Private lending in Brisbane

Brisbane is where our desk sits, on Eagle Street overlooking the river. It’s also where a large share of our deals happen: owners in Newstead, Northgate, Rocklea, Capalaba and everywhere between who need money secured by property faster than a bank can provide it.

Brisbane property as security

Greater Brisbane has a broad, active property market, which helps private lenders value property quickly and with confidence. Some general patterns:

Property	How lenders tend to see it
Houses in established suburbs	The most widely accepted security
Townhouses and units in mid-sized complexes	Widely accepted, with body corporate checks
Inner-city apartments in large towers	Accepted, sometimes at lower limits
Industrial units in estates like Brendale, Yatala or Acacia Ridge	Well regarded where sales are frequent
Commercial offices in the CBD and fringe	Accepted, with attention to tenancy and vacancy
Acreage on the fringe	Accepted, with more valuation work

Flood history is a Brisbane-specific factor. Lenders and valuers will check flood mapping for the property, and a home or building affected in past floods may be assessed more conservatively. Mention any history upfront.

How Queensland titles work for private loans

Queensland land is registered with Titles Queensland. Private lenders lodge caveats or mortgages there, usually electronically through the conveyancing platforms. A caveat records the lender’s interest quickly, which is why caveat loans are so useful for urgent Brisbane deals. A registered mortgage is the more formal security and often replaces the caveat later.

Queensland has its own rules on how caveats work, including when some caveats lapse. Our guide to Queensland caveat rules explains what borrowers should know.

What Brisbane owners borrow for

The reasons we see most often from Brisbane businesses:

• clearing ATO debts or responding to a director penalty notice
• buying the commercial or industrial premises the business already leases
• funding construction and trade businesses through long progress payment cycles
• settling a property purchase when a bank’s approval is running late
• working capital for hospitality, retail and professional services
• bridging between buying a new premises and selling the old one

Brisbane’s construction pipeline has kept trades and contractors busy, but also stretched their cash flow, with payment terms that can run long. Many of the loans we arrange for tradies and builders are about bridging that gap.

Speed in Brisbane

Being local helps with timing. Brisbane valuers are plentiful, local solicitors are familiar with private lending documents, and electronic settlement means there’s no waiting for paper documents. For straightforward property and a complete file, $20,000 to $250,000 can possibly settle the same day. Larger loans, up to $5,000,000, can possibly settle within 24 to 48 hours.

A worked example

A Geebung joinery business was offered a contract to fit out a new office building in Fortitude Valley. The builder required the joinery firm to buy materials upfront, totalling $310,000, and paid 45 days after each stage. The firm’s bank needed four weeks to assess an increased facility.

The owner had a home in Chermside with good equity behind a bank loan. A private lender lodged a caveat the next morning and funded the full amount by afternoon. Two weeks later, the caveat was replaced by a registered second mortgage for a ten-month term. Stage payments from the builder repaid the loan progressively.

Suburbs we see most

We arrange loans right across Greater Brisbane, including:

• inner suburbs from Paddington and Red Hill to Bulimba and Hawthorne
• the north side, including Aspley, Albany Creek, Strathpine and North Lakes
• the south, including Sunnybank, Mount Gravatt, Springwood and Logan
• the west, including Indooroopilly, Kenmore and Ipswich
• the bayside, including Wynnum, Cleveland and Capalaba
• industrial hubs like Brendale, Rocklea, Eagle Farm and Acacia Ridge

Beyond Brisbane

We fund property across the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and regional Queensland, as well as interstate. A Brisbane business can offer property elsewhere in Australia as security, and vice versa.

Local costs to factor in

Queensland charges land tax on some investment and commercial property above the threshold, and Brisbane City Council and neighbouring councils levy rates quarterly or half-yearly. A lender will usually check that rates and land tax are up to date, because unpaid amounts can rank ahead of a mortgage. If either is overdue, it can often be paid from the loan at settlement, which tidies up the title and removes a risk for both sides.

Call the desk or start online

Call 07 3333 2120 during business hours, or complete the short online enquiry. There’s no credit check when you first enquire, and your file stays with our desk rather than being sent around the market. Please answer accurately, because it’s how we brief the right lender. Get started, or read about caveat loans and then check your eligibility.