A source is strongest when its authority is clear
Use this directory to reach the official material, then record the precise rule, version, territorial scope and reason it matters to the dispute.
Choose the source
Start as close to the authority as possible
Use legislation for statutory wording, regulator material for sector rules, scheme rules for eligibility and official judgments for decided legal issues. Commentary should explain, not replace, the source.
Legislation, court rules and official judgments.
Regulator rules, statutory guidance and ombudsman terms.
Guidance that makes the route usable but should be tested against the source.
Searchable directory
Primary and authoritative UK sources
Every entry pairs the official destination with a ConsumerWise page that explains how it fits into a practical complaint or dispute.
legislation.gov.uk
The official home of UK legislation. Use revised and original views, amendment information, commencement material and territorial notes to verify the text relevant to the event.
GOV.UK
Official government departments, agencies, consultations, statutory guidance and public-service information. Check the publishing body, update date and whether a page is guidance or law.
Civil Procedure Rules
Official procedural rules and practice directions for civil courts in England and Wales, including pre-action conduct and specific claim tracks.
Judiciary UK
Official judgments, speeches and information from the courts and judiciary. For case research, verify the neutral citation and court level.
Competition and Markets Authority
Official market studies, consumer-enforcement guidance and information about competition and consumer protection work.
Advertising Standards Authority
Official Advertising Codes, complaint routes, rulings and guidance on responsible advertising in the UK.
Citizens Advice consumer service
Official consumer guidance and the public advice route through which suitable information may be referred to Trading Standards in England and Wales.
Financial Conduct Authority
Official consumer information, firm register, Handbook, policy and enforcement material for UK financial services.
Financial Ombudsman Service
Official complaint eligibility, time limits, decisions and consumer guidance for eligible disputes with financial businesses.
Information Commissioner's Office
Official guidance and complaint routes for data protection, direct marketing, FOI and EIR.
Ofcom
Official rules, consumer guidance, complaints information and approved ADR material for communications services.
Ofgem
Official energy regulation and consumer information for Great Britain, including the route from a supplier complaint to the Energy Ombudsman.
Regulator of Social Housing
Official standards, judgements and regulatory information for registered social housing providers in England.
Housing Ombudsman
Official complaint guidance, decisions, landlord reports and the statutory Complaint Handling Code.
Civil Aviation Authority
Official passenger-rights guidance, complaint routes, approved ADR information and aviation regulation.
Office of Rail and Road
Official rail passenger regulation, consumer-law, accessibility, complaint handling and industry monitoring material.
ACAS
Official workplace guidance and the Early Conciliation route used before many Employment Tribunal claims.
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Official guidance and codes concerning the Equality Act and human rights in Great Britain.
No matching source was found. Try the sector, body or source type.
Verify before relying
Four checks for an online source
Official status does not remove the need to check scope, currency and relevance.
- Publisher. Confirm the body has authority for the rule, scheme or procedure you are describing.
- Status. Identify whether the page is legislation, a binding rule, statutory guidance, a code, a policy or general information.
- Date and version. Look for effective dates, amendments, archived editions and last-updated information.
- Territory and audience. Check which UK nation, business type, complainant and event the source covers.
Build a source trail
Save a source so another person can test it
A reliable complaint lets the reader find the material, understand why it applies and see the exact part relied on.
| Record | Keep |
|---|---|
| Identity | Title, publisher, URL and source type. |
| Currency | Publication, update, effective and access dates where available. |
| Pinpoint | Section, regulation, rule, paragraph or heading. |
| Copy | PDF, screenshot or saved page for material that may change. |
| Application | One sentence explaining how the source connects to the disputed event and outcome. |
Use with care
An official page can still be the wrong source
A regulator may publish excellent guidance about a market without having jurisdiction over your respondent. A current page may not describe the rules that applied years ago. A policy may describe discretion rather than a legal duty.
Do not cite a home page as the rule
Use a directory entry to find the body, then link or refer to the exact rule, decision, provision or complaint procedure that supports the point.
Research method
Move from explanation to authoritative support
Start with a practical guide to identify the likely framework, then move toward the official rule and check the version. The aim is a short, traceable source chain, not a browser full of loosely related pages.
- Frame one question. For example: what cancellation information had to be given for this online service contract on the order date?
- Find the governing source. Use legislation, a regulator rulebook, scheme rules, court procedure or an official decision according to the question.
- Read around the provision. Definitions, exceptions, schedules and commencement material may change the apparent answer.
- Check currency. Record the event date and compare it with amendment, effective and update dates. Save the version used.
- Triangulate carefully. Use official guidance to test your reading, while recognising that guidance may simplify or address only one audience.
- Write a source note. State the proposition, pinpoint link, scope, version and one sentence connecting it to the evidence.
Worked source trails
Examples of a defensible research record
A source trail lets a complaint handler, adviser or court follow the reasoning without repeating the research from the beginning.
Online cancellation
Record the order date and contract type. Open the Consumer Contracts Regulations in the relevant version, identify the information and cancellation provisions, then check official guidance for practical explanation. Save the seller's checkout, confirmation and cancellation communications. The source note should explain which required information is said to be absent and how that affects the requested remedy.
Financial complaint
Confirm the firm's authorisation and product. Identify the FCA Handbook rules or principles in force at the time, then check the Financial Ombudsman Service jurisdiction and time-limit material. Use a published ombudsman decision only as illustration, not a binding precedent. Connect each cited standard to the firm's actual communication or decision.
Housing complaint
Identify tenure, landlord and UK nation before selecting legislation. Add the landlord policy, applicable ombudsman scheme or complaint code and any relevant council standard. Current guidance may not describe an older notice or event, so record commencement and historical versions carefully.
Transport disruption
Separate statutory passenger rights, ticket conditions, operator policies, ADR rules and regulator guidance. They may answer different questions about refunds, compensation, assistance and complaint handling. Avoid citing a general passenger page as if it resolved disputed facts about the cause of disruption.
Use the reference
Turn research into an effective consumer case
Reference material earns its place only when it helps the reader decide, explain or prove something. Keep the working file short enough to use and complete enough to be checked.
Write the factual or procedural question before opening sources.
Use the most authoritative current source that actually answers it.
Connect the source to dated evidence and the remedy or next step.
Keep a research log
For each important point, record the source title, publisher, URL, relevant provision or heading, effective date where known, access date and a short note explaining relevance. If the page can change, retain a PDF or screenshot. A search result or generated summary is not the source.
Use a proportionate evidence pack
Start with a case summary, issue list and chronology. Attach the contract, key communications, payment or account record, disputed decision and loss calculation. Add sources only where they clarify the standard or procedure. Do not send an entire Act, rulebook or website capture when a pinpoint link and saved extract will do.
Ask the recipient to answer something specific
A trader can be asked to provide the contractual remedy; an ombudsman to determine stated issues; a regulator to consider supported compliance information; and a court to grant a pleaded remedy. Match the wording to the recipient's powers. If you are unsure about jurisdiction, ask for confirmation without allowing another deadline to expire.
Review before sending
- Names and dates are consistent across the summary and evidence.
- Each allegation is expressed as a fact or supported inference, not an unsupported conclusion.
- Every amount is calculated and avoids double recovery.
- Personal data is necessary, relevant and sent securely.
- The requested outcome is possible on this route.
- Other complaint, appeal and court deadlines are recorded separately.
Practical workflow
A repeatable research and complaint process
Use the page as one stage in a controlled workflow. This prevents a useful source, definition or organisation name from becoming a substitute for the factual case.
- Write the outcome. State what should change, who can change it and whether the request is advice, enforcement, redress or a legal order.
- Identify the parties. Record the legal trader, contracting party, agent, platform, payment provider, regulated firm and decision-maker where they differ.
- Freeze the evidence. Save the contract, terms, advert, account, decision, correspondence and website material before it changes. Keep originals and record capture dates.
- Build the chronology. Use a table with date, event, actor, document and significance. Highlight trigger dates for cancellation, complaint escalation, appeal or limitation.
- Research one issue at a time. For each issue, find the source that defines the duty, jurisdiction or procedure. Record uncertainty and conflicting material.
- Choose parallel routes deliberately. A provider complaint, card claim, regulator report and ombudsman referral may coexist. Give each body only the issue and outcome within its role.
- Send a bounded case. Number the issues, provide a compact indexed bundle and ask for a response to each material point within a reasonable or prescribed period.
- Audit the response. Mark each issue answered, partly answered or unanswered. Record new evidence, concessions, reasons and the next eligible escalation date.
Keep an issue schedule
Use columns for issue, disputed fact, evidence, rule or standard, respondent position, requested outcome and current status. This exposes gaps before submission and makes a later ombudsman or court file much easier to prepare.
Quality control
Mistakes that make a well-researched case weaker
Most problems arise from scope, status or application rather than from failing to find another source. Review these points before adding more material.
Citing a title instead of a rule
Naming an Act, regulator or code does not show what duty applied. Identify the provision, rule, scheme term or published remit and explain its connection to the event.
Using today's wording for an older event
Web pages, legislation, rulebooks and scheme terms change. Record the event date and source version. If the historical position cannot be verified, say so instead of silently applying the current page.
Treating guidance as a guarantee
Official guidance can be authoritative and useful without resolving every exception or disputed fact. Describe its status accurately and check the underlying source when the point affects eligibility, liability or a deadline.
Confusing public enforcement with private redress
A finding that conduct may affect a market does not automatically calculate an individual's loss. Equally, an ombudsman award does not necessarily prove a market-wide breach. Explain which decision you are asking each body to make.
Sending personal data without a purpose
Remove irrelevant account numbers, identity documents and third-party information. Keep an unredacted original, use secure channels and tell the recipient if sensitive material is essential to understanding the case.
Overstating certainty
Use language such as appears, may, or I understand where a point is an inference or legal position open to dispute. Reserve direct statements for facts and sources that the evidence establishes.
When to get help
Recognise when self-help is no longer proportionate
ConsumerWise can help organise the issue and identify routes, but some cases need urgent, technical or legally privileged advice. Early help can protect a position that cannot easily be restored later.
| Situation | Why help may be needed | Possible source |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate danger, fraud or loss of an essential service | Protective action is more urgent than completing the ordinary complaint process. | Emergency service, bank, supplier emergency team, council or specialist safety body. |
| Eviction, homelessness, employment dismissal or statutory appeal | Short deadlines and specialist procedure can determine whether the case can be heard. | Relevant advice charity, union, law centre, solicitor or authorised representative. |
| High-value or technically complex loss | Expert evidence, pleading, causation, costs and enforcement risk may exceed the value of informal self-help. | Qualified legal adviser and an appropriately instructed independent expert. |
| Vulnerability or difficulty managing the process | Adjustments, representation or advocacy may be needed for effective participation. | Provider accessibility team, local advice service, advocate or trusted representative. |
| Threats, defamation concerns or allegations of dishonesty | Public accusations or poorly framed allegations can create additional risk. | Legal advice before publication or formal escalation. |
When seeking help, provide the one-page summary, chronology, issue schedule, key decision and deadline list first. This lets an adviser assess urgency and scope before reading the full file.
Questions
Detailed questions about using this resource
These answers explain the usual approach. Check the linked official source where the result depends on current law, scheme rules, jurisdiction or a deadline.
Is GOV.UK always the law?
No. GOV.UK contains legislation links, statutory guidance, policy, forms and general information. Identify the publisher and status of the specific page.
Are regulator decisions binding precedents?
Usually not in the same way as a higher court judgment. They can be authoritative or persuasive within their framework, but compare facts, powers and date.
Can I cite a search result snippet?
No. Open the result, verify the publisher and wording, and link to the actual source. Snippets can be truncated, stale or taken out of context.
What if an official page has moved?
Search the issuing body's site, web archive or publication collection. Record the old title and URL, and retain any lawful saved copy with its access date.
How many sources should a complaint contain?
Only enough to establish the important duty, jurisdiction or procedure. One exact authoritative source is often stronger than several general summaries.
Should I rely on a published ombudsman decision?
Use it as an illustration of approach where relevant, not as a guarantee. Your complaint turns on its own evidence and the current scheme rules.
Maintain the file
Review the case as facts and sources change
A consumer case is a controlled record, not a single letter. Update it when the respondent gives reasons, a source changes or a route reaches a decision point.
After each response
Save the original file or message, record its date and mark each issue answered, partly answered or unanswered. Add any admission, factual correction, new reason or request for evidence to the issue schedule. Do not rewrite the earlier chronology to hide a misunderstanding; correct it transparently.
Before escalation
Check that the respondent has had the opportunity required by the next scheme, the complaint is framed consistently, and every new issue has first been raised where necessary. Update the remedy and deduct any payment already received. Recheck jurisdiction and time limits on the official route.
When a source changes
Keep the version originally relied on and record the new one separately. Decide whether the change applies to the event, affects only future conduct or clarifies an existing rule. If the point is important and uncertain, obtain legal advice rather than presenting an assumption as settled.
At closure
Record the outcome, acceptance terms, payment or action due, compliance date and any continuing rights. Keep the file for a proportionate period, securely delete unnecessary copies and avoid publishing personal or confidential material merely because the dispute has ended.