Secured business loan questions, answered

Straightforward deals can be funded in as little as 24 hours once documents are signed. Timing depends mostly on how fast signed documents, identification and any third-party consents come back, so a responsive solicitor makes a real difference.

No. No valuation is needed before approval. The property is assessed from comparable sales, title searches and photos, which saves both the cost and the waiting time of a formal report.

A secured lending specialist reads your details and calls you, usually on the same or next business day. If the deal fits, you receive indicative terms setting out the amount, security position, term and every cost.

No. There is no credit check when you first enquire. A credit check is only run if you decide to go ahead with an application.

Loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000, secured by residential or commercial property. The amount depends on the property's value, what is already owed against it and how clearly the loan can be repaid.

Because every loan is priced individually. The security position, loan-to-value ratio, term, property type and exit all change the price, so a published rate would mislead most readers. You see the full cost in writing before you commit.

Not necessarily. Interest can be prepaid at settlement or added to the loan, so the business keeps its cash flow free during the term. The loan is then repaid in full from the exit.

Secured private loans usually carry an establishment fee, legal costs for preparing and registering the security and the interest itself. All of it is set out in the indicative terms. Use the bridging cost estimator to total the costs you have been quoted.

Residential houses and units, commercial offices and shops, industrial property, and in many cases vacant land. The property can be owned by the business, a director or a related party who agrees to provide security.

A first mortgage is the main registered security on the title. A second mortgage is registered behind an existing first mortgage. A caveat is a notice lodged on the title protecting the lender's interest, which is fast to lodge and suits short terms. A caveat can later be converted to a registered second mortgage.

Yes. A second mortgage or caveat sits behind the existing loan, which stays in place. The question is how much equity remains above the first mortgage once both loans are added together.

Loan-to-value ratio is the total debt secured on a property divided by its value. For a second mortgage, the first mortgage balance is included. The LVR calculator works it out for you.

Often, yes. Because the loan is secured by property and repaid from a defined exit, past defaults, arrears or a low credit score are considered case by case rather than ruling you out.

Yes. Clearing tax arrears, including amounts behind a director penalty notice or a defaulted payment plan, is one of the most common reasons business owners use short-term secured finance.

Usually less than a bank asks for. The focus is the property and the exit, so many loans proceed on identification, title details, mortgage statements and evidence of how the loan will be repaid.

Yes. Loans are for business purposes only, such as working capital, tax debts, property purchases for the business, acquisitions or refinancing business debt.

It is how the loan will be repaid: the sale of a property, a refinance to a bank or another lender, or a known incoming payment such as a settlement, contract payment or refund. Every short-term secured loan is built around one.

Talk to us early. The loans are flexible and you can keep one as long as you need it, for example while a delayed refinance is finalised. Raising it before the term ends keeps every option open.

Most short-term secured loans can be repaid early when the sale settles or the refinance funds. Any early repayment terms are spelled out in your documents before you sign.

When the new lender settles, it pays the outstanding balance directly, the security is discharged from the title and the loan is closed. Your solicitor or the incoming lender coordinates this on the settlement day.