Quick answer
Business owners in Melbourne and regional Victoria can borrow $20k to $5 million against residential or commercial property. In Victoria the loan can be secured quickly with a caveat on the title, and your existing bank loan stays as it is. No valuation is needed before approval, and funds can be in your account in as little as 24 hours.
Key points
- Available across Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and regional Victoria.
- Secured by a caveat in Victoria, which is fast to lodge.
- A caveat can later be converted to a registered second mortgage.
- No valuation needed, and up to 6 months with no repayments.
- Loan amounts
- $20k to $5 million
- Security in Victoria
- Caveat, second or first mortgage
- Funding
- In as little as 24 hours
- Repayments
- None for up to 6 months
Melbourne’s small and family businesses have been through a lot in the last few years. Plenty of them have come out the other side with a tax debt, a stack of online loans or a bank that’s suddenly cautious, while the equity in their property has quietly grown. A fast business loan secured by that property can fix the problem in one move.
Caveat loans: Victoria’s fast lane
In Victoria, a private business loan can be secured by lodging a caveat on the property’s title with Land Use Victoria. A caveat records the lender’s interest in the property without registering a full new mortgage, which is a big part of why it’s so quick. Your bank’s mortgage stays in first place, at the same rate, with the same repayments.
If the property has no loan on it, the business loan can be a first mortgage. And if a caveat suits you to start with, it can later be converted to a registered second mortgage.
Read more about how caveat loans work.
From enquiry to funds
- Send a 60-second enquiry. No credit check to enquire.
- A lending manager calls, usually within 30 minutes in business hours, with an indicative answer.
- Conditional approval, using photo ID, your council rates notice and your latest mortgage statement. All costs are set out in writing.
- Searches and documents. Due diligence is done and loan agreements are issued for signing.
- Funds land in your account, in as little as 24 hours.
There’s no valuation to order and wait for.
Where in Victoria we lend
- Inner Melbourne: the CBD, Richmond, Collingwood, Fitzroy, South Melbourne and Docklands
- Melbourne’s south-east manufacturing belt: Dandenong, Braeside, Moorabbin, Keysborough and Bayswater
- The west and north: Sunshine, Laverton, Derrimut, Tullamarine, Campbellfield and Epping
- The Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley
- Regional Victoria: Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Warrnambool, Mildura, Wodonga and Gippsland
Homes, investment properties, shops, warehouses, factories and farmland can all be considered.
What Victorian businesses use fast loans for
- Manufacturers buying raw materials or a new machine to fulfil a large order
- Cafés, restaurants and bars covering a fit-out, a quiet winter or a licence transfer
- Builders and trades bridging slow progress payments
- Transport and logistics operators replacing trucks or covering fuel and wages while invoices are paid
- Owners clearing ATO debt before it escalates
The long weekend factor
Victoria has more state-only public holidays than most, including Melbourne Cup Day and the AFL Grand Final eve. Banking and property settlement systems may still run, but local solicitors, councils and your own team may not. If you’re working to a deadline around a Victorian holiday, enquire a few days early. Our guide to the Melbourne Cup long weekend explains what slows down and what doesn’t.
A Victorian example
A third-generation bakery in Bendigo is offered a supply contract with a regional supermarket group. It needs a second oven line and extra refrigerated storage, about $480k all up. The bank wants three years of financials and a valuation, and the timing doesn’t work.
The owners have equity in the bakery building. A caveat loan is lodged over it, the equipment is ordered that week and there are no repayments for the first 6 months while the contract ramps up. Once a year of trading under the new contract is in the books, they plan to refinance with their bank.
Commercial property in Melbourne
A lot of Melbourne business owners own their warehouse, factory or shopfront, often bought years ago in suburbs like Dandenong South, Port Melbourne or Brunswick. That commercial property can secure a business loan just as well as a home can, and it keeps your family home out of the deal. Property held in a company or family trust is common; the directors or trustees sign the documents.
What your lending manager will ask
Expect a few simple questions on the first call: where the property is and roughly what it’s worth, what’s owed on it, how much you need, what it’s for and how you plan to repay it. Clear answers to those five questions are what turn an enquiry into a fast conditional approval.
When the online lenders cap you
Cash flow lenders size their loans on monthly turnover, and many won’t top up an existing loan. If you need more than they’ll lend, see when your cash flow lender won’t lend more.
Ready to start?
Have your council rates notice, latest mortgage statement and driver’s licence ready, and jot down what the money is for and how it gets repaid. Then send your enquiry. It takes about 60 seconds.
Lending elsewhere? See Sydney and NSW, Brisbane and Queensland, Perth and WA, Adelaide and SA and Hobart and Tasmania.
Frequently asked questions
Are caveat loans available in Victoria?
Yes. In Victoria a short-term business loan can be secured by lodging a caveat on the property's title. It's one of the fastest ways to borrow against property.
Can I borrow against property in regional Victoria?
Yes. Property in Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, the Mornington Peninsula, Gippsland and other regional areas can be considered.
What happens to my existing mortgage?
It stays exactly as it is. The caveat sits on the title alongside your bank's mortgage.
How long does a Melbourne business loan take?
With documents ready, approval can come within the hour and funds can be in your account in as little as 24 hours.
Do you lend to businesses with an ATO debt?
Yes, case by case. Clearing an ATO debt is one of the most common reasons Victorian owners borrow against property.