The Community Help And Advice Initiative

Reference number: 618730

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Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

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.

In the full report: 3 background checks

  • When chaiedinburgh.org.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
  • What kind of line 0131 442 2100 is
  • Who else gives the postcode EH11 2QH
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Other names (1)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

  • Community Help & Advice Initiative (CHAI) Trading name

The firm, by virtue of its constitution or any enactment, must be:(i) required (after payment of outgoings) to apply the whole of its income and any capital it expends for charitable or public purposes, and (ii) prohibited from directly or indirectly distributing amongst its members any part of its assets (otherwise than for charitable or public purposes); And the firm must not have any associate (other than a not-for profit debt advice body) which carries on debt adjusting or debt counselling or providing credit information services.)

FCA permissions and consumer protection

  • Lend or arrange credit No FSCS cover
    Consumer credit is not covered by the FSCS, so there is no compensation scheme if the firm fails.
  • Complaints Ombudsman, free
    You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.
Show FCA detail (3 permissions)
  • Debt Adjusting
  • Debt-counselling
  • Providing Credit Information Services

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.

Concerns on the company record

  • Confirmation statement is overdue at Companies House.
Company number
SC179306
Company status
Active
Company type
Private company limited by guarantee
Incorporated
26 September 1997 (29 years old)
Registered office
28 Westfield Avenue, Edinburgh, EH11 2QH, Scotland
Nature of business
  • Other service activities not elsewhere classified (SIC 96090)

Directors and company secretaries

Name Role Born Appointed Other companies
Rachel Jane Rennie Director Nov 1976 29 May 2020 None
Molly Mckenna Director Nov 1994 29 Oct 2020 None
Leila Stewart Director Jul 1973 17 Jun 2022 None
Helen Mary Rice Director Jun 1977 17 Jun 2022 None
Niamh Flannigan Director Apr 1994 7 Jul 2022 None
Lesley Broadwood Director Sep 1971 9 Nov 2023 None
Laura Anne Wiegratz Director Jul 1984 9 Nov 2023 2 other companies
James Alexander Rose Director Nov 1975 12 Mar 2024 None
Catherine Ridge Director Jun 1969 29 Jul 2025 None
Carol Stewart Director Jan 1981 29 Jul 2025 None
Laura Anne Wiegratz Secretary Not published 9 Aug 2025 –

Other companies run by these 10 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies
2
still active
2

In the full report: all 2 companies, named

  • What each company does, and whether it is still trading
  • Which of these 10 directors sit on each board, and since when
  • Any that went into liquidation or administration
  • All 54 people who have ever been directors, with their dates
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Key dates in its history

The Community Help And Advice Initiative’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (5) All events (109)

2020

21 December 2020

  • Changed its registered name from "Community Help & Advice Initiative (CHAI)"

FCA register

2014

1 April 2014

  • Regulated by the FCA from this date
  • FCA imposed a requirement (Not for profit firm)
  • Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

1997

26 September 1997

  • Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 109 events

  • All 109 events in its history (5 shown here)
  • Every director appointment and resignation: 102
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Firms like The Community Help And Advice Initiative

Other firms of the same type (debt advice or management), nearest first.

In Edinburgh

Children FirstEdinburghAuthorisedCyreniansEdinburghAuthorisedEdinburgh Food Project Money Advice ServiceEdinburghAuthorisedGranton Information CentreEdinburghAuthorisedHarbour Homes Scotland LimitedEdinburghAuthorisedProspect Community HousingEdinburghAuthorised

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 The Community Help And Advice Initiative

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

  • 2 other companies its directors have run, named
  • 3 background checks on its contact details
  • All 109 events in its history

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is The Community Help And Advice Initiative FCA authorised?
Yes, The Community Help And Advice Initiative (FRN 618730) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since April 2014 and works as a debt advice or management. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.
What is The Community Help And Advice Initiative’s phone number and website?
The FCA register lists the phone number 0131 442 2100 and the website chaiedinburgh.org.uk for The Community Help And Advice Initiative. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.
Is The Community Help And Advice Initiative a scam or clone?
The Community Help And Advice Initiative is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.
Is my money safe with The Community Help And Advice Initiative?
Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. Protection depends on which product you hold and how The Community Help And Advice Initiative handles your money, so check the specific product before you commit. You can also refer complaints about The Community Help And Advice Initiative to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.
Who runs The Community Help And Advice Initiative?
Companies House lists 10 directors of The Community Help And Advice Initiative: Rachel Jane Rennie, Molly McKenna, Leila Stewart, Helen Mary Rice, Niamh Flannigan, Lesley Broadwood and 4 more.
How long has The Community Help And Advice Initiative been in business?
The company was formed on 26 September 1997, and has held its current FCA authorisation since April 2014.
Does The Community Help And Advice Initiative use any other names?
It trades as Community Help & Advice Initiative (CHAI).

Sources and links

The full report on The Community Help And Advice Initiative

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