Gumtree has selected identity technology company GBG to support the expansion of its home services offering, as the marketplace looks to improve onboarding, verification, and trust for professional service providers operating on its platform.
The partnership follows a significant update to Gumtree’s Home Services category, which is designed to make it easier for users to find and engage vetted professionals online. Central to the update is the introduction of GBG Detected, an end-to-end Know Your Business (KYB) solution that automates onboarding and verification for businesses offering services through the platform.
Gumtree said the technology will allow it to onboard professional service providers at greater speed and scale, reducing reliance on manual checks while ensuring regulatory and safety requirements are met. The approach is intended to support faster category growth while maintaining marketplace integrity in a sector where consumers are often inviting service providers into their homes.
GBG Detected uses global business intelligence drawn from more than 600 million company records and ownership registries. The system verifies businesses, screens directors and ultimate beneficial owners, and carries out ongoing monitoring against sanctions lists, politically exposed persons registers, and adverse media sources. Identity and document verification tools are also integrated into the process.
Joseph Rindsland, Head of Digital Trust & Safety at Gumtree, said: “We chose GBG because we needed a simple, powerful solution to make business onboarding faster and easier for our service providers, whilst ensuring the necessary KYB checks have been completed. With its business onboarding solution, GBG Detected, we’re able to automate this process into a single, connected system, eliminating silos and static checks. This helps us onboard and verify service providers faster, while also improving their user experience, supporting our goal to lead in home services category.”
Verified service providers on Gumtree’s platform will benefit from enhanced visibility and ranking, which the company said is expected to translate into increased business opportunities. For consumers, the verification process is intended to provide greater confidence when selecting professionals through the marketplace.
The move reflects broader trends across online marketplaces, which are facing increased regulatory and consumer pressure to improve identity checks, prevent fraud, and demonstrate robust safety standards. Home services platforms, in particular, are under scrutiny given the offline, in-person nature of the work they facilitate.
Andy Chrascina, Chief Revenue Officer – Identity Fraud, EMEA and APAC at GBG, said: “Trust is essential for building strong online communities. We’re proud to support Gumtree’s ambition to lead the home services sector by making it easier for people to find reliable, professional help through efficient Know Your Business verification and onboarding of service providers. GBG Detected plays a vital role in keeping fraud out, helping genuine businesses get started quickly, and supporting Gumtree’s mission to become the top choice for home services across the UK.”
Gumtree said the partnership forms part of its wider strategy to position home services as a core growth area, combining improved user experience with stronger governance and risk controls as the category continues to scale.
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