Buying commercial property through your SMSF

Owning your business premises inside your super fund, or holding a commercial investment in it. SMSF lending runs on stricter rules than any other loan, and fewer lenders do it. We hold the lending, accounting, and fund administration under one roof, so the structure is right before the loan is.

Is this right for you?

Who we help buy commercial property through super

You want your business premises in your super fund

Your business pays rent to your SMSF instead of a landlord, at market rates under a proper lease.

You want to know if your fund is ready

Balance, contributions, and cash flow all shape what a fund can support. Our accountants and brokers assess the fund and the loan together.

You've heard the rules are strict

They are. Limited recourse borrowing has rules on what a fund can buy and how. We handle the structure, the lender, and the compliance in one team.

You already have an SMSF loan

Older SMSF loans often carry rates set when few lenders competed. Refinancing one is possible, and we know the lenders still active in the space.

You want it done properly, start to finish

Bare trust, lender approval, and settlement, each in the right order. One step out of sequence can undo the deal.

How It Works

A clear path from a quote to the gear on your floor

Assess The Fund

We review the fund's balance, cash flow, and structure to confirm what it can support before any property is in play.

Set Up The Structure

An SMSF purchase needs a bare trust alongside the fund, established in the right order. We coordinate it with the loan in view.

Arrange The Loan

We go to the specialist lenders active in SMSF lending, lodge the application, and manage their questions through to approval.

Settle Into The Fund

Contracts, lender conditions, and settlement, coordinated with your solicitor so the property lands in the fund correctly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does an SMSF loan actually work?

An SMSF borrows through a structure called a limited recourse borrowing arrangement, or LRBA. The property is held in a separate bare trust while the loan runs, and if the loan fails, the lender’s recourse is limited to that property rather than the rest of the fund. The fund pays the deposit and loan repayments from its own money, including rent the property earns. The rules on what a fund can buy and how are set by superannuation law, so the structure has to be right from the start.

Can my business rent the property from my SMSF?

Yes, for commercial property. This is why business premises are the most common SMSF purchase. Your business leases the property from your fund under a proper commercial lease at market rent, and that rent becomes income of the fund. The arrangement has to run at arm’s length, the same way it would with an unrelated tenant. Residential property does not work this way, since a fund generally cannot lease residential property to a member or related party.

What does my fund need before it can borrow?

Enough balance to cover the deposit, purchase costs, and a cash buffer, plus the ongoing cash flow to service the loan from rent and contributions. Lenders also look at the fund’s trust deed, which must permit borrowing, and the structure of the purchase. We assess the fund’s position first, before any property is in play, so you know where the fund stands.

Why won't my bank do an SMSF loan?

Most major banks withdrew from SMSF lending years ago. The space is now served by specialist lenders, and their terms, rates, and appetite vary widely. That thinner market is a large part of why SMSF loans are broker-arranged, since comparing the remaining lenders directly is hard to do on your own.

Who looks after the fund's accounting, compliance, and audit?

An SMSF must lodge annual accounts and be audited every year by an independent auditor. We run the fund’s accounting, tax, and administration in-house, and we coordinate the annual audit with an independent external auditor, as the law requires the audit to be independent of the accountants who prepare the fund’s accounts. One team handles the property, the loan, and the fund’s ongoing compliance, with the audit kept properly at arm’s length.

Is buying property through my SMSF a good idea?

It depends entirely on your circumstances, and it is a decision that deserves proper advice, not a webpage. Whether it suits you turns on your fund’s balance, your retirement timeline, your business situation, and how the property fits your overall position. What we can do is assess your fund honestly, explain how the structure and lending work, and tell you clearly where you stand before you commit to anything.

THINKING ABOUT PROPERTY IN YOUR SUPER?

Have a conversation with us. We’ll tell you clearly where you stand.