The first 48 hours of an urgent private loan

An urgent private loan is a relay. The enquiry passes to a lender, the lender passes to a valuer, the valuer passes back, documents go to your solicitor and back again, and finally funds move. Each handover is a chance to lose time. Knowing the sequence lets you have the next step ready before it’s needed.

Here’s what a well-run urgent deal looks like over 48 hours, and what you can do at each stage.

Hour 0: the enquiry

Everything starts with a clear enquiry. The faster a lender understands the deal, the faster it can commit. Send, in one go:

• the amount you need and the exact deadline, including the time of day
• what the money is for, with the document that proves it (an ATO notice, a statutory demand, a settlement statement)
• the property address and who owns it
• what’s owed on the property and to whom
• your exit: how and when the loan will be repaid
• names and contact details for every owner, director and guarantor

What you can do: enquire as early in the business day as possible. An enquiry at 9am has a realistic chance of same-day funds. One at 4pm usually doesn’t.

Hours 1 to 3: the lender looks

A private lender reviews the file against the three questions: security, purpose and exit. If they stack up, the lender orders a title search and a valuation, and may give indicative terms by phone or email.

What you can do: stay reachable. Lenders often have one or two quick questions, and an answer in ten minutes keeps the deal moving. If you can’t answer the phone, say who can.

Hours 2 to 6: the valuation

For standard residential property in a major centre, many lenders accept a desktop valuation, based on sales data and records, which can come back within hours. Commercial, rural or unusual property may need a physical inspection, which takes longer.

What you can do: if an inspection is needed, make sure the valuer can get in. Have keys or tenant contacts ready. If you have a recent valuation or agent’s appraisal, send it, as it can sometimes speed things up.

Hours 4 to 8: the offer

Once the valuation is in, the lender confirms the amount and terms in a letter of offer. Read it, even under pressure. Use our letter of offer checklist to check the total cost, fees, minimum interest period and default terms.

What you can do: accept quickly if it’s right, and ask questions immediately if it isn’t. A query raised at hour 6 is fine. The same query raised at hour 30 can push settlement back a day.

Hours 6 to 12: documents and legal advice

The lender’s solicitor prepares the loan agreement, the caveat or mortgage, guarantees and any other documents. Most private lenders require you, and any co-owner or guarantor who doesn’t directly benefit, to get independent legal advice before signing. Your solicitor explains the documents and signs a certificate confirming the advice was given.

This is the step that most often delays urgent deals. Solicitors are busy, and same-day appointments aren’t guaranteed.

What you can do: book your solicitor before the documents arrive. Tell them a private loan is coming, roughly when, and that it’s urgent. If co-owners or guarantors need separate solicitors, book those too.

Hours 8 to 24: signing and conditions

You sign, with your solicitor. Electronic signing is often possible for some documents, though not all. Meanwhile, the lender works through its conditions: confirming ID, checking rates and land tax, getting first mortgagee details or consent, and confirming insurance.

What you can do: send anything the lender asks for straight away. Common last-minute requests include a rates notice, an insurance certificate, a bank statement or a signed business purpose declaration.

Hours 12 to 48: lodgement and settlement

With everything signed and conditions met, the lender lodges the caveat or mortgage with the titles office, usually electronically, and releases funds. For a caveat loan, this can happen within hours of signing. For a registered second mortgage, settlement may be scheduled through an electronic settlement workspace, and depends on the first mortgagee’s consent if it’s required.

Funds can be paid directly to the creditor, such as the ATO or a vendor’s settlement, or to your account, depending on the purpose.

What you can do: confirm the payment details for wherever the money needs to go, and check that the recipient knows it’s coming.

A realistic timeline

Situation	Realistic time to funds
$20k to $250k, standard home, complete file, 9am enquiry	Same day possible
$250k to $1m, standard property, complete file	24 to 48 hours possible
Up to $5m, standard commercial property	24 to 48 hours possible, often longer
Second mortgage needing bank consent	Days, depending on the bank
Rural or specialised property	Several days for valuation
Co-owners overseas or unavailable	As long as it takes to sign

What slows urgent deals down

From experience, these are the most common causes of delay, roughly in order:

1. a co-owner or guarantor who can’t sign quickly
2. no solicitor booked for independent advice
3. missing ID or company documents
4. first mortgagee consent or payout figures
5. property that needs a physical valuation
6. surprises on title, such as an old caveat or unpaid rates
7. late-afternoon enquiries

Almost all of these can be fixed on day one if you know to look for them.

When 48 hours isn’t enough

Sometimes the deadline can’t be met. If that’s the case, tell the creditor early. A creditor who knows funds are approved and settling in two days is often willing to wait. A written approval from the lender can help that conversation. For statutory demands and director penalty notices, the deadlines are set by law, so get advice from your lawyer or accountant on your options at the same time.

A worked example

At 8.40am on a Wednesday, a Strathpine builder received a call from his bank: a $95,000 supplier payment had bounced, and the supplier was threatening to stop deliveries to three sites. By 9.15 he’d sent the enquiry with ID, his home’s details and his home loan statement. By 11.30 a desktop valuation was back. By 1pm he had an offer and had booked his solicitor for 3pm. He signed at 3.20, the caveat was lodged at 4.10 and the supplier was paid before close of business.

Start the clock now

Tell us the deadline and what you need. There’s no credit check when you first enquire, and your file isn’t spread around lenders. Accurate answers mean the right lender gets it first time, which saves hours.

Get started, or read about urgent caveat loans first.