legal or intellectual property notice. Give enough detail for us to find and assess it. We will review reports reasonably promptly and may remove or change content, ask the owner to respond, or take no action.
If you are unhappy with how we handled a matter, use the contact form and say so. We will review the complaint, reply, and tell you what we decided and why.
Paid services and subscriptions
Some plans give extra visibility or features. Plan names, annual prices and included features are shown on the pricing page and again before you pay. Prices are for a year. Payments are taken by Stripe, which handles card details under its own terms.
Paid subscriptions renew annually until cancelled. For a paid registration, you pay by Stripe during signup, before the listing is moderated.
A paid plan buys the features described for that plan. It does not buy a better result from moderation, and we do not guarantee search ranking, traffic, enquiries, sales, or any permanent position, including on the homepage.
Free period and the Basic badge
Listings registered on the Basic plan start with a free period when approved; paid registrations instead start their paid subscription when payment is confirmed. The standard Basic offer is a 60-day free period. Any different offer must be clearly disclosed before submission. Applicable trial and grace-period dates are shown in your dashboard.
The free period does not convert into a paid subscription automatically, and we do not charge you at the end of it unless you have chosen a paid plan and completed checkout.
The Basic plan can continue without payment while the listing qualifies for it, which includes displaying the directory badge as described on the business badge page. We check this and may tell you if the listing no longer qualifies. When enhanced features lapse, they stop after any grace period unless you buy a paid plan. Your listing may remain as a basic listing.
Cancellation, renewal and refunds
You can turn off future renewal online from your dashboard. Cancelling renewal stops future charges, and you keep the paid features until the end of the term you have already paid for.
If a paid registration is rejected in moderation, it is cancelled and the payment is refunded in full.
We do not have an absolute no-refund rule. You can ask for a refund through the contact form, choosing Billing. We will review each request on its facts, taking into account your statutory rights, and explain our decision. Nothing in this section limits any right to cancel or to a refund that the law gives you, including rights for consumers.
Homepage Featured promotion
Listings on a plan that includes Featured placement may be eligible for the homepage Featured area. Eligible listings are shown on a randomised basis. Being eligible does not mean any listing will be shown at a particular time, for a particular length of time, or at all.
Suspension and termination
We may reject, hide, suspend or remove a listing, article or account if we reasonably believe it breaches these terms or the law, puts others at risk, or if we must do so by law. We will act in proportion to the problem. Where reasonable we will tell you why and give you a chance to correct it or respond.
You can stop using the service and ask us to close your account through the contact form or your dashboard. If a paid service is ended, any entitlement to a refund is assessed under applicable law and the circumstances; you can request a review through the contact form. Closing an account does not itself cancel a Stripe subscription, so turn off renewal separately in your dashboard.
Removing an account or listing does not necessarily remove the public corporate record for a company, which is kept separate. Personal data requests are handled under our Privacy Policy.
Our responsibility and your legal rights
We provide the service with reasonable care and skill. The directory contains information supplied by owners and public sources, and we do not guarantee that every entry is accurate, complete or up to date, or that the service will always be available without interruption.
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any statutory rights you have as a consumer. Where you are a consumer, these terms do not affect your mandatory legal rights.
Where the law allows, our responsibility to you is otherwise limited to losses that were a foreseeable result of our breach. We are not responsible for losses that were not reasonably foreseeable, or for the acts or content of listed businesses and other users.
Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction, but this does not remove any protection you have under the mandatory law of the part of the UK where you live, or any right to bring proceedings in your local courts as a consumer.
Please contact us first about any dispute so that we can try to resolve it.
Contact and data protection
Use the contact form for questions about these terms, complaints, billing and legal notices. For personal information, see our Privacy Policy and choose Privacy or data protection request.