Business advice

Treating customers fairly

Treating customers fairly

Treating customers fairly is vital to ensuring that you win and retain customers.

The Enterprise Act and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations are used to ensure businesses comply with consumer protection legislation

Find more information on enforcement of consumer law

Find publications on consumer law in our publication section

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• Advertising
• Continuous Payment Authority principles
• Doorstep selling
• Enforcement of consumer law
• The Enterprise Act 
• Groceries - Controlled Land
• Issuing contracts
• Payment Protection Insurance
• The Sale of Goods Act and SOGA hub
• Selling extended warranties
• Selling online and at a distance
• Unfair trading regulations

Competing fairly

Competing fairly

The Competition Act aims to promote healthy competition. It prohibits anti-competitive agreements between firms such as agreements to fix high prices or to carve up markets, and it makes it illegal for companies to abuse a dominant market position.

You need to be aware of the main rules to avoid breaking the law or becoming a victim of others' anti-competitive practices.

See Competition law - advice for businesses

Find publications on competing fairly here

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• Cartels and leniency
• Mergers
• The Competition Act
• What does the Competition Act prohibit?
• The Enterprise Act
• Report suspicious behaviour
• Private litigation

Offering credit

Offering credit

The Consumer Credit Act 1974 requires most businesses that offer credit, lend money or provide debt counselling or debt adjusting services to consumers to be licenced by the OFT.

Trading without a licence is a criminal offence and can result in a fine and/or imprisonment.

Find credit licensing publications

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• Do I need a credit licence
• How do I apply for a licence
• Licensing fees
• How do I comply with the law
• Credit advertising
• Consumer Credit Act
• Enforcement of the Consumer Credit Act
• Consumer Credit Register
• Anti-money laundering regulations
• Unenforceable credit agreements

Estate agents

Estate agents

This information is for people who are working as an estate agent. It tells you what you must do to meet your legal obligations.

The Estate Agents Act 1979 regulates your work as an estate agent. Its purpose is to make sure that you act in the best interests of your clients, and that both buyers and sellers are treated honestly, fairly and promptly.

View estate agents publications

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• How to comply
• Estate Agents Act 
• Estate Agents Redress Scheme (EARS)
• Register of prohibited and warned estate agents
• How to make a complaint about an estate agent
• Anti-money laundering regulations

Anti-money laundering

Anti-money laundering

Money laundering is the process by which criminally obtained money, or other assets, are exchanged for clean money or assets with no obvious link to their criminal origins.
 
The Money Laundering Regulations aim to detect, deter and disrupt money laundering. To comply with the Regulations, certain categories of business need to register with the OFT.
 
Find more about...

• Anti-money laundering
• Money laundering regulations 
• Anti-money laundering registration 
• Anti-money laundering supervision FAQs

Self regulation

Self regulation

Self-regulatory initiatives aim either to achieve compliance with consumer law or to go beyond what the law requires. Self-regulation is usually achieved through a set of rules such as a code of practice, through voluntary standards, or through accreditation. It may also include arrangements for the provision of industry guidance material and for action to address particular compliance problems.

The OFT believes in avoiding unnecessary regulatory burden. We acknowledge the benefits of businesses seeking to regulate themselves to deliver high standards for consumers.

Find more about...

• Self regulation
• OFT Policy statement (pdf 200kb) 
• Guidance for car dealers on legal obligations

OFT approved codes

OFT approved codes

Your business could improve its reputation for customer service by signing up to a code of practice that has been approved by the OFT under the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS).

By approving consumer codes, we give consumers a way to identify businesses that have pledged to treat them fairly if they have a problem, and we encourage businesses to deliver high standards of customer service.

Find more about...

• Consumer Codes Approval Scheme

Competition Act and cartels

Competition Act and cartels

The OFT currently has 21 Competition Act or criminal cartel cases open. On this page you can find information on the Competition Act and related investigations, decisions, consultations and case closure summaries, where those cases are in the public domain. Find out what constitutes a cartel, how to complain about one, and how a business could be granted immunity from prosecution if they inform the OFT of their involvement.

Find more about ...

• Background information - Competition Act 1998
• Background information - cartels
• Cartels leniency - confess your cartel to the OFT
• Competition Act 1998 - brief overview
• Competition law - compliance tools