What "Tier 2 verified" actually checks — and what it doesn't

"Verified" is one of the most overused words in business-for-sale listings. We'd rather tell you exactly what our badge does and doesn't cover.

Tier 1 — Registered. Free, usually same-day. We confirm registration and tax ID against DBD records, check the registration date against the years-operating claim, and cross-check online reputation. This is a baseline sanity check, not a financial review.

Tier 2 — Financially verified. Five checks:

• Bank statements (6–12 months) reviewed against claimed revenue.
• Lease agreement confirmed directly with the landlord.
• Licenses verified, expiry dates checked.
• Ownership structure confirmed, including nominee-shareholder risk, no pending disputes.
• Our own revenue, brand, and growth read — an analyst's take on the numbers, market position, and upside, drawn from our F&B consultancy background.

Why your confidence rating isn't an average. Every Tier 2 listing gets Strong, Moderate, or Limited — set by the weakest of the four document checks, not an average. A business with airtight financials and a clean lease but unconfirmed ownership gets capped at Moderate. Our own analysis sits alongside this rating rather than feeding it — it's our professional read, not a pass/fail check.

What Tier 2 does not do. The four document checks don't predict future performance or replace your own due diligence — they confirm that specific documents exist and say what the seller claims. Our own revenue, brand, and growth assessment is our professional opinion based on what we reviewed — not a certified valuation, an appraisal, or a promise of results.

For sellers: Tier 2 review typically takes a few days and is the single biggest lever on how seriously buyers treat your listing.