Fast fit-out and renovation loans

A fit-out is one of the few business costs where delay is measured in rent. Once you have signed the lease, every week the premises sits half-built is a week of paying for space that earns nothing. Fast fit-out funding is about getting the builders, joiners and electricians started so the doors open on schedule.

What a fit-out loan typically covers

• Building works, partitions, ceilings and floors.
• Joinery, counters, shelving and display units.
• Electrical, plumbing, data and air conditioning.
• Commercial kitchen, clinical or specialist equipment.
• Signage, lighting and finishes.

Unsecured or property-secured?

Project	Usual fast lane
Refresh of an existing, trading business	Unsecured, sized on bank statements
Second site for an established operator	Unsecured or property-secured, depending on size
New venture with no trading history	Property-secured, no valuation needed
Large clinic, restaurant or showroom	Property-secured to $5m, interest prepaid or added

For an existing business, recent bank statements show whether it can carry the repayments. For a new venture, there is nothing to read yet, so property security is usually what makes a fast yes possible.

Need an answer this morning? Put your enquiry in now so it is at the front of the queue.

How to make it faster

Get written quotes from your main trades and a simple timeline: when work starts, when it finishes and when you expect to trade. If the landlord is contributing, or there is a rent-free period, include it. Knowing the true out-of-pocket amount avoids asking for too much or, worse, running short halfway through the build. Add a contingency of your own for the surprises every fit-out throws up, such as a switchboard upgrade, a council condition or a late joinery delivery. Running out of money with the walls half up is far more expensive than borrowing a sensible buffer at the start.

Delay costs more than you think

Put your weekly rent, outgoings and the profit you expect once open into the cost of delay calculator. For many businesses, a single month’s delay in opening costs more than the total cost of funding the fit-out quickly. That is the case for speed in one number.

Remember too that equipment inside a fit-out can sometimes be funded separately through fast equipment finance, which may change how much you need from the main loan. Your accountant can also tell you how depreciation applies to different parts of the build, since rules differ between building works and plant.

A worked example (illustrative)

A dental practice signs a lease on a ground-floor tenancy and needs about $420,000 for the clinical fit-out and equipment. The landlord gives eight weeks rent-free. The dentist owns a home with good equity, enquires the week the lease is signed and is approved the same day for a second mortgage business loan with interest added. Trades start the following Monday, the practice opens within the rent-free period, and repayments come from patient revenue once trading settles in.

Documents that speed things up

The fastest approvals happen when this list is ready to send in one reply:

• Signed lease or agreement to lease
• Builder and trade quotes
• Project timeline
• Equipment quotes or invoices
• Bank statements or property details

Where the time usually goes

The usual suspects when things drag:

• Quotes that change significantly after approval
• Landlord approvals for works not yet obtained
• Unclear split between fit-out and equipment
• Starting the funding conversation after trades are booked

A note on the enquiry form

Think of the enquiry form as the brief for your loan. The clearer the brief, the faster the work. Give the amount you actually need, the revenue your statements will show, an honest credit picture and whether property is available. That lets a real person match you to the right option on the first attempt instead of the third.

Quick recap

• Funds builders, joinery, equipment and finishes
• Unsecured for smaller fit-outs, property-secured for larger ones
• Every week of delay is a week of rent without revenue
• Quotes and a project timeline speed approval

The speed part, explained

Most lending is slow because steps happen one after another, with days of waiting in between. We run them side by side. While your statements are being read, the documents are being drafted. While you are signing, any security is being prepared. No valuation is needed on property-secured loans, which removes the biggest delay in property lending. The result is that approval within the hour is common, 15-minute approvals happen for clean profiles, and funding within 24 hours is genuinely possible when signatures come back quickly.

Check your options now

It starts with a short form: amount, purpose, how long you have been trading, revenue, credit history and property. No credit check to enquire, no lead farming, and a real person on it quickly in business hours. Fill it in as accurately as you can and the rest moves faster. Begin now.