SPECIALIST SMSF FINANCE • AUSTRALIA-WIDE
SMSF mortgage broker.
Bring your property, fund and finance together.
Finance support for eligible SMSF property purchases and refinancing. We compare specialist lender options, explain the loan costs and coordinate the application with your accountant, solicitor and financial adviser.
SMSF borrowing rules changed on 10 August 2026
New property borrowing generally requires business real property. Exceptions apply to qualifying earlier arrangements, including some residential refinances and purchases under earlier contracts. We review the finance options after your advisers confirm the legal position.
Understand your lending pathCredit assistance and mortgage broking only. SMSF strategy, legal structure, tax and compliance require appropriately qualified advice.
CURRENT SMSF LENDING PATHS
Which SMSF lending path fits your plans?
Start with the property, transaction date and advice. New borrowing and existing arrangements can follow different rules.
Buy business real property
For arrangements subject to the new rules, the property must meet the business-real-property requirements. Your advisers must confirm the proposed use, legal structure and continuing compliance before you proceed.
Buy premises for your operating business
An SMSF may potentially acquire qualifying business premises and lease them to a related operating business on documented, arm’s-length commercial terms.
Buy property leased to a third-party business
Industrial, office, retail, medical and other commercial property may fit where the actual use meets the business-real-property definition and the lender accepts the security and lease.
Refinance an existing residential LRBA
The enacted transitional provisions preserve borrowing arrangements entered into before 10 August 2026 and qualifying refinances of those arrangements. The refinance must still preserve a workable legal and lender structure.
Refinance or review a commercial LRBA
Review pricing, interest-only expiry, term, cash flow, lease position, valuation, lender conditions and whether moving the loan creates a clear net benefit.
Standard residential purchases
New residential property borrowing is generally restricted. Qualifying earlier contracts can have transitional protection; your advisers must check the contract dates, documents and conditions before you rely on an exception.
THE SMSF LENDER MARKET
20 SMSF lendersMore lenders. A clearer view of your options.
Explore the SMSF lenders represented in our daily rate data.
Dataset coverage includes lenders outside our broker panel. A logo does not confirm product availability or eligibility for your property and fund.
DAILY RATE DATA
A guide to current SMSF refinance rates.
Use a broad market benchmark to start the conversation. Your property's security type, the fund and lender policy still need a separate review.
Choose your inputs, then load rates
Buying business premises through your fund?
Ask us to check the property, legal structure and current commercial SMSF pricing. The refinance benchmark does not price a new business-property purchase.
20th percentile rate—
Median matching rate—
Matching records—
Matching lenders—
Rates are p.a. and exclude fees. This is a broad SMSF refinance sample; residential and commercial records may be pooled. Fixed rates may span different terms. The 20th percentile is a market statistic, not an offer or the lowest rate. Eligibility and current pricing require a broker review.
Explore repayments, purchase costs and the fund's remaining cash with the SMSF calculator.
Open SMSF calculatorWHAT WE COMPARE ACROSS SMSF LENDERS
Compare more than the SMSF interest rate.
Many mainstream lenders do not accept SMSF applications. Among lenders that do, the same fund and property can receive a different outcome because the property, evidence, liquidity and legal settings are assessed differently.
Available borrower and LRBA structure
Whether the lender accepts the SMSF trustee, holding trustee, member and guarantor structure, and whether the transaction fits the post-10 August 2026 rules or an existing arrangement.
Property, use and valuation
Business use, lease, related-party position, alternative use, postcode, title, marketability and the lender’s appetite for standard or specialised commercial security.
LVR, loan size and location
The property, postcode, valuation, loan size and repayment type affect how much a lender may advance. We compare the deposit and equity required for your scenario.
Rent and contribution evidence
Lenders assess rental income, contribution history and the fund’s ongoing commitments differently. We identify the supporting evidence needed for your rent and contribution pattern.
Liquidity and fund assets
Some policies use a percentage of SMSF debt, several months of repayments or minimum fund/net assets. Others have no fixed threshold but still assess post-settlement cash flow and resilience.
Term, repayment and legal conditions
Loan term, principal-and-interest or interest-only periods, member ages, exit strategy, guarantees, corporate trustee requirements, lender legal review, fees and settlement timing all matter.
Looking for the detailed SMSF mechanics?
Read the detailed SMSF guideThe SMSF Property Investment Guide goes deeper into the current LRBA law, business-real-property test, bare trusts, related-party leases, contributions, liquidity, duty, risks and trustee responsibilities. This page is for arranging and comparing the finance.
Policy examples are general and based on current lender information supplied for this page. They are not universal rules, personal eligibility conclusions or an approval indication.
THE BROKER SERVICE
Your broker and advice team, working together.
We arrange the finance around your independently assessed SMSF strategy and legal structure.
Rate Challenge’s role is to identify the available lending path, compare specialist lenders and package the credit application around the real transaction. That includes the fund’s cash position, contribution history, property and lease, valuation risk, loan term, fees and settlement deadline.
We can work alongside your accountant, licensed financial adviser, SMSF administrator, solicitor and conveyancer so that the lender’s documents and conditions remain consistent with the advice and the legal structure.
What we do not do
We do not establish an SMSF, recommend that you create one, select the investment, give personal financial advice, determine the business-real-property legal test, draft the trust documents or provide tax and duty advice.
CASH TO COMPLETE
The fund needs more than the deposit.
A lender may be comfortable with the debt while the transaction still falls short on duty, documents, GST, professional costs or post-settlement liquidity.
Deposit, equity and valuation
The required fund contribution is driven by the lender’s LVR and the valuation—not only the contract price. A valuation shortfall increases the cash required.
Transfer duty and registration
Duty, title and registration costs are state-specific. The purchaser and holding-trust sequence can affect the outcome, so the final treatment must be confirmed by the conveyancer, lawyer and revenue authority.
LRBA, legal and lender costs
Allow for holding-trust documents, SMSF-specialist legal advice, lender legal review, valuation, establishment fees, accountant/adviser costs and any broker fee disclosed before proceeding.
GST and commercial settlement
Commercial property can involve GST, going-concern or margin-scheme questions and settlement cash-flow timing. These require accounting and legal confirmation before contract execution.
Post-settlement liquidity
Retain enough accessible cash for repayments, vacancy, rates, insurance, repairs, audit, administration and any pension or benefit obligations.
No owner-occupier scheme shortcut
First-home buyer guarantees, shared-equity programs and owner-occupier grants generally require the buyer to live in the property and are not a substitute for SMSF deposit or transaction costs.
THE RATE CHALLENGE PROCESS
From first review to settlement.
SMSF finance usually involves more parties and document dependencies than an ordinary property loan.
Confirm the finance path
Identify whether the transaction is new business-real-property finance, an existing LRBA refinance or a loan review, and note the critical dates.
Review fund and property
Assess the fund balance, contributions, liquidity, members, debts, property use, lease, rent, valuation risk and cash required.
Compare specialist lenders
Filter for borrower structure, property, LVR, loan size, term, repayment type, evidence, pricing, fees and turnaround.
Coordinate the application
Align the lender submission with the accountant, adviser, solicitor, trust documents, contract, lease and source of funds.
Manage valuation and settlement
Coordinate valuation, lender legal review, conditions, insurance, guarantees, documents, settlement and the post-settlement loan review.
WHAT TO HAVE READY
What to have ready for your review.
The exact document list changes by lender, but these details help identify a realistic path before the file becomes urgent.
Fund, trustee and members
SMSF deed and variations, trustee details, recent financials and returns, bank/investment statements, member identification, contribution history and any pension obligations.
Property, use and lease
Contract or proposed property, title, business use, current or proposed lease, rent and outgoings, tenant or related-business details, valuation access and settlement deadline.
Loan, cash and timing
Existing loan documents and LRBA date for a refinance, requested amount, deposit/equity, duty and costs, post-settlement liquidity, current repayments and any interest-only expiry.
Do not sign or amend a contract, nominate a purchaser, establish a holding trust or change an existing LRBA solely on the basis of a broker pre-assessment. The SMSF lawyer, accountant/adviser and conveyancer must confirm the legal, tax and duty treatment.
TOOLS, GUIDE & OFFICIAL RULES
SMSF tools, guides and practical next steps.
Explore the numbers with the calculator, understand the rules in the guide, or discuss your lending options with a broker.
CalculatorSMSF Property & LRBA Calculator
Explore repayments, purchase costs, available cash and a change in your assumptions.
Use calculator → Complete guideSMSF Property Investment GuideUnderstand property rules, loan structures, fund cash flow and trustee responsibilities.
Read guide → Guide sectionNew LRBA & Business Real PropertySeparate a new BRP transaction from a protected arrangement or cash purchase.
Explore → Guide sectionDeposit, LVR & LiquidityUnderstand cash to complete, valuation risk and retained fund liquidity.
Explore → Guide sectionBorrowing Policy & ServiceabilitySee how rent, contributions, expenses, member support and buffers can differ.
Explore → Guide sectionExisting LRBA RefinanceReview protected refinance, new money, changes and document chronology.
Explore →LOCAL & NATIONAL SUPPORT
SMSF lending support wherever you are.
Speak with us by phone or video across Australia, with Victorian appointments available by arrangement.
Phone and video SMSF reviews
Compare available SMSF lender pathways across Australia after the legal and advice structure is established.
Start review →Appointments by arrangement
Coordinate the broker, accountant, adviser and solicitor where an in-person Melbourne meeting is useful.
Request appointment →Ballarat, Geelong and beyond
Discuss your regional property, its location and lease as part of a specialist SMSF lending review.
View locations →
YOUR BROKER
Meet your SMSF mortgage broker.
David Warburton combines commercial-banking experience with mortgage broking and a broad lender panel. The aim is to identify the available LRBA path first, then match the property, fund cash flow and evidence to workable lender policy while coordinating with your accountant, licensed adviser and SMSF lawyer.
SMSF LENDING FAQs
SMSF lending questions, answered.
Can an SMSF still borrow to buy residential property?
New property borrowing generally requires business real property from 10 August 2026. Qualifying earlier arrangements, including some residential refinances and purchases under earlier contracts, can have transitional protection. Your advisers must confirm whether an exception applies to your documents and circumstances.
Can I refinance an existing residential SMSF loan?
Potentially. The enacted transitional provisions preserve arrangements entered into before 10 August 2026 and qualifying refinances of those arrangements. The new lender still reassesses the fund, property, cash flow, documents and legal structure.
Can my business lease property from my SMSF?
Potentially, where the property qualifies as business real property and the lease, rent, outgoings and conduct are on arm’s-length commercial terms. Obtain SMSF legal, tax and financial advice before committing.
How much deposit does an SMSF need for commercial property?
It depends on the property, postcode, valuation, loan size, repayment type and lender. Current commercial SMSF policies commonly require more equity than standard home lending, so the cash review should include duty, GST, legal costs and liquidity as well as the deposit.
How do lenders treat contributions and liquidity?
Policies differ. Some rely mainly on regular employer contributions, while voluntary or proposed contributions need history or member-capacity evidence. Liquidity may be tested as a percentage of debt, months of repayments, minimum fund assets or a broader post-settlement cash-flow assessment.
Can an SMSF use first-home buyer grants or deposit schemes?
Owner-occupier grants, guarantees and shared-equity schemes generally require the applicant to buy and live in the property, which is not an SMSF property pathway. Confirm any state-specific duty treatment with the relevant authority and professional advisers.
What does an SMSF mortgage broker compare?
We compare the available lender subset, borrower and LRBA structure, property and lease, LVR, loan size, contribution and rent evidence, liquidity, term, repayment type, pricing, fees, guarantees, legal review and settlement process.
Do you charge an SMSF broker fee?
A fee may apply to some SMSF or specialist transactions because the research, documentation and lender remuneration differ from standard home loans. Any fee would be disclosed and agreed before the application proceeds.
Do you provide SMSF, financial, legal or tax advice?
No. Rate Challenge provides credit assistance and mortgage broking. SMSF establishment, investment strategy, legal documents, business-real-property classification, tax, duty and compliance require appropriately licensed advisers, accountants and lawyers.
Let’s plan your next SMSF lending step.
Tell us whether you are buying business real property or reviewing an existing LRBA. We will explain the realistic lender options and the documents to coordinate with your advice team.