Independent Legal Advice

When taking out a mortgage or loan, standing as guarantor, or entering into a significant legal agreement, your lender, employer, or solicitor may require you to obtain Independent Legal Advice (ILA). The purpose is simple: to confirm that you fully understand the risks and financial implications of what you are signing — and that you are signing freely, without pressure from anyone else.

This requirement is rooted in two landmark House of Lords decisions — Barclays Bank v O'Brien [1994] and Royal Bank of Scotland v Etridge (No 2) [2001] — which established clear obligations on lenders to ensure that guarantors, co-signatories, and other potentially vulnerable parties receive genuinely independent advice before taking on serious financial commitments.

Those obligations have just been strengthened. In Waller-Edwards v One Savings Bank plc [2025] UKSC 22, the Supreme Court extended the reach of the Etridge protocol, ruling that lenders are put on inquiry in any non-commercial "hybrid" loan — a joint borrowing where more than a trivial part of the money pays off one borrower's own debts. In practice, this means more transactions than ever now require Independent Legal Advice, and lenders who skip it risk their security being unenforceable.

Unfortunately, the ILA requirement often surfaces at the very end of the application process — causing delays, extra costs, and unnecessary stress, sometimes with a completion deadline looming. We remove that bottleneck: Independent Legal Advice by Zoom, WhatsApp, or FaceTime video call, at a fixed fee of £150 + VAT, with same-day appointments available.

Our ILA Services

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We provide Independent Legal Advice and ILA certificates for the full range of transactions where it may be required:

• Guarantor ILA – Independent Legal Advice for anyone acting as guarantor on a mortgage, loan, lease or commercial facility
• Directors' Personal Guarantees – Buy-to-let limited company mortgages and commercial loans
• JBSP Mortgages – Joint Borrower Sole Proprietor arrangements
• Occupier's Consent Forms – For non-owner occupiers
• Bridging Loans – Short-term property finance
• Gifted Deposits – Bank of Mum and Dad declarations
• Second Charge Mortgages – Secured loans on mortgaged property
• Commercial Guarantees – Business loan guarantees & debentures
• Family Loans – Formal intrafamily lending agreements
• What to Expect at Your ILA Appointment – Step-by-step guide to the process

Read our complete guide: What is Independent Legal Advice?

How Our ILA Service Works

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1. Send Us Your Documentation

Once we have received your mortgage details, guarantee documents, or other relevant paperwork, we are ready to arrange a video appointment. Documents can be emailed to advice@lawyersonline.co.uk.

2. Video Call With a Qualified Solicitor

Your appointment will take typically 10–15 minutes via Zoom, WhatsApp or FaceTime. Our SRA-regulated solicitor will discuss the documentation in plain English, explain the associated risks, and answer any questions you have.

3. Signing (Wet Signatures Required)

Once the relevant documentation has been signed and witnessed where required — wet (ink) signatures remain obligatory for most lender documents — these will need to be posted to us to be stamped and certified.

4. Same-Day Dispatch

We will scan the signed documents, email you a digital copy, and forward the originals to your solicitor or lender on the same day they are received by us. Speed matters in property transactions, and we know it.

For Mortgage Brokers, Intermediaries & Lenders

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If you're a broker, intermediary or lender looking for a reliable ILA partner, please visit our Brokers & Intermediaries page or contact our partnerships team at partnerships@lawyersonline.co.uk.

We work with over 170 UK lenders. See our complete Lenders page for details.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Book Your ILA Appointment Now

Lenders & Companies We Work With