How much does independent legal advice cost in the UK?

The short answer

Most independent legal advice is charged as a fixed fee per person. You pay for a solicitor to review the documents your lender has sent, explain them to you, check you are signing freely, and sign the certificate your lender needs. With My Online Lawyer, fees start from £140 + VAT per person.

You won’t be asked to pay anything to book. Your solicitor looks at what you’ve been asked to sign on a free 10-minute call and confirms a fixed fee before any work starts, so there are no surprises.

What’s included in the fee

A fixed ILA fee normally covers everything needed to get your certificate to the lender:

• a free initial consultation with a solicitor
• reviewing the lender’s documents before your meeting
• an advice meeting by video call, or in person if your lender requires it
• the signed ILA certificate, in the wording your lender asks for
• sending the certificate and documents to your lender, broker or conveyancer

If you’re unsure whether something is included, ask on the consultation. Your solicitor will tell you exactly what the fee covers.

What can affect the fee

No two matters are exactly the same. These are the things that most often change the price:

• The type and complexity of the documents. A standard occupier’s consent form takes less time than an unlimited personal guarantee with a debenture and several charges.
• How many people need advice. Each person signing usually needs their own advice, and often their own certificate.
• Whether you need a face-to-face meeting. Most advice can be given by video, but some lenders insist on meeting in person.
• Urgent or out-of-hours appointments. If completion is tomorrow, we’ll do our best to help, and the solicitor will tell you if that affects the fee.
• Extra steps for overseas clients, such as notarisation or legalisation of documents.

Who pays for independent legal advice?

Usually the person receiving the advice pays. That might be a director giving a personal guarantee, a parent on a joint borrower sole proprietor mortgage, or a partner signing an occupier’s consent form.

It’s also common for the borrower, the company or the buyer to pay the fee for you. That’s allowed. What matters is that the solicitor acts only for you: their job is to protect your interests, whoever pays the bill.

Settlement agreements are different. Employers usually contribute towards the cost of advice, and the agreement normally says how much.

Why prices vary so much between firms

If you compare quotes, you’ll see a wide range. Some reasons:

• Some firms quote a low headline price, then add fees for certificates, video calls or dispatch.
• Some charge by the hour, so the final bill depends on how long the meeting takes.
• High street firms may only offer office appointments in working hours, which can mean waiting days.

When comparing, ask for the total fixed fee including VAT, what it includes, and how quickly you can be seen. A cheaper quote that can’t see you before your completion date may cost far more in the end.

Is it worth paying for?

In most cases you don’t have a choice: the lender won’t release funds without an ILA certificate. But the advice is valuable in its own right. Guarantees, charges and consent forms can put your home or savings at risk for someone else’s debt. A good solicitor will make sure you understand exactly what could happen, whether there are limits you could ask for, and that it’s your decision whether to sign.

Read more about the risks of signing a personal guarantee, or what an ILA certificate is.