Who to tell tonight: co-owners, guarantors and your accountant

Paperwork can be found at 11pm. People can’t be summoned at 1pm. That’s why the most useful thing you can do tonight, after sending your enquiry, might be a handful of short phone calls.

Next-day funding usually involves more people than the business owner who enquires. If any of them is surprised by documents tomorrow, or simply unreachable, the timeline slips.

Who might need to be involved?

Person	Why they matter	What to ask tonight
Co-directors	Company documents usually need every director, or the right number, to sign	“Can you sign documents tomorrow morning?”
Property co-owners	Every owner on title must agree to a mortgage or caveat	“Are you comfortable using the property, and can you sign?”
Guarantors	A guarantee creates personal responsibility	“Can we talk through what a guarantee means?”
Trustees	If a trust owns the property or runs the business	“Can the trustee sign, and where’s the deed?”
Accountant or bookkeeper	Statements, trust deed, BAS or ATO balance	“Could you send me these first thing?”
Solicitor or conveyancer	For settlements or property-secured deals	“A new lender may be involved — can you coordinate?”

Not all of these will apply to you. Tick off the ones that do, and call them tonight.

How do I have the conversation?

Short and honest works best. A simple script:

“I’m arranging some short-term business funding for [purpose], and it may be secured against [property] / may need your signature as [director/guarantor]. Documents could come through tomorrow. Can you keep your phone on and let me know when you’re free to read and sign? I’ll explain everything before you sign anything.”

Then give them room to ask questions. A property co-owner or guarantor deserves to understand what they’re agreeing to, and a rushed “just sign this” at lunchtime tomorrow is how deals, and relationships, come unstuck.

What if someone isn’t comfortable?

It’s far better to find out tonight than at 1pm tomorrow. If a co-owner doesn’t want to use the property, or a would-be guarantor says no:

• Look at whether another property or a different structure could work.
• Consider whether an unsecured option sized on your statements could cover a smaller amount.
• Ask the person you owe for a little more time while you rethink.

Tell the specialist about the change straight away. There’s often another path — see unsecured funding tomorrow.

What should my accountant do tonight or first thing?

Your accountant or bookkeeper can be a big help on a short timeline:

• Send statements from accounts they manage.
• Locate the trust deed or company documents.
• Confirm your ATO balance and lodgment status. Accessing ATO online services for business needs a Digital ID such as myID linked through RAM, and many owners rely on their tax agent for this.
• Provide a quick note on recent trading if it helps.

A short message tonight lets them put your request at the top of tomorrow’s list.

Time zones and availability

If anyone involved is interstate or overseas, agree a specific time for signing. During daylight saving, Perth is three hours behind Sydney; an 8am document in Sydney arrives at 5am in Perth. Our page on time zones and public holidays has the details.

An illustrative example

Illustrative: A café owner in Hobart plans to use the home she owns with her husband to secure $60k for a kitchen refit deposit due tomorrow. At 7pm she explains the plan to him over dinner, answers his questions about the term and repayment, and he agrees to keep his phone on at work. She texts their accountant for the trust deed of the business. When the documents arrive at 11am, both sign within twenty minutes.

Once everyone knows, send it in

With the right people briefed, most next-day hold-ups disappear. If you haven’t already, send your enquiry — it takes about a minute. Our signing guide covers what happens when documents arrive.

What if the person I need is my business partner and we disagree?

Sometimes the hardest conversation is with a co-director who doesn’t share your view of the problem or the solution. Try to agree on the facts first: what’s due, how much, and what happens if it isn’t paid. Then discuss the options, including funding, negotiating more time, or a smaller amount. A decision made together tonight is far more durable than a signature chased tomorrow afternoon.

If you can’t agree, don’t push documents through regardless. Tell the specialist, who can explain the options to both of you. Company documents generally need the right directors to sign, and a reluctant signer is a delay waiting to happen.

It can also help to share a simple page with them. Our tonight checklist and what delays next-day funding pages explain the process in plain English, and the money-tomorrow checker shows what’s realistic for your amount and security. Seeing the same information often turns a disagreement into a plan.

A final tip: send a short text after each call confirming what you agreed, such as “Thanks — documents may arrive around 11am tomorrow; I’ll call before then.” It gives everyone the same timeline and saves another round of calls in the morning.

Bring everyone along

The fastest deals are the ones where everyone knew what was coming. It takes around 60 seconds to enquire, and there’s no credit check when you first ask. Your details go to one team rather than a crowd of lenders, and a real person calls to talk it through. Please tell us in the form who else is involved — co-owners, directors, guarantors — so we can plan the signing properly.

Start tonight’s enquiry →