As an individual you can apply to join APDO as a UK Member or as an International Member.

Full, verified members with employees or subcontractors can also apply for Employee Membership for their team members.

Business Membership is available for businesses closely affiliated with the professional organising industry. Find out more here.

N.B. If you would like to check your suitability for any of our membership categories before applying, please email us at [email protected].

Click here to check which is the correct membership for your business. 

 

  1. UK Membership

This category of membership is open to anyone aged 18 or over who works or plans to works as a Professional Organiser and/or declutterer, whether as a sole trader, in a partnership, or as a limited company. Membership applies to one individual in each business (which for a sole trader is one and the same person). For partnerships and limited company directors, membership applies to just one partner or director.

 

Once they are verified, UK members are listed on the APDO Find an Organiser page and can vote at the AGM. Please note all members are provisional until they confirm verification with APDO regulations and APDO reserves the right to remove and refund membership (minus the admin fee) if an applicant is deemed unsuitable.

 

  1. International Membership

This category is open to anyone aged 18 years or over who works or intends to work within the professional decluttering and organising industry outside the UK. For more detail, please refer to the APDO Conditions of Membership.

 

  1. Employee Membership

This membership is available for employees of a verified APDO member and is offered at a discounted price but comes with the same benefits as verified membership.

 

Please note that the employer must be a verified APDO member, and the employee must either be employed on PAYE by the verified member or subcontracted to benefit from this discount. Partners, sub-contractors who also work independently, and franchisees should apply for individual verified membership.

 

  1. Business Membership

If you have a business which is complementary to the industry of professional organising, we can offer a business membership package.

Our business members benefit from:

  1. An entry on the APDO business affiliates page
  2. A discount on APDO training courses for their employees
  3. An APDO business affiliate badge which can be used on their marketing material
  4. Member’s discount on our annual conference tickets
  5. An opportunity to offer other members a discount on their services through our members' hub

If you would like to apply for our business membership, please complete our application form which can be found here. If you have any questions about our business membership, please email [email protected].

Joining process

On first joining, all members are designated as provisional members. They are not listed on the APDO Find an Organiser directory and are not able to take referrals from other members or vote at the AGM.

You will be listed on the APDO Find an Organiser directory only when your verification documents have been uploaded and approved by our admin team. 

International applicants should discuss their specific verification requirements with our Membership Director.

 

An administration fee of £40 is applied when you join APDO. This fee, which covers our administrative costs, is also charged for late renewals.

 

Verification process

UK Members need to provide the following to become verified. Applicants are asked to make sure they have read our conditions of membership before joining:

  1. Full and current public liability and professional indemnity insurance that covers their decluttering work. Please note, UK APDO members can get a discount from Westminster Insurance.
  2. Registration with HMRC
  3. Read and agree our Code of Ethics and pass a short test on the contents
  4. Complete a self-assessment form with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to check if you need ICO certification.

 

Applicants who are just setting up their business and are not yet ready to work (paid or unpaid) can remain a provisional member until they are ready to move to full membership.

 

Fees

Annual UK or International verified membership 

£260 for the first year (£220 annual fee plus £40 joining fee) and £220 per year thereafter.

 

Employee Membership

£170 for the first year (£130 annual fee plus £40 joining fee) and £130 per year thereafter.

 

Business Membership

£450 plus £40 admin fee (in the first year) then £450 per year thereafter.