What Deposit Do I Need for a Commercial Property Loan?
Roughly 20 to 35 per cent on standard commercial property, and the reasons behind the range matter more than the number. What sets your position, what can count toward it, what a valuation shortfall actually costs you, and the transfer duty and GST that decide the cash you need on the day.
The short answer
Most commercial property purchases in Australia need a deposit of roughly 20 to 35 per cent, reflecting maximum loan-to-value ratios of about 65 to 80 per cent on standard commercial property. Strong owner-occupier applications on general-purpose assets sit at the better end; specialised, single-use, rural and regional property sits well below it. There is no lenders mortgage insurance in commercial lending, so unlike a home loan there is no product available to bridge a smaller deposit, and the deposit itself has to carry the lender’s risk. Two things beyond the deposit decide the cash you actually need: transfer duty, which on a $1.2 million NSW purchase is $48,187 on the general scale, and GST, which can add ten per cent to the funds required at settlement and in some cases can never be recovered. These are indicative ranges, not a quote, and the figure is set case by case.
Why commercial deposits are larger
Two reasons, and the second is the one most buyers have not considered.
The first is risk. Vacancy periods on commercial property can run considerably longer than residential, because replacing a departed commercial tenant is slower than re-letting a house. The buyer pool for any given building is narrower, which affects how quickly a lender could realise the asset. And the income depends on lease terms and tenant strength rather than on broad rental demand.
The second is structural. There is no lenders mortgage insurance in commercial lending. In residential lending, LMI is the mechanism that allows a lender to go above 80 per cent of a property’s value: an insurer takes on part of the risk, the borrower pays a premium, and the deal proceeds on a smaller deposit. Commercial lending has no equivalent product. There is nothing to buy that bridges the gap, so the deposit has to carry all of the lender’s risk itself.
That is why residential deposit advice does not transfer. It is not that commercial lenders are being difficult. The tool residential lending uses to accept a small deposit does not exist here.
In a home loan, a small deposit is a product you can buy your way past. In commercial lending it is a structural constraint. Nothing is for sale that fixes it.
Commercial lending also sits outside the National Credit Code, because it is credit taken predominantly for business purposes, which changes both the protections that apply and the way applications are assessed. Our guide to the business purpose declaration sets out that mechanism and what it means for you.
What the ranges look like
Treat the table as a way of understanding the shape of the market rather than as a set of quotes. Every lender sets its own policy and these ranges move.
| Scenario | Indicative maximum LVR | Indicative deposit |
|---|---|---|
| Standard commercial property, strong application | Around 65 to 80 per cent | Around 20 to 35 per cent |
| Owner-occupier, general-purpose asset, strong trading history | Toward the upper end, around 80 per cent | Around 20 per cent |
| Investment purchase, tenanted | Typically at or below the standard range | Commonly 30 per cent or more |
| Specialised or single-use property | Materially lower | Often 35 to 50 per cent |
| Rural or regional location | Lower again, varies widely | Assessed case by case |
Indicative ranges only, current at the time of writing and subject to lender policy. Not a quote or an offer of finance.
The pattern worth noticing: the more general-purpose the building, the better the ratio. A warehouse or a standard retail or office space can be re-let or resold to a wide range of occupants. A purpose-built facility with a narrow set of possible users cannot, and the deposit reflects that. On commercial property, how easily the building could be sold to someone other than you is doing most of the work.
What moves your number up or down
Whether you will occupy the building
Usually the single largest variable. If your own business will trade from the premises you are an owner-occupier, and lenders generally regard that more favourably than an investment purchase, because the loan is serviced by a business with a direct operational stake in the property rather than by rent from a third party who may leave.
In practice, an owner-occupier assessment looks primarily at the trading performance of the business that will occupy the building: consistent financials, up-to-date management accounts, current Business Activity Statements, and operating cash flow that services the loan comfortably. The property matters, but the business drives serviceability.
The property type
Industrial and standard commercial assets in well-populated areas generally attract the most favourable treatment. Specialised assets sit at the other end. Anything where a lender would struggle to find a replacement occupant or buyer requires more deposit.
The strength of the business behind it
Trading history, consistency of earnings, existing debt and overall financial position all feed into how a lender reads the risk. A stronger position does not only improve pricing. It can improve the ratio, which directly reduces the cash you need to find.
The valuation, and what a shortfall really costs
The loan-to-value ratio is calculated on the lender’s valuation, not on what you agreed to pay. Commercial valuations are more involved than residential ones, often weighing lease terms, tenant covenants and comparable rental evidence, so they take longer and can land differently to your expectation.
What people get wrong is the size of the consequence, usually in the pessimistic direction. A valuation shortfall does not cost you the whole shortfall. It costs you the LVR percentage of it, because the loan falls by that proportion and you make up the difference.
Take a $1,200,000 contract at a 70 per cent LVR. Your planned deposit is $360,000. If the valuation lands at $1,140,000, five per cent under contract, the loan becomes 70 per cent of $1,140,000, which is $798,000. The cash you need rises from $360,000 to $402,000. The shortfall was $60,000; the extra cash is $42,000, being 70 per cent of it.
A valuation shortfall costs you the loan-to-value ratio multiplied by the gap, not the gap. On a 70 per cent lend, a $60,000 shortfall is a $42,000 problem.
That is still a serious number to find at short notice, which is why the practical response is to build a buffer for it rather than to assume the valuation will meet the price. It is also worth noting separately that transfer duty follows a different rule: duty is assessed on the dutiable value, which is the higher of the purchase price or the market value, so a low valuation does not reduce your duty.
What can count as your deposit
A deposit does not always have to be cash sitting in an account, and this is where a lot of purchases become possible that otherwise would not be.
- Cash, from business reserves or personal savings.
- Equity in another property. Available equity in your home, an existing commercial property or an investment property can often replace some or all of the cash contribution, either by taking additional security over the second property or by drawing against its equity to fund the deposit.
- Business assets, or proceeds from realising them. Depending on the structure.
- A combination. Part cash, part equity is very common.
Using equity is a genuinely useful structure and widely used. It does need to be understood clearly. If you use your home as additional security for a commercial purchase, your home is exposed to that borrowing. That is not a reason to avoid it, but it is a decision to make deliberately, with the risk understood, rather than as a technicality on a form.
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Transfer duty, with the actual numbers
Transfer duty is usually the largest cost beyond the deposit, and most guidance describes it as “tens of thousands” rather than telling you the figure. In New South Wales it is calculable, so here it is.
Commercial property is assessed on the general transfer duty scale. Premium property duty, the higher rate above the premium threshold, applies to residential property only, so it does not reach a commercial purchase. Surcharge purchaser duty for foreign persons applies to residential-related property, so it generally does not either. Duty is calculated on the dutiable value, being the higher of the price you agreed to pay or the property’s market value.
The general scale for the 2026 to 2027 financial year, with the rate year set by the contract date:
| Dutiable value | Transfer duty | Duty on the top of the bracket |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $18,000 | $1.25 per $100, minimum $20 | $225 |
| $18,001 to $38,000 | $225 plus $1.50 per $100 over $18,000 | $525 |
| $38,001 to $103,000 | $525 plus $1.75 per $100 over $38,000 | $1,662 |
| $103,001 to $387,000 | $1,662 plus $3.50 per $100 over $103,000 | $11,602 |
| $387,001 to $1,290,000 | $11,602 plus $4.50 per $100 over $387,000 | $52,237 |
| Over $1,290,000 | $52,237 plus $5.50 per $100 over $1,290,000 | Uncapped |
Worked through on common commercial price points, on the general scale:
| Purchase price | NSW transfer duty | As a share of price |
|---|---|---|
| $750,000 | $27,937 | 3.7 per cent |
| $1,000,000 | $39,187 | 3.9 per cent |
| $1,200,000 | $48,187 | 4.0 per cent |
| $1,500,000 | $63,787 | 4.3 per cent |
| $2,000,000 | $91,287 | 4.6 per cent |
Duty must be paid within 3 months of signing the contract, and where the transaction involves a transfer of property, settlement cannot take place until it is paid. In practice that means duty is due at or before settlement, whichever comes first, so it is settlement-day cash rather than something to deal with later.
Other states run their own scales and thresholds. The figures above are New South Wales only. If you are buying interstate, the shape of the cost is similar and the numbers are not.
Beyond duty, budget for legal and conveyancing fees, which are higher on commercial contracts than residential ones, particularly where leases are in place and need reviewing; the lender’s valuation, which is more detailed and charged accordingly; lender establishment and documentation fees, which vary and are worth comparing rather than assuming; and due diligence reports including building, pest, and depending on the site and its history, environmental. Then leave working capital in the business, because committing your entire cash position to a purchase removes the buffer that gets you through a slow quarter.
GST, and the trap most buyers miss
Commercial property transactions frequently involve GST, and it can change the funds required at settlement by ten per cent of the price. There are three positions a transaction can be in, and they are not equally good for you.
GST applies and you can claim it back. If you purchase commercial property to use in your GST-registered business, you can generally claim the GST included in the purchase price, and you may also be able to claim GST on related expenses such as solicitor’s fees. The money still has to be found at settlement and recovered later through your activity statement, so it is a cash-flow question even when it is fully recoverable.
The sale is GST-free as a going concern. A sale is a going concern where it includes everything necessary for the continued operation of the business and the business is carried on by the seller until the day of sale. For property, that can cover a fully tenanted building where the property and all leases, agreements and covenants are included in the sale, or a partially tenanted building where the vacant part is actively marketed for lease or undergoing repairs or refurbishment and all leases are included. It is GST-free where the sale is for payment, the purchaser is registered or required to be registered for GST, and the purchaser and seller have agreed in writing that the sale is of a going concern.
Note the condition that catches people: the sale of a property by itself is not a going concern. A vacant building with no leasing enterprise attached does not qualify, however commercial it is.
The seller uses the margin scheme, and you cannot claim the credit at all. This is the one that gets missed. Where the seller has used the margin scheme to work out the GST included in the price, the purchaser cannot claim a GST credit on the purchase. You also cannot claim it if you are not registered or required to be registered for GST, or if the seller was not.
The margin scheme is chosen by the seller and disclosed in the contract, and it can make the GST on your purchase permanently unrecoverable. It is a term to read before you sign, not a tax question to resolve afterwards.
Whether GST applies to your transaction, and what you can and cannot claim, depends on the structure of the deal and your own tax position. That sits with your accountant, and the conversation belongs before you sign a contract rather than after. Worth confirming with the lender too, since the treatment of the GST component in the funding calculation varies.
Buying through an SMSF after 10 August 2026
The rules changed on 10 August 2026 and the headlines got it roughly wrong, so it is worth stating precisely.
Limited recourse borrowing arrangements are not banned. The ATO says so directly. What changed is that an LRBA entered into on or after 10 August 2026 to purchase real property can only be used to acquire business real property. How LRBAs operate has not changed, and neither have the other exceptions to the general prohibition on borrowing by an SMSF.
Business real property generally means land and buildings used wholly and exclusively in a business. There is a carve-out for primary production: real property used in a primary production business that contains a dwelling for private or domestic purposes can still qualify, if the dwelling sits in an area of no more than 2 hectares and the main use of the whole property is not domestic or private.
The change applies regardless of who the lender is. It makes no difference whether the arrangement is with a bank, a non-bank lender or a related party.
What is grandfathered
Two situations are outside the change, and both matter if you are mid-process.
- Existing LRBAs. If the fund entered into an LRBA to finance a real property acquisition before 10 August 2026, and maintains or refinances that LRBA on or after that date, the change does not apply, and the asset does not need to be business real property. Refinancing here means entering a new loan contract for the same asset, with the same or a new lender.
- Contracts exchanged before 10 August 2026. If the fund exchanged a binding contract to acquire real property before that date, the change does not apply even if the contract settles or the LRBA is entered into afterwards. The ATO’s own example runs an off-the-plan contract exchanged before the date, finance approved after it, and settlement twelve months later, and confirms the change does not reach it. Later variations generally do not disturb this, though a contract changed so significantly that the fundamental terms no longer exist may be treated as a new arrangement.
The ongoing test, which is the real risk
This is the part with the longest tail. The asset must be business real property at the time the LRBA is entered into, and it must remain business real property for the entire life of the arrangement. If it stops being business real property during the LRBA, the fund has breached the law against borrowing and compliance action may apply.
The ATO does address the obvious worry. If the property is land on which commercial premises are leased, it does not stop being business real property merely because the owner is looking for a new tenant. But if the owner abandons plans to lease it, it does. So an ordinary vacancy between tenants is not the problem. Giving up on leasing it, or repurposing it to something that is not wholly and exclusively business use, is.
One consequence worth naming for anyone weighing this up: the change makes commercial premises the only real property that a new LRBA can acquire. Residential real property that meets the business real property definition can still be financed this way, and residential property that does not can still be acquired by an SMSF under the other rules, but it cannot be financed under an LRBA.
SMSF commercial lending also carries its own loan-to-value ratio caps, generally tighter than standard commercial lending, and its own rules on related-party dealings. Whether an SMSF purchase suits you is a financial advice question rather than a credit one, so that part belongs with a licensed financial adviser and your accountant. We can speak to the lending structure once that advice is in place. See our SMSF lending page for how those facilities are put together.
Total cash to complete, worked through
Putting the pieces together on a single realistic purchase: a $1,200,000 general-purpose industrial unit in New South Wales, bought by an operating business that will occupy it, at an indicative 70 per cent loan-to-value ratio.
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase price | $1,200,000 | Contract price |
| Loan at 70 per cent LVR | $840,000 | Calculated on the lender’s valuation, not the contract |
| Deposit | $360,000 | 30 per cent |
| NSW transfer duty | $48,187 | General scale, 2026 to 2027, due at or before settlement |
| Deposit plus duty | $408,187 | Before any other cost |
| Legal, valuation, lender and due diligence costs | Varies | Model these with actual quotes rather than estimating |
| GST, if applicable and not a going concern | Up to $120,000 | Recoverable only if you are registered and the margin scheme was not used |
| Valuation buffer | $42,000 | What a 5 per cent shortfall would cost at this LVR |
Illustrative only, using published NSW duty rates and an indicative LVR. Not a quote, and not a prediction for your transaction.
The point of laying it out this way is the gap between $360,000 and what the purchase actually consumes. The deposit is the number people plan around, and it is roughly 80 to 85 per cent of the cash the transaction needs before GST enters the picture. Working backwards from the cash you genuinely have available, rather than forwards from a purchase price you like, avoids most of the difficulty we see.
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Frequently Asked
Commercial Deposit FAQs
The questions business owners and investors ask most about commercial deposits.
What deposit do I need for a commercial property loan?
Most commercial property purchases in Australia need roughly 20 to 35 per cent, reflecting maximum loan-to-value ratios of about 65 to 80 per cent on standard commercial property. Strong owner-occupier applications on general-purpose assets can reach the upper end, while specialised, single-use, rural and regional property usually needs more, often 35 to 50 per cent. These are indicative ranges only. The actual figure depends on the property type, the strength of the business behind the application and the individual lender’s policy, so it is set case by case.
Why is a commercial deposit larger than a home loan deposit?
Two reasons. Commercial property is treated as higher risk, because vacancy periods run longer, the pool of buyers for any given building is narrower, and income depends on lease terms and tenant strength. The second matters more than most people expect: there is no lenders mortgage insurance in commercial lending. In residential lending, LMI is what allows a lender to go above 80 per cent. Commercial lending has no equivalent product, so the deposit has to carry all of that risk itself.
What happens if the valuation comes in below my contract price?
The loan is calculated on the valuation, so it falls, and you make up the difference in cash. The extra cash is not the whole shortfall: it is the loan-to-value ratio multiplied by the shortfall. On a $1,200,000 purchase at 70 per cent, a valuation of $1,140,000 reduces the loan from $840,000 to $798,000, so the cash required rises by $42,000 rather than by the full $60,000 gap. Transfer duty follows a different rule and is assessed on the higher of the price and the market value, so a low valuation does not reduce your duty.
Can I use equity in another property instead of a cash deposit?
In many cases yes. Equity in your home, another commercial asset or an investment property can often replace some or all of the cash deposit, either by taking additional security over the second property or by drawing on its available equity. It is a common structure. It also means the second property is exposed to the new borrowing, so if you are using the family home, make that decision deliberately with the risk understood rather than as a formality on a form.
How much transfer duty will I pay on a commercial property in NSW?
Commercial property is assessed on the general transfer duty scale, since premium property duty applies to residential only. On the 2026 to 2027 rates, duty is $39,187 on a $1,000,000 purchase, $48,187 on $1,200,000 and $63,787 on $1,500,000, calculated on the dutiable value, which is the higher of the price you agreed to pay or the market value. Duty must be paid within 3 months of signing the contract, and settlement cannot occur until it is paid. Other states run their own scales.
Does GST apply to a commercial property purchase?
Often, and it changes the cash you need at settlement by up to ten per cent of the price. If you buy commercial property to use in your GST-registered business you can generally claim the GST included in the purchase price, though you still have to fund it on the day and recover it later. A sale can be GST-free as a going concern where it includes everything necessary for the continued operation of the business, the seller carries on the business until the day of sale, the purchaser is registered or required to be registered, and both agree in writing that it is a going concern. Note that the sale of a property by itself is not a going concern.
What is the margin scheme, and why does it matter to me as the buyer?
It is a method the seller can use to work out the GST included in the price. It matters because where the seller has used it, the purchaser cannot claim a GST credit on the purchase. That makes the GST a permanent cost rather than a timing one. You also cannot claim the credit if you are not registered or required to be registered for GST, or if the seller was not. The margin scheme is chosen by the seller and disclosed in the contract, so it is a term to check before signing and a question for your accountant.
Can my SMSF still borrow to buy commercial premises?
Yes. Limited recourse borrowing arrangements are not banned. From 10 August 2026, an LRBA entered into to purchase real property can only be used to acquire business real property, which generally means land and buildings used wholly and exclusively in a business, so genuine commercial premises remain within scope. The change applies regardless of whether the lender is a bank, a non-bank or a related party. The asset must be business real property when the LRBA is entered into and must remain so for the entire life of the arrangement.
I already have an SMSF loan, or exchanged before 10 August 2026. Am I affected?
Generally not. The change does not apply where the fund entered into an LRBA to finance a real property acquisition before 10 August 2026 and maintains or refinances it afterwards, with refinancing meaning a new loan contract for the same asset with the same or a new lender. It also does not apply where the fund exchanged a binding contract to acquire real property before that date, even if the contract settles or the LRBA is entered into later. A contract changed so significantly that its fundamental terms no longer exist may be treated as a new arrangement, so confirm your position with your adviser.
What happens if my SMSF property is vacant between tenants?
An ordinary vacancy is not the problem. Where the property is land on which commercial premises are leased, it does not stop being business real property merely because the owner is looking for a new tenant. It does stop if the owner abandons plans to lease the property. Since the asset must remain business real property for the entire life of the LRBA, and a breach is a breach of the law against borrowing that may attract compliance action, any change of use is a conversation to have with your SMSF adviser before you make it, not after.
When should I talk to a broker about a commercial purchase?
Earlier than most people do, and ideally before you are committed to a particular property. Because commercial deposits are large and the lender’s valuation drives the ratio rather than your contract price, knowing your realistic position early changes which properties you look at. A conversation before you are bidding tells you the deposit range your profile supports, which lenders suit the asset type, and what the total cash requirement looks like once duty and GST are in the picture. There is no cost to that conversation.
The bottom line
Roughly 20 to 35 per cent is the realistic starting expectation on standard commercial property, because maximum loan-to-value ratios generally sit around 65 to 80 per cent and there is no lenders mortgage insurance available to bridge a smaller contribution. Where you land in that range depends mostly on whether your own business will occupy the building, how general-purpose the asset is, and how the trading figures read.
Three things decide the cash you actually need, and none of them is the deposit.
Transfer duty is calculable rather than vague. In New South Wales, on the general scale, it is $48,187 on a $1,200,000 purchase, due at or before settlement. GST can add ten per cent to settlement-day funds, is recoverable if you are registered and the seller did not use the margin scheme, and is permanently unrecoverable if they did. The valuation sets the loan, and a shortfall costs you the LVR multiplied by the gap, so a buffer for it belongs in the plan.
Resolve the GST position with your accountant before you sign, model the total cash to complete rather than the deposit, and work backwards from the cash you actually have. Approval is never guaranteed, but going in with an accurate picture makes the process considerably more predictable, and it changes which properties are worth looking at in the first place.
Joseph Sukkar
Joseph founded Intellect Finance in Penrith in 2005 and has worked in Australian finance for more than 25 years, across residential, commercial and asset lending. Commercial and specialist applications are led by Charbel, who handles complex income, SMSF and higher-value commercial files day to day. Intellect Finance charges clients no fee on any loan type. More about the team, or see our commercial property loans page.
Sources
Revenue NSW, How to calculate transfer duty, last updated 19 August 2026, for the 2026 to 2027 general transfer duty scale and its thresholds, the rule that duty is calculated on the dutiable value being the higher of the purchase price or market value, the rate year being set by the contract date, and the statement that premium property duty applies to residential property only. revenue.nsw.gov.au
Revenue NSW, What is transfer duty, last updated 22 June 2026, for the requirement to pay transfer duty within 3 months of signing the contract for sale, and that where the transaction involves a transfer of property, settlement cannot take place if transfer duty has not been paid. revenue.nsw.gov.au
Australian Taxation Office, GST and commercial property: Commercial property, for the ability of a GST-registered purchaser to claim the GST included in the purchase price of commercial property used in their business, and the circumstances in which GST credits cannot be claimed, including where the seller used the margin scheme, where the purchaser is not registered or required to be registered, and where the seller was not. ato.gov.au
Australian Taxation Office, GST and commercial property: Selling a going concern, for the definition of a going concern as a sale including everything necessary for the continued operation of the business where the business is carried on until the day of sale, the treatment of fully and partially tenanted buildings, the statement that the sale of a property by itself is not regarded as a going concern, and the three conditions for a going concern sale to be GST-free. ato.gov.au
Australian Taxation Office, Changes to limited recourse borrowing arrangements, published 28 July 2026, for the 10 August 2026 change restricting new LRBAs over real property to business real property, the statement that LRBAs are not banned, the application of the change to all lenders including related parties, the definition of business real property and the primary production carve-out for a dwelling on no more than 2 hectares, the grandfathering of existing LRBAs including refinancing, the treatment of binding contracts exchanged before 10 August 2026, the requirement that the asset be and remain business real property for the entire life of the arrangement, and the position on vacancy while seeking a new tenant. ato.gov.au
Important disclosures, general advice warning and licensing
General information only. This article is general information only and does not constitute financial, credit, legal or tax advice. It does not take your personal or business circumstances into account. Before acting on any information here, consider whether it is appropriate to your objectives, financial situation and needs.
Figures are indicative and move over time. The loan-to-value ratios and deposit percentages in this article are indicative market ranges current at the time of writing, included to show how the numbers work. They are not a quote, an offer of finance, or a prediction for your situation. Lender policy varies and changes without notice, and your position is assessed individually. The worked examples are illustrations only.
Transfer duty figures are New South Wales only. The duty amounts shown are calculated on the Revenue NSW general transfer duty scale for the 2026 to 2027 financial year as published and reviewed on 10 September 2026. Thresholds and rates are adjusted annually in line with the Consumer Price Index, the applicable rate year is determined by the contract date, and other states and territories apply their own scales, thresholds and concessions. Duty is calculated on the dutiable value, which may exceed the price you pay. Exemptions, concessions, landholder duty and surcharge provisions may apply to a particular transaction. Confirm the amount payable with your solicitor or conveyancer, or use the Revenue NSW calculator, rather than relying on the figures here.
Tax content. References to GST, going concern treatment, the margin scheme and input tax credits are general descriptions of how the relevant rules typically apply. Whether GST applies to your transaction, whether a going concern applies, and what you can claim depend on the structure of the deal, the GST position of both parties and current ATO rulings. Confirm your position with your registered tax agent or accountant before signing a contract.
SMSF content. The description of the 10 August 2026 limited recourse borrowing arrangement changes summarises published ATO guidance as reviewed on 10 September 2026 and does not set out every rule, exception or transitional provision. Whether an SMSF purchase is appropriate for you is a financial advice question. Intellect Finance does not provide financial product advice and is not licensed to advise on the establishment, operation or investment strategy of a self managed superannuation fund. That advice must come from a licensed financial adviser, with your accountant and SMSF specialist. We can speak to the lending structure once that advice is in place.
Commercial lending is regulated differently. Credit provided wholly or predominantly for business purposes is not regulated by the National Credit Code, so the responsible lending obligations in Chapter 3 of the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 do not apply to it. Best Interests Duty applies to mortgage brokers in relation to credit assistance provided on regulated consumer credit and does not extend to predominantly business purpose lending. Whether particular credit is regulated depends on the facts and is a question for the lender and, where relevant, your solicitor or accountant.
Lender policies vary and change. Maximum loan-to-value ratios, acceptable security, valuation requirements, documentation, treatment of the GST component and approval timeframes differ between lenders, are subject to each lender’s own assessment, and change without notice. This page names no lenders and publishes no interest rates. No broker can guarantee loan approval, a particular interest rate, or a timeframe.
What we charge you. Nothing, on any loan type. No arrangement fee for residential, commercial, corporate, asset, SMSF or personal lending, no fee for complex or specialist lending, and no clawback recovery fee if a loan is discharged early. Lenders pay us a commission on settlement, disclosed to you in writing in our Credit Guide before we provide credit assistance. This statement describes Intellect Finance only, and other brokers’ arrangements are set out in their own Credit Guides.
About the reviews shown. The reviews displayed on this page are genuine reviews published by clients on Intellect Finance’s Google Business Profile, shown live via a third-party reviews widget. They reflect those individuals’ own experiences and are not a promise of any particular outcome.
Other professionals. Tax and GST questions to your accountant or a registered tax agent. Contracts, duty, leases and conveyancing to your solicitor or conveyancer. Self managed super fund questions require a licensed financial adviser and an SMSF specialist. If you are having difficulty meeting repayments, contact your lender’s hardship team, and free independent help is available from the National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.
Intellect Finance Pty Ltd holds Australian Credit Licence 390611 and is a member of the MFAA and AFCA. Lending criteria, fees and terms apply. All applications are subject to lender assessment and approval. Article checked 10 September 2026.
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General information only. Duty figures are NSW and indicative. Intellect Finance publishes no interest rates and does not provide financial product or SMSF advice. No broker can guarantee loan approval.