Urgent Short Term Finance to Buy a Contaminated or Former Industrial Site

Settle on the site as it stands, then remediate and sell or refinance once it is validated

Experts in strategic, short-term finance

Rated 5 out of 5Jason V

Hands down, the best private lenders in the biz
Gino, Alec and Finn are exceptional at what they do. Top tier communication and transparent service.

Rated 5 out of 5Rhowell Dela Rosa

Every settlement has been smooth
Gino and the team at Secured Lending are our go-to when a deal needs to move fast or fall outside bank criteria.

Rated 5 out of 5Rory Mcgrath

Always my top choice for nearly all private lending scenarios
I run and operate a private lending brokerage and have worked with Mark and the team for years.

Rated 5 out of 5Luke Egan

Speed to market on lending advances second to none
The owner is also one of best commentators on LinkedIn calling out poor lending and recovery practices.

Rated 5 out of 5amal maharaj

True professionals in the non bank lending space
Straight forward application and assessment process with clear communication till loan settlement.

Rated 5 out of 5Sam Algeri

Excellent service, quick approvals and seamless settlements
The team at Secured Lending, particularly Gino and Finn, are fantastic to work with.

Rated 5 out of 5sebastian wright

Speed, reliability, transparency
Exceptional team. Exceptional Service. Loved working with the team at Secured Lending.

Rated 5 out of 5Jordan Thomas

Gino & Finn are the best in the business
Quick and painless to deal with, keep up the great work SL team!

Rated 5 out of 5Wayne McCarthy

Always willing to think outside the box to get deals done
We've had a great experience working with Secured Lending.

Rated 5 out of 5JP G

Quick, responsive and reasonable
With all the shady characters in the private lending market, its refreshing to find good people to deal with.

Rated 5 out of 5Joel Togo

Always thorough on assessment and will give you a prompt answer
With clients that are in time sensitive situations, this is crucial.

Rated 5 out of 5David Pruscino

Always professional and supportive
It's a pleasure dealing with the Secured team.

Rated 5 out of 5Monica Monsigneur

A professional and common sense lender who delivers

Rated 5 out of 5Thomas de Fegely

Great options in the private space
Have been dealing with Finn from Secured Lending, he has been very responsive.

Rated 5 out of 5Andrew Soo

A very reliable funding partner
Highly recommended.

Rated 5 out of 5Phil Boyle

Very efficient, responsive
Finn was a great help to assist in a very timely manner.

Finance within

24 hours

Loans from

$250k to $10M

Rates from

9.7% p.a.

Terms

1 to 24 months

Former service stations, factories and industrial yards often carry contamination that has to be investigated and cleaned up before the land can be redeveloped. Many banks withdraw once a site investigation finds a problem. We lend on the site in its current condition, and can fund the purchase in as little as 24 hours.

We fund developers and businesses buying contaminated land across Australia, and owners holding it while remediation is completed. We fund the purchase, consultant and audit fees and holding costs, not the remediation works themselves. The loan runs for 1 to 24 months, and we set the term against your consultant's program.

Why contaminated sites are hard to finance

•The land cannot be valued with certainty until the investigations are finished
•Remediation costs are uncertain, and can change as the work progresses
•In Victoria, the duty to manage contaminated land applies to whoever controls the land, regardless of who caused the contamination
•Audits take time: EPA Victoria says a simple site can take a few months to a year, and complex sites often more than a year
•In NSW, planning authorities must consider the potential for contamination before making planning decisions on the site

Common reasons to call us

•The bank withdrew its approval after a preliminary site investigation
•Settlement is due before the detailed investigation is finished
•The seller will not wait for a detailed site investigation before settling
•Your existing lender will not extend once contamination has been disclosed
•The audit is taking longer than your current loan allows

The investigation and remediation process

In NSW, contaminated land work usually moves through a preliminary site investigation, a detailed site investigation, a remedial action plan, the remediation itself and validation. An accredited site auditor can review that work and issue a site audit statement on whether the land is suitable for its intended use. In Victoria, the equivalent is an environmental audit statement, and a preliminary risk screen assessment is often needed for new developments. We do not give environmental advice, so engage your consultant and auditor early.

Funding a contaminated site

Enquiry. Send us the contract and whatever site reports exist, even preliminary ones. We come back with indicative terms within hours.
Valuation. Our valuers assess the site in its current condition, with the reports in hand.
Letter of offer. Accept our terms and the letter of offer is prepared immediately.
Settlement. Settlement can take place within 24 hours of the signed letter of offer.

Site reports that help

•Any preliminary or detailed site investigation
•A remedial action plan, if one has been prepared
•Any EPA or council notices on the land
•Your remediation budget and program
•Your plan to sell or refinance after validation

Loans for contaminated land

•First mortgage: over the site at its current, assessed value
•Second mortgage: over other property you own, where the site alone does not support the loan
•Bridging loans: to settle on the site before another property sells
•Secured business line of credit: to pay consultant and auditor fees, rates and land tax as they fall due

Contaminated site loan terms

Loan feature	Detail
Loan size	$250,000 to $10,000,000
Interest rate	From 9.7% p.a. on a first mortgage, from 11.95% p.a. on a second mortgage
Term	1 to 24 months, interest only, capitalised if needed
Maximum LVR	70% of the current-condition value, or of the lower of that value and the price on a purchase
Security	A first mortgage over the site, plus other property you own if needed
Settlement	From 24 hours

Repaying after remediation

Most loans on contaminated land are repaid once the site has been remediated and validated, either by selling it or by refinancing to a bank that will now lend on it. Other owners sell the unremediated site to a developer who will do the work. Your consultant's program sets the loan term.

“Contamination makes a site harder to value, so we start with the reports. Once we have seen the investigation reports and the remediation plan, we value the site in its current condition and lend on that. The buyer can settle and start the work, instead of losing the site while a bank waits for the investigation to finish.”

Gino Tabila

Associate Director

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. We lend on contaminated and former industrial land, valued in its current condition. The loan is based on what the site is worth today, not on what it will be worth once it has been cleaned up and validated.

We need to learn your scenario further. Send us the investigation report and the contract, and we can tell you within hours whether the settlement date is achievable.

Yes, as long as the total stays within 70% of the site's current value. Consultant, investigation and audit fees can be added to the loan at settlement, or drawn from a line of credit as the invoices fall due.

Our terms run to 24 months, which covers most audits. EPA Victoria says a simple site can take a few months to a year, and complex sites often more than a year. We set the term from your consultant's program.

No. We can lend before an audit is complete, based on the site's current value. We will want to see the investigation reports that exist, because they show how the contamination affects the value.

We need to learn your scenario further. Send us the notice and any response your consultant has prepared, because the work it requires affects both the value and the time you need.

Settlement can happen within 24 hours of a signed letter of offer, and sometimes the same day, depending on your scenario. The reports you already have decide how quickly our valuers can assess the site, so send them with your first call.

Yes. Manufacturers, transport operators and wholesalers often buy former industrial sites for their own operations. As well as the purchase, we lend to those businesses for working capital, such as equipment, stock or the cost of moving.