Finance for civil contractors, shaped around how you get paid.

Through a series of chattel mortgages or a master equipment facility that lets machines be added as contracts are won, with terms of three to seven years matched to each machine’s life and the contract it will service. A broker spreads the fleet across lenders so no single lender is over-exposed and fleet pricing applies. Float trailers and support vehicles go on the same program.

A line of credit or a short-term working capital loan covers wages, fuel, site establishment and floats until the first monthly claim is paid 30 to 45 days later, and invoice finance against certified claims keeps cash flowing for the life of the contract. Sale and leaseback of unencumbered plant is another way to raise mobilisation capital quickly.

Yes. A sale and leaseback or refinance secured on unencumbered machines can release 60 to 80 per cent of their valuation for working capital, a deposit on the next machine or to consolidate debt, with the plant staying on your sites. Lenders like late-model excavators, loaders, dozers and graders as security for this.

Yes. Signed contracts or panel appointments with councils, state agencies and tier-one head contractors are strong evidence of income and often move an application from a deposit to no deposit or from full financials to a lighter assessment. Lenders like the predictability of government-funded civil work, so include the contracts with your application.

Often no deposit is required, particularly for established businesses buying standard assets from a dealer. A deposit is more likely where the business is new, the asset is older or specialised, the credit profile is weaker, or the amount is large relative to turnover. Deposits typically range from around 10% to 30% in those cases. Putting money in reduces the amount financed and can improve the terms offered, but it is not always necessary.

Yes, that is a sale and leaseback. You sell an unencumbered asset to a financier and lease or finance it back, receiving the sale proceeds as working capital while keeping the asset in use. Lenders will want proof you own it outright, a valuation, and evidence the funds are for a legitimate business purpose. It is a useful option when capital is tied up in plant, but it converts an owned asset into a monthly commitment, so the cash flow effect needs checking first.

Terms usually run from 12 to 84 months. The ceiling is generally set by the expected working life of the asset: heavy earthmoving and trucks often stretch to five or seven years, while IT hardware and point-of-sale systems are commonly kept to two or three. Lenders also look at the age of the asset at the end of the term, so a ten-year-old machine will attract a shorter term than a new one. Longer terms lower repayments and raise total interest.

Yes. A master facility agreement lets a lender approve an overall limit, then draw down individual assets against it using a commitment schedule for each one. Each drawdown has its own term and repayment, but you avoid re-applying every time you buy. It suits businesses buying regularly through the year. Limits are usually reviewed annually and the lender can decline a particular asset even where the limit is available.

It varies by lender and product. Many unsecured business lenders want at least six to twelve months of trading, while some asset finance lenders will consider a new ABN where the director has industry experience, a clean credit file and often property ownership or a deposit. Registration for GST is frequently expected once turnover reaches the threshold. A short ABN history is not an automatic decline, but it narrows the panel and usually affects the rate and structure offered.

No. Plenty of finance is written for non-property owners, especially asset finance where the equipment itself is the security, and unsecured lending assessed on cash flow. That said, property ownership widens the panel and often improves pricing, because it gives a lender an additional avenue if things go wrong. If you do not own property, expect more weight on trading history, bank conduct and the quality of the asset being financed.