Appointed representative
This firm does not hold FCA authorisation of its own, and acts under a principal firm, which is legally responsible for its regulated business.
- Appointed for 25 years
- Protected through the principal
- No FCA actions
- Active company since 2004
- Accounts filed up to 31 January 2026
Responsible principal firm
Sesame Limited Reference number: 150427 View firm →What does this mean?
- An appointed representative (AR) can carry out regulated financial services, but is not directly authorised by the FCA. A principal firm holds the authorisation and is legally responsible for the AR's conduct.
- Avant-Garde Financial Advice Limited (FRN 195330) is an AR of Sesame Limited (FRN 150427). When you use Avant-Garde Financial Advice's services, the FCA authorisation sits with the principal firm.
- Example: if you take financial advice from Avant-Garde Financial Advice, complaints and compensation usually follow the same rules as dealing with the principal, but this depends on the product and your circumstances.
- Before you proceed, confirm contact details match the official FCA register for both firms. Scammers sometimes clone legitimate AR names and FRNs but use fake phone numbers and websites.
Website, phone number and address
Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.
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No website on the FCA register
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Phone number
-
Address
The Old Corn Store, Coachworks, Dover Place, Ashford, TN23 1HU, United Kingdom
In the full report: 2 background checks
- What kind of line 01233 647222 is
- Who else gives the postcode TN23 1HU
Other names (3)
If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.
- Avant-Garde Financial Advice Ltd Former name: A name it was registered under before.
- Avant-Garde Independent Financial Advice Former name: A name it was registered under before.
- Avant-Garde Independent Financial Advice Ltd Former name: A name it was registered under before.
FCA permissions and consumer protection
- Protection through the principal firmProtection works through Sesame Limited, the principal firm responsible for this firm's regulated activity. FSCS cover and the Financial Ombudsman Service apply as they would to the principal.
- Complaints Ombudsman, freeYou can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.
FCA disciplinary action and complaints
No FCA disciplinary action.
The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.
Companies House record
The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.
- Company number
- 05255181 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
- Company status
- Active
- Company type
- Private limited company
- Incorporated
- 11 October 2004 (22 years old)
- Registered office
- The Old Corn Store Coachworks, Dover Place, Ashford, TN23 1HU, England
- Nature of business
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- Administration of financial markets (SIC 66110)
Directors and company secretaries
| Name | Role | Born | Appointed | Other companies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dean Timothy Laidlaw | Director | Feb 1990 | 4 Mar 2025 | None |
In the full report: every company its directors have run
- Confirmation that its director runs no other company
- All 3 people who have been directors, with their dates
Filed accounts and finances
Total equity
£7,792
+146% from £3,166
Cash at bank
£11.8k
+345% from £2,659
Employees (average)
3
+50% from 2
Owed within a year
£5,282
−3.1% from £5,451
Assets and liabilities
In the full report: all 7 years of accounts
- Every year from 2020 to 2026
- The chart, over every year
- Every filed figure, year by year
About these figures
- Turnover
- Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
- Profit before tax
- What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
- Net assets, or total equity
- Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
- Total assets and total liabilities
- Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
- Cash at bank
- Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
- Owed within a year, owed after a year
- Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.
There is no turnover or profit: small companies do not have to publish them.
Accounts filed at Companies House for company 05255181. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.
Key dates in its history
Avant-Garde Financial Advice’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.
2026
16 April 2026
- Dean Timothy Laidlaw took control (75–100% of shares)
- Paul Anthony Fraser gave up control
Companies House
2024
17 May 2024
- Changed its registered name from "Avant-Garde Financial Advice Ltd"
FCA register
2016
30 June 2016
- Paul Anthony Fraser took control (75–100% of shares)
Companies House
2014
8 July 2014
- Changed its registered name from "Avant-Garde Independent Financial Advice Ltd"
FCA register
2005
7 January 2005
- Changed its registered name from "Avant-Garde Independent Financial Advice"
FCA register
2004
11 October 2004
- Incorporated at Companies House
Companies House
2001
7 March 2001
- Became an appointed representative
FCA register
In the full report: all 11 events
- All 11 events in its history (8 shown here)
- Every director appointment and resignation: 3
Firms connected to Avant-Garde Financial Advice
Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Avant-Garde Financial Advice. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.
- connected firm
- 1
- share its postcode
- 1
In the full report: the connected firm, named
- How it is linked: the same postcode (1)
- Who links it to this firm: the named directors, with dates
Firms like Avant-Garde Financial Advice
Other firms of the same type (mortgage adviser or broker), nearest first.
In Ashford
Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.
Get the full report on Avant-Garde Financial Advice
Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.
- Every company its directors have run, named
- 2 background checks on its contact details
- 7 years of accounts, charted
- All 11 events in its history
- 1 connected firm, named, and who links them
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Frequently asked questions about this firm
Is Avant-Garde Financial Advice Limited FCA authorised?
What does appointed representative mean for Avant-Garde Financial Advice?
What is Avant-Garde Financial Advice’s phone number?
Is Avant-Garde Financial Advice a scam or clone?
Is my money safe with Avant-Garde Financial Advice?
Who owns Avant-Garde Financial Advice?
Who runs Avant-Garde Financial Advice?
How long has Avant-Garde Financial Advice been in business?
What do Avant-Garde Financial Advice’s latest accounts show?
Does Avant-Garde Financial Advice use any other names?
Sources and links
- Its entry on the FCA register register.fca.org.uk
- Its Companies House record gov.uk
- Complaints the Financial Ombudsman Service can help with financial-ombudsman.org.uk
- Report a scam to the FCA fca.org.uk