Single check · AML
Sanctions & AML check
Screen any person or company against the UK OFSI, UN and EU sanctions lists plus the OpenSanctions PEP and adverse-media catalogues. From 99p a check, no contract, no monthly minimum. The result is on screen in seconds and saved to your file for the audit trail.
New duty since 14 May 2025
Every UK letting agent must now report to OFSI as soon as practicable if a landlord or tenant is on the UK sanctions list. This applies to every agent, whatever the rent, and it is separate from the £10,000-a-month money-laundering registration threshold. Ignoring it is a criminal offence. Screening each landlord and tenant is the practical way to meet the duty and keep a dated record.
What this check returns
- Name match against OFSI / HMT / UN / EU consolidated sanctions lists
- OpenSanctions PEP (politically-exposed person) catalogue
- OpenSanctions adverse-media collection
- A clear verdict (no matches, or possible matches to review) with a confidence score per match
- A dated record saved to your dashboard history for MLR-2017 record-keeping
Why it costs a fraction of the usual price
Most sanctions screening is bundled into a compliance suite on an annual contract (SmartSearch from around £200 a month, ComplyAdvantage from around £500 a month). If you only need to screen a name now and then, that is a lot to carry. This is the same four UK-required sanctions lists plus global PEP and adverse-media depth, billed by the check, with no contract.
How the sanctions check runs
You enter a name (and, for common names, an optional date of birth and nationality). The check fuzzy-matches it against the four UK-required public sanctions lists (OFSI plus the HMT financial sanctions notices, the UN Security Council consolidated list and the EU consolidated list) and, in the same call, against the OpenSanctions PEP catalogue and adverse-media collection. Each candidate comes back with a confidence score, the list it appears on, and the record detail. A date of birth or nationality you supply is used as a disambiguator: a conflicting identifier on a list record down-weights that match, so a common name does not flag every namesake. The whole screen runs in a second or two and the result is saved to your dashboard with a check ID so you have dated evidence the screen was run.
Common questions
Which lists does it screen against?
The UK OFSI consolidated list, the HMT financial sanctions notices, the UN Security Council consolidated list and the EU consolidated list, plus the OpenSanctions PEP catalogue and the OpenSanctions adverse-media collection. All four UK-required sanctions sources, plus global PEP and adverse-media depth, in one check.
Does a match mean the person is sanctioned?
No. A match means someone with a similar name appears on a list. Each match carries a confidence score. You confirm a true match using date of birth, nationality or other identifiers before you rely on it. If a true match is confirmed, do not proceed and report to OFSI as soon as practicable.
Do letting agents have to run sanctions checks?
Since 14 May 2025, every UK letting agent is a "relevant firm" that must report to OFSI as soon as practicable if it knows or suspects a landlord or tenant is on the UK sanctions list. That duty applies to every agent whatever the rent, and is separate from the £10,000-a-month money-laundering registration threshold (which governs the wider checks for the larger firms it catches). Screening each landlord and tenant is the practical way to meet the sanctions duty and keep a dated record. Your firm still makes the final decision, freezes if there is a true match, and submits any report; this tool runs the screen and evidences it.
Do I need an account?
Yes, a free Certaby account. Each check is charged against your credit balance, so sign in and top up once, then run checks whenever you need them. Every check is logged to your dashboard for the audit trail.
Disclosure: screens against the named sources only at the time of the check. A "no matches" result is not a guarantee of clearance. Confirm any possible match against the official source before relying on it.