Quick answer
Melbourne business owners use property-secured loans to bridge settlements, clear tax debt, buy premises, fund development holding costs and release equity for growth. Loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000 as first mortgages, second mortgages or caveats over residential or commercial property across Greater Melbourne, with no valuation before approval and transfer duty administered by the State Revenue Office Victoria.
Key points
- Lending across the CBD, inner suburbs, south-east, west and northern growth corridors
- Industrial precincts in the west and south-east are well-regarded security
- Land transfer duty administered by the State Revenue Office Victoria
- Houses, townhouses, strata units, warehouses and shops considered
- Funds in as little as 24 hours on straightforward deals
Melbourne’s mix of property and enterprise
Melbourne combines a large small-business economy with a broad property base: inner-city terraces and apartments, established family suburbs, fast-growing outer estates and some of the country’s busiest industrial precincts. Business owners here frequently hold significant equity in property that their bank will not lend more against, either because of income tests or because the bank is slow. Secured private lending puts that equity to work on the business’s timetable.
How Melbourne businesses use secured finance
- Industrial purchases and expansions in the western and south-eastern corridors, where demand for warehouse space has been strong.
- Hospitality and retail operators funding refurbishments, seasonal stock and tax arrears.
- Builders and developers holding sites through planning and carrying completed townhouse stock.
- Professional practices buying their rooms or funding partner buyouts.
- Tax debt clearance before ATO action escalates.
Melbourne property as security
| Property type | Typical view |
|---|---|
| Established suburban houses | Strong security with deep demand |
| Inner-city terraces and townhouses | Strong demand; heritage overlays noted |
| Apartments | Assessed on building, size and resale evidence |
| Warehouses and factories | Well regarded in established precincts |
| Shops and strip retail | Lease profile and strip strength matter |
| Development land | Assessed on zoning and permits |
No valuation is needed before approval. Titles are searched through the Victorian land registry, and caveats or mortgages are lodged there.
Find out what your Melbourne property can support in a 60-second enquiry.
Victorian specifics
Victoria’s land transfer duty is administered by the State Revenue Office, which publishes current rates, concessions and rules for commercial and industrial property. Victoria has been reforming how duty applies to commercial and industrial property, so check the current position for any purchase. Planning permits are issued by councils under the Victorian planning system, which affects the timeline for land and development loans.
An illustrative Melbourne loan
Illustrative only. A café group with three venues in Melbourne’s inner north falls behind on GST after a winter refurbishment. The owners’ Brunswick townhouse carries a modest bank loan. A second mortgage behind the bank clears the ATO balance and funds supplier accounts, with interest capitalised. After a strong spring and summer, the owners refinance and repay the second mortgage.
Regional Victoria
We lend across regional Victoria too, including Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, where property values and buyer markets differ from the city.
Common Melbourne scenarios
- buying business premises off-market in an industrial estate with a short settlement, using a bridging loan
- releasing equity from a family home for a business acquisition
- refinancing a commercial building when a bank reduces its exposure, using a commercial property loan
Melbourne’s industrial heartland
The west, north and south-east of Melbourne contain some of the largest industrial precincts in the country, home to logistics, food manufacturing, construction supply and wholesale businesses. Owners of businesses in these areas often hold their warehouse or factory through a related trust, which gives them a strong source of security. Industrial property in established estates with good road access tends to be well regarded, and it can support a first mortgage for working capital, expansion or a refinance when a bank reduces its exposure.
Growth corridors and newer estates
Melbourne’s outer growth areas have added large numbers of new homes. These can be good security, but lenders look carefully at estate-level sales, the amount of new supply nearby and whether a property was bought off the plan at a price that has since been tested. Recent resales in the same estate are the best evidence.
Hospitality and retail strips
Melbourne’s laneways, shopping strips and food precincts support a large hospitality and retail sector. Operators often own their home but not their premises, which makes a second mortgage behind the home a common way to fund refurbishments, stock and tax arrears without disturbing their bank loan.
Questions Melbourne owners ask
Can a Victorian property secure a loan for a business in another state? Yes. The security and the business can be in different states.
Do heritage overlays matter? They can affect what can be built on development land, and lenders consider them when assessing value. For an existing home or shop they rarely affect a loan, but for a site bought to redevelop they can change the whole feasibility.
Speak to us about Melbourne property
From Docklands apartments to Dandenong warehouses, every Melbourne property is assessed on its own merits and its own market. Tell us the address, what is owed, what you need and how you will repay. There is no credit check when you first enquire, your enquiry stays with our team, and accurate details help us respond quickly. Start a Melbourne enquiry.
Frequently asked questions
Do you lend in Melbourne's growth corridors?
Yes. Newer suburbs in the west, north and south-east are covered, with houses assessed on recent sales in each estate.
Can a Melbourne warehouse secure a business loan?
Yes. Industrial property in established Melbourne precincts is commonly used as first mortgage security for working capital, expansion and refinances.
Who collects stamp duty in Victoria?
Land transfer duty is administered by the State Revenue Office Victoria, which publishes the current rates and rules.
Do you lend in regional Victoria too?
Yes. We lend across regional Victoria. See our pages for Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo for how property in those cities is assessed.
Prefer to start now? Enquire here
About 60 seconds. No credit check when you first enquire, and a secured lending specialist calls you back.