Mainstream bank appetite for retail commercial property has become inconsistent. Certain retail categories, including food and beverage tenancies, fashion, stand-alone shopfronts, and secondary location retail strips, have seen reduced bank appetite regardless of the underlying asset quality. That creates a real problem for investors who understand retail property and can identify quality assets at appropriate prices. Private lending does not apply sector-level policy. Every retail deal is assessed on the asset, the LVR, and the exit.
Who This Is For
- •Retailers buying their own shopfront or showroom through a corporate structure
- •Investors acquiring retail strips, strata retail, or large-format assets where banks have pulled back on the sector
- •Borrowers who have been declined due to retail sector credit policy, entity structure complexity, or settlement timing
- •Available to Pty Ltd companies, family trusts, and SMSFs — not available to individuals in personal name or for owner-occupier residential or consumer credit
How We Assess Retail Property
Our assessment starts with the security property: its location, the improvements, the title, and the value our in-house valuers determine. Lease quality and tenant covenant inform our view of risk but do not replace the asset-first assessment. A well-located retail property with a short-dated tenancy or a vacancy period is still a quality asset if the fundamentals support it.
We do not apply blanket retail sector exclusions. A food and beverage tenancy that a bank's credit policy has categorised as high-risk is assessed by us on the specific property, location, and borrower. This is how we fund deals that move within the gap left by banks stepping back from retail.
Submit your scenario with property details, entity type, and proposed LVR. Same-day indicative response. Letter of offer within 24 hours of agreed terms. Settlement from 24 to 72 hours for clean deals.
Three Retail Property Scenarios We Have Recently Helped
A family trust with a diversified commercial portfolio identified a strata retail unit in an inner Sydney suburb. The tenant was a national pharmacy chain on a four-year lease. The bank declined on entity structure complexity across the trust group. We assessed on asset quality and the lease covenant. Loan: $680,000, first mortgage, 61% LVR.
A Pty Ltd company operating a furniture showroom had leased its large-format retail premises for seven years. The landlord offered to sell. The company wanted to buy but its bank had a 12-week processing timeline and the vendor needed settlement in 45 days. We bridged the timing gap. Loan: $2.4 million, first mortgage, 63% LVR. The company refinanced to its bank at the end of a nine-month term.
A property investor operating through a family trust identified a retail strip property in a regional NSW coastal town. Multiple tenants across food, service, and convenience categories, strong occupancy history. The bank declined on a combination of location and retail sector exposure policy. We assessed the asset on its fundamentals. Loan: $1.7 million, first mortgage, 65% LVR.
Speed and Process Advantage
Direct credit authority, in-house valuation, and no external committee mean we can move faster than any bank on retail commercial property. For investors who have found a quality retail asset at the right price and cannot afford to lose it to a competitor with finance already in place, that speed is the competitive edge. Same-day assessment. Settlement from 24 hours where the deal is clean.
"Retail property continues to offer genuine value in established locations, and private lenders who assess each asset individually rather than applying blanket sector restrictions can see that clearly. We have financed retail acquisitions across food and beverage, fashion, and standalone shopfronts where the bank had reduced appetite but the underlying asset was strong. When the location is right and the LVR is sensible, retail commercial property is security we are comfortable with."
Gino Tabila
Associate Director
Benefits of Using a Private Mortgage Lender for Retail Commercial Property
Bank appetite for retail property has narrowed significantly. A private mortgage lender carries no sector-level policy restrictions on retail — each asset is assessed individually on its value, its LVR, and the borrower's exit strategy. That makes private mortgage lending the effective path forward for retail acquisitions where a bank's sector policy is the obstacle, not the deal itself.
- •No blanket restrictions on food and beverage, fashion, or other retail tenant categories
- •Vacant, short-leased, and single-tenant retail all assessed on individual merits
- •Settlement within 24 to 72 hours — compete for retail assets in time-sensitive markets
- •Strata retail, showrooms, large-format, and strip retail all eligible
- •Asset-first credit decision — tenant profile informs risk view, not approval
Our Loan Solutions
| Loan Type | Best used for |
|---|---|
| First Mortgage | Clean purchase or refinance over the commercial property — highest loan amounts, lowest rates. |
| Second Mortgage | Access equity behind an existing mortgage without refinancing the first. |
| Caveat Loan | Fastest equity access — registered as a caveat, not a mortgage. Settled in hours. |
| Debt Consolidation | Combine multiple business debts into one secured facility. |
| Bridging Finance | Complete settlement now while permanent finance is arranged. |
| Emergency Finance | Urgent capital for ATO debt, winding-up applications, or time-critical situations. |
| Refinance | Replace an existing loan that is maturing, under pressure, or no longer working. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Get an indicative offer within hours, not weeks.
No credit check. No obligation.
Why Secured Lending?
Case Studies
$3M Working Capital for IT Business Expansion Settled in 2 Business Days
$1.9M Commercial Property Acquisition for Growing Doggy Daycare Business
$1.15M ATO Debt Cleared in 4 Business Days for Prahran Pub Operator
$250K Working Capital for Brisbane Café in 36 Hours
Case Study: Bridging the Payment Gap – How a Short-Term BLOC Saved a Commercial Builder's Project
$1.1M in 72 Hours: How We Helped A Developer Get Back on Track
$450,000 Caveat Loan Against Commercial Property Saved Sydney Café From Insolvency
$1.3M Second Mortgage Helped Bankstown Industrial Borrower Clear Tax Debt and Refinance
Get an indicative offer within hours, not weeks.
No credit check. No obligation.
Why Secured Lending?
Scenarios We Can Help With
Browse our full range of services, industries, locations, and resources to find the right financial solution for your needs.
Our Loan Solutions
Bridging Finance
Short-term funding to bridge the gap between a property purchase and a longer-term finance solution.
First Mortgage
Private first mortgage loans secured against residential, commercial, or industrial property.
Second Mortgage
Unlock equity in your property without refinancing or disturbing your existing first mortgage.
Caveat Loans
Urgent caveat loans secured by property. No need to refinance your existing mortgage.
ATO Tax Debt
Fast funding to help businesses resolve ATO obligations before penalties, garnishees, or director penalty notices escalate.
Debt Consolidation
Roll multiple high-rate facilities into one property-backed loan. Simplify repayments and restore cash flow.
Urgent Business Loans
When timing is critical and banks can't move fast enough, we step in. Property-secured funding for businesses that need an answer today — not next week.
Refinance
Replace an existing loan that is maturing, under pressure, or no longer working. We move fast and lend where banks won't.
