How quickly can you start action?

We can move quickly once we have the core documents and a clear understanding of the security position and objectives. The appropriate next step varies from matter to matter, and we will set out a proposed escalation plan tailored to your case.

Do you only act after default, or earlier too?

We assist lenders at all stages – including early warning signs, missed payments, breach scenarios, and formal default. Early action can be critical to preserving leverage and protecting recovery prospects.

Do you always issue proceedings?

Not always. In some cases, a structured escalation strategy achieves repayment faster and more efficiently. In others, issuing and enforcing is the most effective route. We advise on the approach most likely to maximise net recovery in the circumstances.

Will you pursue interest as well as principal?

Our approach is lender-focused and aims to protect the full position – including interest and costs – subject to the facility terms and the recoverability position in the particular matter.

Can you enforce against guarantors?

Potentially, depending on the documentation and the guarantor’s position. Where guarantors are in play, we consider whether pursuing them strengthens leverage and improves the overall recovery route.

What if the borrower is threatening insolvency?

Insolvency risk is a key strategic factor in bridge loan recovery. The correct response depends on timing, the asset profile, the security, and the overall enforcement options. We can advise on an approach designed to protect your position without inadvertently weakening it.

Can you help if the security is defective or not what we expected?

Yes. As part of the recovery strategy we can review the security position and, where appropriate, consider whether there may be issues worth investigating. In some scenarios, losses arise from negligent due diligence or errors at origination, and we can advise on whether a professional negligence investigation is warranted.

Will the borrower have to pay the lender's legal costs?

Many bridging facilities contain contractual provisions requiring the borrower to pay the lender’s legal and enforcement costs incurred in recovery, and these can be expressed as payable on an indemnity basis. That can improve the lender’s position on costs compared to the standard basis. However, costs are not guaranteed: the recoverable position will depend on the documentation, the route taken, any court assessment where relevant, and practical recoverability (including the borrower’s means and asset position). We will explain the cost framework and options once we have reviewed the core documents.

Are urgent applications (like injunctions) available?

In some cases, urgent court applications may be considered where there is a real risk to the lender’s position, but suitability depends on the facts and the evidence available. We will advise if an urgent step is realistically available and commercially justified.

How do you keep costs proportionate?

We build a strategy around value and recoverability – focusing on steps that increase leverage and recovery prospects. Where appropriate, we stage escalation so you remain in control of spend while maintaining momentum.

Bridge Lending Debt Recovery

We are a specialist bridge lending debt recovery solicitors based in London.

CONTACT OUR NEGLIGENCE TEAM

Bridge Lending Debt Claims

Bridge lending is a commercial product built on speed, leverage, and certainty. When a borrower defaults, you need solicitors who act with the same urgency – and who are prepared to litigate hard, enforce confidently, and recover decisively.

At Freeman Harris Solicitors, we act for bridge lenders in high-value debt recovery and enforcement. Our focus is simple: recover your capital, protect your interest position, and move quickly to prevent asset erosion.

Lender-first enforcement strategy

We understand the reality of default: delays cost money; borrower tactics are predictable; and the longer enforcement is allowed to drift, the more your recovery can be diluted. Our job is to put you in control of the timetable and apply pressure at every stage.

Every matter starts with a rapid, commercially focused assessment of:

the debt position (principal, contractual interest, default interest and costs)
the security package (priority, enforceability, vulnerabilities)
the borrower’s pressure points (asset position, refinancing prospects, insolvency risk)
the fastest enforcement route to maximise recovery.

We are not in the business of polite delay. Where repayment is not immediately forthcoming, we move to escalation – with clear strategy, decisive correspondence, and litigation steps designed to force resolution.

What we do

We advise bridge lenders across the full recovery lifecycle, including:

· Immediate pre-action escalation and demand strategy

Issuing proceedings for judgment (where appropriate)
Enforcement options to convert paper judgments into real recoveries
Security enforcement (including charge enforcement, receivership strategy and related applications)
Guarantor claims and recovery against connected parties where relevant
Injunctions and urgent applications where there is a real risk of asset dissipation
Borrower insolvency pressure (using the right tools at the right time, without weakening your position)

Where settlement makes commercial sense, we document it tightly – with terms designed to avoid repeat default and keep enforcement leverage intact.

Professional Negligence Contents

How can we help?

Contact our team anytime for a no-obligation chat about your legal matter. Once you speak with us, you will notice the difference yourself.

Call 0207 790 7311 or email contact@freemanharris.co.uk.

Disputes Team

Avi Gordon
Senior Solicitor
Avi's style is direct and outcomes-driven: clear advice, controlled escalation, and a willingness to litigate and enforce where borrowers refuse to engage. The aim is always to secure the best net recovery - quickly - while keeping costs proportionate to the debt and the security.
Isabel Fisher
Solicitor
Isabel assists the professional neglgience team with their claims assisting in research and progressing the claims.

Avi Gordon – Bridge Lending Debt Recovery Solicitor

Your matter will be led by Avi Gordon, a solicitor who has acted for many bridge lenders over the years on successful, high-value debt recovery actions.

Avi’s style is direct and outcomes-driven: clear advice, controlled escalation, and a willingness to litigate and enforce where borrowers refuse to engage. The aim is always to secure the best net recovery – quickly – while keeping costs proportionate to the debt and the security.

Protecting capital is essential – protecting interest is non-negotiable

Bridge lending economics depend on interest. In a default scenario, the difference between ‘recovery’ and ‘acceptable recovery’ is often whether the lender preserves contractual interest, default interest, and enforcement costs – and prevents the security value from eroding over time.

Our strategy is structured to protect the full lender position, not just the headline principal figure – and to prevent the common drift where interest and costs are quietly lost through delay or poor tactical choices.

Security review built into the recovery plan

Security is not just paperwork – it is the engine of recovery. We quickly review your security position and enforcement options to identify:

priority and ranking issues
title/registration vulnerabilities
third-party complications
practical enforcement routes aligned with the asset and the borrower’s real-world position.

This ensures the recovery strategy is based on what can be enforced in practice – not just what looks good on the face of the documents.

Professional negligence: when the problem started before default

Sometimes a lender ends up ‘under water’ not because the borrower defaulted, but because the security was never as robust as it should have been – including where negligent due diligence at origination left the lender exposed.

Where appropriate, we can also consider whether there are grounds to investigate a professional negligence claim (for example, negligent conveyancing or security advice), particularly where:

the lender was not properly advised on key risks in the security
the security package was defective, incomplete or incorrectly implemented
critical title, priority or registration issues were missed
material red flags were not identified or reported.

This is not about creating extra work – it is about ensuring all recovery avenues are considered where enforcement alone will not make the lender whole. Where relevant, we coordinate the debt recovery strategy and any negligence investigation so your position is protected on all fronts.

Recovery costs: contractual indemnity protection

Most bridge loan documents include provisions requiring the borrower to indemnify the lender for legal and enforcement costs incurred in recovering the debt. In many cases those provisions refer to costs being payable on an ‘indemnity basis’ – meaning the lender’s recoverable costs are assessed more generously than the standard basis.

That said, cost recovery always depends on the facility terms, the procedure used, the court’s approach where applicable, and the borrower’s ability to pay. We will advise you on the likely cost position at the outset and structure the recovery plan to keep costs proportionate and commercially sensible.

Why lenders instruct Freeman Harris Solicitors

Tough, lender-first escalation and enforcement strategy
Litigation-ready approach where borrowers delay or obstruct
Clear focus on capital and interest recovery
Security review integrated into the recovery plan
Capability to assess professional negligence exposure where relevant

Speak to Avi Gordon

If you need to move quickly on a defaulted bridge loan, protect your enforcement position, or apply serious pressure to force repayment, speak to Avi Gordon.

Contact Freeman Harris Solicitors for a confidential discussion.

What our clients say?

"An excellent litigator. He is tenacious, firm and assesses litigation risk well. His willingness to act on risk sharing arrangements is rare for someone of his calibre."

Anonymous

Google

Trustpilot

Bridge Lender Debt Recovery Fees

Service

Fees

Professional Negligence Fees

Please contact us to receive a fee quote for your matter

Bridge Lender Debt Recovery FAQs

How quickly can you start action?
We can move quickly once we have the core documents and a clear understanding of the security position and objectives. The appropriate next step varies from matter to matter, and we will set out a proposed escalation plan tailored to your case.
Do you only act after default, or earlier too?
We assist lenders at all stages – including early warning signs, missed payments, breach scenarios, and formal default. Early action can be critical to preserving leverage and protecting recovery prospects.
Do you always issue proceedings?
Not always. In some cases, a structured escalation strategy achieves repayment faster and more efficiently. In others, issuing and enforcing is the most effective route. We advise on the approach most likely to maximise net recovery in the circumstances.
Will you pursue interest as well as principal?
Our approach is lender-focused and aims to protect the full position – including interest and costs – subject to the facility terms and the recoverability position in the particular matter.
Can you enforce against guarantors?
Potentially, depending on the documentation and the guarantor’s position. Where guarantors are in play, we consider whether pursuing them strengthens leverage and improves the overall recovery route.
What if the borrower is threatening insolvency?
Insolvency risk is a key strategic factor in bridge loan recovery. The correct response depends on timing, the asset profile, the security, and the overall enforcement options. We can advise on an approach designed to protect your position without inadvertently weakening it.
Can you help if the security is defective or not what we expected?
Yes. As part of the recovery strategy we can review the security position and, where appropriate, consider whether there may be issues worth investigating. In some scenarios, losses arise from negligent due diligence or errors at origination, and we can advise on whether a professional negligence investigation is warranted.
Will the borrower have to pay the lender's legal costs?
Many bridging facilities contain contractual provisions requiring the borrower to pay the lender’s legal and enforcement costs incurred in recovery, and these can be expressed as payable on an indemnity basis. That can improve the lender’s position on costs compared to the standard basis. However, costs are not guaranteed: the recoverable position will depend on the documentation, the route taken, any court assessment where relevant, and practical recoverability (including the borrower’s means and asset position). We will explain the cost framework and options once we have reviewed the core documents.
Are urgent applications (like injunctions) available?
In some cases, urgent court applications may be considered where there is a real risk to the lender’s position, but suitability depends on the facts and the evidence available. We will advise if an urgent step is realistically available and commercially justified.
How do you keep costs proportionate?
We build a strategy around value and recoverability – focusing on steps that increase leverage and recovery prospects. Where appropriate, we stage escalation so you remain in control of spend while maintaining momentum.

Contact our Bridge Lending Debt Team

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