VIII — Honest answersVIII
What most people want to ask, but don't.
What does "FCA-authorised escrow" actually mean?
Client funds are held in a ring-fenced account operated by a third-party FCA-authorised payment institution — our escrow partner is Transpact, under the FCA's client-money rules. Neither AllSquared nor the contracting parties can access those funds until the milestone is approved. If our company ceased trading tomorrow, the money would still be yours, held in a regulated account outside our control.
How is AllSquared different from Shieldpay, PayTrustCare, or Escrow.com?
Those are pure escrow providers. We're an end-to-end contract, escrow, verification, and dispute platform built for high-value UK professional services.
- i.Not just escrow — real, solicitor-certified contracts on demand.Competitors hold money. AllSquared drafts, certifies, and secures the whole agreement — through our partner solicitor network.
- ii.All four elements in one platform — no bolt-ons.Contract, payment, verification, dispute. Nobody else offers all four. You don't need to stitch five SaaS subscriptions together.
- iii.Built for high-value UK B2B services — not asset sales, not gig work.Engineered for project work — renovations, fit-outs, studios, agencies, weddings, productions.
- iv.Milestone-based, evidence-driven payment — no more chasing.Funds release on proof, not on client whim, not 30-day terms, not "just trust us."
- v.Human assurance — real compliance, no AI slop.Every critical contract is reviewable by UK-regulated legal professionals, not just bots or generic templates.
What happens if a dispute actually occurs?
A structured resolution process begins: 72-hour response window, evidence review, independent certified mediation. Funds remain safely in escrow throughout. Most disputes resolve at the evidence stage — because the evidence exists, is timestamped, and both parties can see it. Court is genuinely the last resort, and the vast majority of deals never come close to needing one.
What size of job is this really designed for?
AllSquared is built for project-based deals from £5,000 upward, with no upper limit. That's the range where a late or disputed payment is a genuine business event, not just an annoyance. Between £1,000 and £5,000 we offer a flat-fee tier. Below £1,000, honestly, a plain invoice is fine. This is not a Fiverr or Upwork competitor, and we don't pretend to be.
I'm the client hiring — does this help me too?
Significantly. You pay into a regulated account, not a stranger's. Your money doesn't leave until work you can see is delivered. You get a contract written in English, not jargon. And you avoid the most common bad outcome for commissioning clients: paying a deposit to a supplier who then disappears, restructures, or quietly degrades the work.
Is AllSquared itself a law firm?
No. AllSquared is a technology platform — not a law firm. We draft contracts using AI and present them clearly for both parties to review and sign. For users who want an additional layer of legal assurance, we offer an optional connection to independent, SRA-regulated solicitors who can review or advise on agreements under their own professional terms. That's an add-on, not the core product. This page is marketing material and does not constitute legal advice.
Is there an upper limit on deal size?
No set upper limit. Our escrow partner Transpact is FCA-authorised and handles very large deal sizes routinely. For multi-million-pound programmes with unusual treasury or compliance requirements, talk to us — we'll set it up properly before your first deal goes through.