Shop fit-out finance from 48+ Australian lenders.

Fit-out finance funds the build and equipping of a retail, hospitality or professional premises, with the lender paying the builder and suppliers in stages against invoices and the loan converting to a fixed term of three to five years when the fit-out is complete. Movable equipment is usually financed separately as equipment at a sharper rate, and the two are combined under one facility.

Yes, with the right lender. New businesses are approved with a deposit of 20 to 30 per cent, a signed lease, a business plan, industry experience and a clean personal credit file, and franchise fit-outs are often financed on the franchisor’s track record. Established businesses opening another site qualify on trading history.

It depends on the lender and the business. Fit-out works have little resale value, so lenders rely on the business’s trading history, the lease term and often a director’s guarantee rather than the fit-out itself; some take a general security agreement over the business. Equipment within the fit-out can be secured on its own. Your broker chooses the structure with the best rate.

Yes. Lenders usually want the fit-out repaid within the current lease term including options, and a term that ends before the lease does keeps you flexible. A five-year lease with a five-year option suits a five-year fit-out term. Tell your broker the lease details when applying.

Yes, and it is usually best arranged as a package. The fit-out is often funded by a business loan or fit-out finance, the equipment by a chattel mortgage or lease secured on the equipment itself, and the franchise fee and working capital by the main loan. Structuring it this way keeps each part on the cheapest available terms. Lyft Money arranges the parts together so settlement lines up with the franchisor’s opening timetable.

Yes. Lenders regularly fund new practices for registered practitioners with a track record as an employee or associate, because the profession itself gives them confidence. A business plan, the lease on the premises and evidence of qualifications are the main requirements, and the fit-out, equipment and working capital can be funded together as a package so the practice opens fully equipped.

Fit-out finance funds the works needed to open or refurbish a site: joinery, counters and benches, flooring, lighting, partitions, plumbing and electrical, signage, air conditioning and the removable equipment such as kitchen gear, chairs, refrigeration and IT. Lenders treat the removable equipment and the fixed building works differently, so the two are usually funded on separate structures under one arrangement, each priced correctly.

Because removable equipment can be repossessed and resold, lenders finance it as a normal asset with the equipment as security, at asset finance rates. Fixed works such as joinery and flooring become part of the landlord’s building and have no resale value, so they are funded as a business loan against the strength of the business, sometimes with a director’s guarantee or other security. Splitting the two keeps the equipment portion cheap and makes the fixed portion fundable.

Yes. Lenders want the lease, including options, to run at least as long as the loan term, and preferably longer, because the fit-out is only valuable while you occupy the premises. A five-year fit-out loan on a three-year lease with no options is hard to fund. Securing the lease term or options before finalising the fit-out budget makes the application straightforward.

Fit-out finance commonly ranges from $20,000 to $1.5 million. The equipment portion can usually be funded at 100 per cent of the invoice. The fixed works portion depends on the business: established businesses with financials can fund most of it, while new businesses are typically asked to contribute 20 to 40 per cent or offer security. Landlord contributions, common in shopping centres, reduce what needs to be borrowed.