West One Loans and Together both have a reputation for accepting the bridging case another lender has already declined, but they solve different problems. West One removes credit scoring and employment checks from the equation; Together takes on genuinely unusual property and complex credit history other lenders will not consider at all.
West One Loans and Together side by side
| West One Loans | Together | |
|---|---|---|
| Credit approach | No credit score unless permitted; manual underwriting | Credit history assessed rather than a score; adverse older than 12 months disregarded when pricing |
| Employment evidence | Not checked | Self-employed accepted with 12 months' trading history |
| IVAs and DMPs | Can potentially be discharged by the loan | Satisfied IVAs on regulated second charge; active IVAs by referral |
| Loan size | £75,000 to £30 million | From around £25,000 to £1 million or more via Premier |
| Maximum LTV | 75% residential, semi-commercial and commercial | 75% unregulated first-charge residential; most others 70% |
| Term | Up to 24 months | 12 to 24 months |
| Second charge | AVMs to 80% LTV; no separate legal representation | Available |
| Property | Residential, semi-commercial, commercial | Known for unusual and non-standard security |
| Fees | Upfront fees per published tariff | Priced case by case |
What this means in practice
West One's value is in what it does not check: no credit score, no employment verification and manual underwriting throughout. That suits a borrower whose paperwork is incomplete or non-standard rather than one with fundamentally poor credit. Together's value is in what it will accept: non-standard security, older or more serious adverse credit and self-employed income that go beyond most lenders' criteria entirely.
Head-to-head
Property
Together is the stronger fit for genuinely unusual security. West One lends across residential, semi-commercial and commercial property, but is not specifically known for the non-standard case.
Paperwork and employment
West One is the stronger fit here. Its no-scoring, no-employment-check approach removes friction that Together's credit history assessment does not.
Second charge
West One has the clearer, more established second-charge route, with automated valuations to 80% LTV, no separate legal representation required for the borrower, and the ability to discharge an existing IVA or DMP through the loan.
Loan size
West One lends up to £30 million, while Together's Premier range goes above £1 million by referral. For very large facilities, West One has more headroom; for smaller loans, Together's lower starting point may matter.
Fees
Neither lender is a no-upfront-fee option. West One publishes a tariff of charges for bridging, and Together prices fees case by case, so cost should always be confirmed directly rather than assumed from either lender's general reputation.
Which lender fits which case
A landlord who wants to raise capital against a rental property without disturbing the existing mortgage, and whose income is hard to evidence in a standard way, is a natural West One case. Our guide to second charge bridging loans covers how that works.
A borrower buying a property that other lenders have declined because of its construction or condition, with an older credit problem on file, points towards Together.
Where the credit problem is recent and serious, and the deal has a deadline, neither may be the fastest route; MT Finance does not credit-score and averages around 11 working days.
Which to choose
Choose West One Loans where the obstacle is paperwork, employment evidence or a second-charge capital raise. Choose Together where the obstacle is the property itself, such as genuinely unusual or non-standard security, or credit history that is older, more serious or more complex than a standard adverse tier covers.
When neither is the best fit
For a borrower who cannot fund fees before completion, MT Finance's no-upfront-fee unregulated products may suit better. For a clean case, LendInvest or Octopus Real Estate will usually be cheaper. The full West One Loans review and Together review cover both lenders in more depth.
Explaining a declined case
When a case has already been declined elsewhere, how it is presented to the next lender matters. Both West One and Together underwrite with a person looking at the file rather than a scorecard, so a short, honest explanation of why the previous lender said no, and what the borrower's position is now, helps the underwriter reach a decision quickly. Supporting evidence for the exit, whether a sale or a refinance, carries particular weight, because it shows the loan can be repaid regardless of how the paperwork or credit history looks.
Questions worth asking before you choose
- Is the problem the paperwork, the property or the credit history?
- Is this a second-charge capital raise, with an existing mortgage staying in place?
- Is there an IVA or debt management plan the loan could clear?
- Can you fund upfront fees?
- How large is the facility, and does it need more than 70% LTV?
Summary
Both lenders exist on the panel for complexity mainstream lenders will not take, but the nature of that complexity, whether paperwork, property or credit history, determines which is the right fit. Figures above are correct as of 2026 and should be confirmed with your broker before an application.
