Key Takeaways
- Together Money bridging loan ILA is independent legal advice given by a solicitor before you sign a personal guarantee, occupier consent, deed of postponement or regulated bridging loan document.
- Together Money requires ILA on all regulated bridging applications. It may also require ILA where someone gives a personal guarantee or third-party charge, signs an occupier consent or deed of postponement, or where underwriting considers ILA appropriate.
- The ILA certificate confirms you understood the terms and risks and signed freely. It does not assess loan affordability or commercial suitability.
- You must provide the final Together Money guarantee or consent, facility letter, lender instructions and valid photo ID to the solicitor before the appointment.
- Each guarantor usually needs separate, independent ILA, as joint-and-several liability generally means the lender can pursue any one guarantor for the full debt.
- Delays or errors with the ILA certificate can prevent loan drawdown, so ILA should be arranged before completion deadlines or auction dates.
What is Together Money bridging loan ILA?
Together Money bridging loan ILA is independent legal advice from an SRA-regulated solicitor before you sign a personal guarantee, occupier consent, deed of postponement or regulated bridging loan agreement. Where ILA is a condition of your offer, the lender will not complete until a solicitor has confirmed in writing that you understand the risks and are signing of your own free will. That applies even if you trust everyone involved.
Many borrowers only discover at the last minute that the ILA certificate is a safeguard for both them and the lender. Without the correct certificate, issued on the final documents before completion, your funds can be delayed or withheld. The requirement is not a formality. It reduces the risk of later disputes over liability and enforceability, particularly where joint-and-several guarantees or family members are involved.
Fast ILA can arrange your Together Money bridging loan ILA entirely online, often on the same day, with fixed-fee certainty. Book your remote ILA appointment online or call 020 7459 4037 for urgent cases.
Why does Together Money require independent legal advice for bridging loans and personal guarantees?
Together Money asks for an ILA certificate so it has written evidence that anyone taking on risk without receiving the loan money understood that risk and agreed freely. Together Money’s own published material describes the purpose of ILA as making sure a person understands the true nature and risk of the transaction and enters into it freely, where they will not receive a direct benefit from the loan.
That protects you, because a solicitor explains the document before you are bound by it. It also protects the lender. A guarantee or consent signed under pressure, or without understanding, may later be challenged. Independent advice reduces that risk.
When Together Money asks for ILA
Together Money’s requirements depend on the product and on your role in the deal. For some documents, ILA may be required depending on the transaction.
- Regulated bridging. This is a bridging loan secured on a property that is, or will be, your home. Together Money’s personal-finance lending criteria state that independent legal advice is required on all regulated bridging applications.
- Personal or director guarantee. A personal guarantee is your promise to repay the borrower’s debt, often a company’s, if the borrower does not. Together Money’s commercial-finance criteria say ILA may be required where an individual or non-borrower gives a personal guarantee or a third-party charge over their own property.
- Occupier consent.
An adult who lives in the security property but is not a borrower may be asked to sign a consent. By signing, they agree that the lender’s charge takes priority over any right they have to stay there. - Deed of postponement. If you already hold a charge or loan connected to the property or borrower, this deed ranks your claim behind Together Money’s.
Together Money’s commercial criteria also list other triggers. These include a non-English-speaking applicant, the use of a power of attorney, a vulnerable or potentially vulnerable individual, or a case where underwriting simply considers ILA appropriate.
The document that records the advice is the solicitor’s certificate. Together Money’s commercial-finance guide calls it a Solicitors Advice and Witness Certificate. It must be obtained before completion and retained on file.
Once you know ILA applies, the next job is gathering the right paperwork.
What documents do you need for Together Money ILA?
You need the final version of every document you are signing, the lender’s instructions or certificate form, and valid photo ID. Here is the checklist our solicitors work from:
- The final guarantee, consent or deed of postponement you are being asked to sign.
- The facility letter. This is the lender’s formal offer setting out the loan amount, interest, fees, term, security and conditions. Even as a guarantor, you need it, because your exposure depends on the borrower’s terms.
- Lender instructions, if Together Money or its solicitors have issued them. These are the written requirements telling the advising solicitor what to cover and which certificate wording to use.
- Valid photo ID, such as a passport or driving licence.
- Proof of address, if the lender asks for it.
Why a draft will not do
A certificate confirms advice on a specific document. If the guarantee changes after your appointment, perhaps through a higher cap, an added property or a new clause, the advice no longer matches what you sign. The lender’s solicitors compare the certificate against the executed document. A mismatch can mean a repeat appointment and a new certificate.
If anything is missing, our team can tell you what to request from your broker or conveyancer before the call. With the documents ready, timing becomes the main concern.
How long does it take to get a Together Money ILA certificate?
With Fast ILA, you can get your certificate the same day. Same-day appointments and same-day certificates are available, including evenings and weekends. The process runs entirely online:
- Book and pay online. Choose the urgent same-day option if your deadline is close.
- Upload your documents securely and verify your ID online.
- Attend a video appointment with one of our SRA-regulated solicitors. Each fixed fee covers a one-hour session.
- Receive your certificate electronically, ready to forward to Together Money, your broker or your conveyancer.
Many borrowers assume a local walk-in solicitor is the quickest route. In practice, diary availability, in-person ID checks and posted documents often add delay. A remote process removes the travel and the post.
Speed matters because, where ILA is required, the certificate is a condition of completion, not an optional extra. Together Money describes bridging as short-term finance, typically with a 12-month term. Borrowers often use it to secure an auction purchase, rescue a broken chain or start a refurbishment. Those deals run to fixed dates. A missing certificate can delay drawdown even when everything else is ready.
Fast ILA provides same-day Together Money ILA appointments. Book online now.
What does a Together Money ILA appointment actually cover?
In the appointment, our solicitor takes you through the document you are signing and explains, in plain English, what you are agreeing to and what could happen if things go wrong. We typically cover:
- Your liability. We explain how much you could owe, whether the guarantee is capped or unlimited, and whether interest, costs and fees sit on top. We also explain whether the lender can come to you without first pursuing the borrower.
- The loan terms. We cover the amount, interest rate, fees, term, repayment, early repayment charges and default interest.
- What is at risk. We identify which property or assets are charged, whether your home is exposed, and how priority works between first and second charges and any postponement.
- Triggering events. These are the events that let the lender call in the loan or demand payment from you, such as a missed payment, a breach of a loan condition or insolvency.
- Consequences of default. These can include a demand on you, possession proceedings, sale of a charged property and, for an unpaid guarantor, potential bankruptcy proceedings.
- Your right to refuse. You do not have to sign. We explain what declining would mean in practice.
Our solicitor must be satisfied that you understand the document and are acting freely before issuing the certificate. If you seem to be under pressure, or the explanation does not land, we will not certify.
Bring any concerns to the call, including any pressure you have felt. Once the advice is complete, the certificate follows.
Is a Fast ILA certificate accepted by Together Money and brokers?
Our ILA certificates are accepted by banks, lenders and solicitors across England and Wales, and are issued by SRA-regulated solicitors. Lenders set their own ILA requirements, however, so your certificate must match what Together Money has asked for on your case.
What the certificate confirms
Our certificate records the matters the lender’s form requires. These typically include:
- you received independent legal advice from an SRA-regulated solicitor;
- the nature and effect of the document were explained, and you understood them;
- you are signing freely, without pressure from the borrower or anyone else;
- your identity was verified.
What the certificate does not confirm
This boundary is the point most people misunderstand. An ILA certificate does not confirm that:
- the loan is affordable;
- the exit strategy, whether sale, refinance or completing a development, is realistic;
- the interest rate or fees are good value;
- the deal is commercially sensible.
These questions sit outside the ILA certificate. Our solicitor will explain the risks of the deal, but the certificate does not endorse it. A certificate means you knew what you were signing. It does not mean someone checked the deal works.
Format and sharing
We issue the certificate electronically. You can forward it to Together Money, your broker or the conveyancing solicitor handling completion.
Where more than one person is signing, one further question arises.
What if I’m a joint guarantor? Do I need separate ILA?
Each joint guarantor generally needs their own independent advice. One solicitor can advise more than one guarantor only if the solicitor is satisfied there is no conflict of interest.
The SRA’s Standards and Regulations state that a solicitor must not act where there is a conflict, or a significant risk of one, between clients. The only exception is where strict conditions are met, including informed consent and appropriate safeguards. Guarantors’ interests often diverge. One may have more assets, closer ties to the borrower or a different appetite for risk. Each person must also be free to say no without the others influencing the advice. That is why separate advice is the usual course.
Under a joint and several guarantee, each guarantor can be liable for the whole guaranteed amount, not just a “share”. In practice:
- the lender can generally choose which guarantor to pursue, and does not have to split the claim evenly;
- a guarantor who pays more than their share may have a right to recover a contribution from the others;
- that right is only as useful as the other guarantors’ ability to pay.
Our solicitors explain all three points to each guarantor individually.
Fast ILA can arrange appointments for each signatory, including on the same day, so one person’s advice does not hold up completion. Where a solicitor can properly advise signatories together, our Couples / Joint Signatories and Group ILA options apply.
The signer’s role matters, but so does the type of Together Money product.
Together Money bridging loan scenarios (residential, commercial, development finance): what triggers ILA?
What triggers ILA depends on the product and on who is signing. Regulated bridging is secured on a property that is, or will be, your home. Unregulated bridging covers investment, commercial and business purposes. Together Money publishes separate ILA guidance for regulated, unregulated residential and unregulated commercial bridging.
| Product | Typical term | ILA trigger | Certificate covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulated bridging | Short-term, typically 12 months | Together Money requires ILA on all regulated bridging applications | Understanding of the loan and charge over the home, voluntary signing |
| Unregulated residential bridging | Short-term, typically 12 months | Personal guarantee, third-party charge, occupier consent | Guarantee terms, liability, risk to any property charged |
| Commercial bridging | Short-term, typically 12 months | Director or personal guarantee, third-party charge | Personal exposure behind a company loan |
| Development finance | Set by the facility letter | Director guarantee, deed of postponement where applicable | Personal exposure, priority of charges, consequences of default |
A few points on the products in the table:
- Auction finance is bridging used to complete an auction purchase within the auction’s fixed timetable. That timetable leaves little room for a late ILA condition.
- Development finance carries extra moving parts, such as build delays and cost overruns. Together Money’s commercial-finance guide identifies development finance, third-party charges and personal guarantees as complex lending where ILA may be required. Directors who already lend money to the development company may also be asked to sign a deed of postponement. Our deed of subordination ILA page explains how ranking documents work.
For product-specific detail, see our pages on bridging loan and development finance ILA, director’s personal guarantee ILA and occupier’s consent ILA.
The Fast ILA advantage: why clients choose our remote solicitors for Together Money ILA
Fast ILA combines fixed fees, same-day delivery and a fully remote process. That suits deadline-driven bridging and development deals.
- Fixed, all-inclusive fees: Individual ILA £200; Urgent / Same-Day ILA £230; Couples / Joint Signatories ILA £300; Group ILA, 3 signatories £400. Each fee covers a one-hour session and already includes VAT, postage and disbursements. You pay online at booking.
- Same-day certificates, with evenings and weekends available. This helps when a completion or auction date is close.
- Fully remote: secure document upload, online ID verification, video advice and an electronic certificate.
- SRA-regulated solicitors giving advice independent of the lender, the broker and the borrower.
- Our ILA certificates are accepted by banks, lenders and solicitors across England and Wales.
- Rated Excellent on Trustpilot and Google, and 5 out of 5 from 1,400+ clients.
Related guides
- Together Money Personal Guarantee ILA | Fast ILA | Protect Yourself Before You Sign
- Bridging Loan Legal Requirements UK | Fast ILA | Documents, Advice & Certification Explained
Frequently asked questions about Together Money bridging loan ILA
Book your Together Money bridging loan ILA with Fast ILA today
You can book Together Money ILA online in minutes. Pay the fixed fee, upload your final documents and ID, and speak to one of our SRA-regulated solicitors by video, with a same-day certificate available for urgent completions. Our ILA certificates are accepted by banks, lenders and solicitors across England and Wales. Including any Together Money template or instructions with your upload means our solicitor completes the form your lender expects. Book your Together Money ILA appointment now, or call 020 7459 4037 if your completion date is close.
