Finance for property owners, shaped around how you get paid.

Usually, yes, even when the property is not used as security. Lenders treat a director’s property equity as a buffer, which widens the lender panel, lifts limits and lowers pricing on unsecured loans and equipment finance. Offering the property as security lowers the rate further and extends the term, at the cost of tying the property to the debt.

It depends on the amount, the term and your appetite for risk. A secured loan is the cheapest and longest-term business money available, which suits large, long-lived purposes such as buying premises, a business or consolidating debt. For shorter needs, an unsecured facility priced with your property in the background often costs little more and keeps the home separate.

Yes. An equity release or a business loan secured against residential or commercial property can fund expansion, equipment, a deposit on premises or working capital, typically up to 80 per cent of the property’s value less existing loans. Interest on the business-use portion is generally deductible. Your accountant confirms the treatment.

Yes. A commercial property loan funds an owner-occupied premises at typically 70 to 80 per cent of the value, with the business paying rent to itself or to a self-managed super fund that owns the property. Owning existing property helps with the deposit and pricing. Lyft Financial handles commercial property lending.

A secured business loan is a term loan backed by an asset the lender can claim if the loan is not repaid, most commonly residential or commercial property, and sometimes equipment, vehicles or a general security agreement over the business. Because the lender’s risk is lower, secured loans offer larger amounts, longer terms and lower rates than unsecured lending. They suit established purposes such as expansion, refinancing, buying premises or consolidating debts, rather than urgent short-term gaps.

Residential property is the most widely accepted security and attracts the best pricing, followed by commercial property. Some lenders also take unencumbered equipment, vehicles or trucks, term deposits, or a general security agreement over all business assets. The lender values the security and lends a proportion of that value, typically up to 80 per cent for residential property and less for commercial property or equipment. Your broker matches the security you have to lenders that accept it.

Materially. Secured business loans backed by property in Australia are typically priced in the single digits, while unsecured business loans commonly run from around 10 per cent to well over 20 per cent because the lender carries more risk. Secured loans also run over longer terms, up to 15 years or more, so the repayment is lower again. The trade-off is time and cost to set up: a valuation, legal work and a slower approval, so the saving needs to outweigh those for smaller or short-term amounts.

Yes, and it is the most common form of security for small business borrowing in Australia. The lender takes a mortgage over the home, usually behind your existing home loan as a second mortgage or by refinancing the home loan and adding the business borrowing. The equity available is generally the property value less existing loans, up to a lending limit of around 80 per cent. Using your home puts it at risk if the business cannot repay, so your broker explains the implications and any alternatives before you proceed.

Allow two to six weeks. The lender needs a valuation of the security, which takes one to two weeks for residential property and longer for commercial, then reviews financials and prepares mortgage documents. Non-bank lenders can be faster, sometimes within a week where a recent valuation exists. If the funding is urgent, your broker may arrange a short-term unsecured facility first and refinance it into the secured loan once it settles.

Full-doc secured loans typically need two years of business financials and tax returns, recent BAS, business bank statements, a statement of your assets and liabilities, and details of the security property including any existing mortgage. Low-doc secured loans replace the financials with an accountant’s declaration or bank statements and are priced a little higher. The lender also requires identification for all directors and guarantors and evidence that the business purpose is genuine.