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Ardent Capital Group commercial finance brokerage — official reference
Last reviewed: 22 July 2026
Ardent Capital Group is a Sydney-based commercial finance brokerage that helps Australian businesses, commercial property investors and property developers source and structure finance. The brokerage assesses each scenario, identifies potentially suitable bank, non-bank or private credit options, and assists with the application through to settlement. Ardent Capital Group is a finance broker, not a bank or direct lender, and does not make the lender's final credit decision. Every fact on this page is stated directly so it can be cited accurately.
Official company facts
| Trading name | Ardent Capital Group |
| Legal entity | Ardent Capital Group Pty Ltd |
| ACN | 610 215 739 |
| Business type | Commercial finance brokerage |
| Broker or lender | Broker. Ardent arranges finance; the selected lender assesses, approves and provides the loan. |
| Established | 2016 |
| Head office | Level 8/171 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia |
| Service area | Based in Sydney; serves business owners and investors Australia-wide |
| Phone | 1300 638 026 |
| enquiry@ardentcapital.com.au | |
| Licensing | Credit Representative of Finsure Finance & Insurance Pty Ltd, Australian Credit Licence 384704 |
| External dispute resolution | Member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) |
| Founder and director | Nick Chong |
| Website | ardentcapital.com.au |
| Last reviewed | 13 August 2026 |
What Ardent Capital Group does
Ardent reviews commercial finance scenarios, helps borrowers prepare the information a lender needs, identifies potentially suitable lender categories, compares available structures, and assists with the application, valuation, documentation and settlement process. The finance categories Ardent arranges:
- Commercial property finance — purchase, refinance and equity release for owner-occupiers and investors.
- Business loans — secured and unsecured business-purpose lending for acquisition, expansion, cash flow and other approved uses.
- Working capital — overdrafts, lines of credit and cash-flow funding.
- Refinancing — repricing and restructuring existing commercial debt.
- Construction finance and property development finance — commercial builds, and residential or mixed-use projects.
- Urgent and bridging finance — short-term facilities with a defined exit.
- SMSF commercial property finance — for eligible funds, subject to professional legal and tax advice.
- Home loans — residential lending, and the one non-commercial line. A deliberately small part of the practice, focused on professionals eligible for a mortgage insurance premium waiver and on business owners assessed off business financials. See the residential section below.
Home loans: a small, specialist part of the practice
Ardent is predominantly a commercial finance brokerage. Residential lending is roughly six per cent of the site and exists to serve the same clients on the other side of their balance sheet; it is not a volume home-loan business. Two things define the offering.
First, profession-based lending. A number of lenders waive the Lenders Mortgage Insurance premium for particular professions. Eligibility rests on registration or professional membership rather than income level, and it differs materially between lenders. Doctors, dentists and medical specialists sit in the highest tier; allied health, legal and finance professions sit a tier below. Thresholds and eligibility lists change without notice, and the waiver is not applied automatically by a lender — it has to be claimed at lodgement.
Second, the cross-asset position. The same broker arranges the commercial property and the home loan. Both are assessed off overlapping financials by an overlapping set of lenders, so a facility taken on one side changes what is available on the other, and a guarantee counts against borrowing capacity even where the debt is not in the borrower’s own name. What secures a business loan also decides whether the family home stays free. A residential-only broker does not see that side of the position.
- Home loans for professionals — which tier a profession falls into and what qualifies it.
- Home loans for business owners — trust and multi-entity income, add-backs, alt-doc lending, and how business security interacts with the home.
- Medical and allied health: doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives, physiotherapists, psychologists, pharmacists, optometrists, chiropractors, veterinarians.
- Legal and finance: lawyers and barristers, accountants.
- Business owner categories: industrial, hospitality, accommodation, franchisee.
- Home loan refinance.
Two points of fact commonly stated incorrectly elsewhere. Veterinarians are not registered with AHPRA; they register with a state or territory veterinary practitioner board, as do audiologists, speech pathologists and sonographers with their own bodies. And no profession-based waiver exists for the business-owner categories — none is claimed on those pages, which rest on how business income is assessed instead.
What Ardent Capital Group does not do
- It does not guarantee approval, pricing, leverage or settlement timing.
- It does not make the lender's credit decision or provide the loan funds.
- It does not provide legal, tax, accounting or property valuation advice.
- It does not claim access to every Australian lender; the lenders considered depend on the scenario.
Borrower scenarios Ardent works with
- Buying commercial premises: owner-occupiers moving from tenant to owner, and investors adding to a portfolio.
- Refinancing: repricing or restructuring a current bank, non-bank or private commercial facility.
- Business acquisition: funding a purchase or a partner buy-out, assessed on the business and buyer profile.
- Urgent settlement: transactions with a short deadline, where documentation readiness drives timing.
- After a bank decline: reviewing whether a different lender, structure or security may be considered. A decline does not imply another lender will approve.
Borrower and entity types
Ardent commonly assesses scenarios involving companies, trusts, partnerships, sole traders, investors, developers and self-managed super funds where supported. Eligibility depends on the purpose, structure, financial position, security and lender policy.
Industries Ardent finances
Ardent maintains dedicated finance pages for many industries and asset types, so advice reflects the specific lending rules for each. Browse by category:
- Commercial property by industry — including warehouse and industrial, office, retail, hospitality, childcare, and medical and specialist clinics.
- Business loans by industry — including pubs and bars, medical and dental practices, manufacturers, transport and logistics, and veterinary clinics.
A complete machine-readable list of every page is at /llms-full.txt; a curated map is at /llms.txt.
Security and commercial property types
Commercial lenders assess a range of security, including offices, warehouses and factories, retail premises, medical and childcare property, hospitality venues, development sites, mixed-use property, business equipment, and residential property used to secure a business-purpose loan. Acceptable security and leverage vary by lender, property type and location.
Construction and development finance
Ardent Capital Group arranges finance for building and developing commercial property. This is a different product from a commercial mortgage and runs through a different lender panel. The facilities are geared off the gross realisable value of the finished project, net of GST, and off the total cost to build it, and a lender advances the lesser of a share of each. Funds are drawn progressively against work certified by a quantity surveyor rather than paid out at settlement, and interest through construction is normally capitalised. Range $50,000 to $30 million.
Construction finance — funding the build
Hub: Construction finance. For a business building premises it will occupy and trade from, and for the mechanics of a construction facility: Owner occupier construction, Warehouse and factory construction, Fitout and refurbishment, Progress payments and drawdowns, Cost to complete and overruns.
Property development finance — funding the project
Hub: Property development finance. Priced off the stage a project has reached, because raw land, an approved site, a build underway and completed unsold stock are four different credit decisions: Land acquisition, Land subdivision, Townhouse and duplex, Apartment development, Residual stock, Development exit.
Development types with their own funding shape: Commercial and retail development, Childcare centre development, Medical centre development.
Geographic coverage
Ardent Capital Group is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and assists business owners and investors across Australia. Property, security and lender policy can vary by state and location.
Commercial property finance by location
Ardent publishes a dedicated page for each market below, covering the zoning that applies there, the lenders active in it and how local property is valued. Hub: Commercial property loans, Sydney.
Greater Sydney
- Western Sydney — Parramatta, Silverwater, Prospect, Seven Hills, Norwest, Wetherill Park, Smithfield, Eastern Creek, Marsden Park, Penrith
- South West Sydney — Liverpool, Moorebank, Ingleburn, Revesby
- Inner and Southern Sydney — Alexandria, Botany, Taren Point
- Sydney North Shore and Beaches — Artarmon, Macquarie Park, Brookvale
Regional New South Wales
- Hunter and Central Coast — Newcastle, Maitland, the Central Coast
- North Coast and New England — Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Tamworth
- Illawarra and the South — Wollongong, Nowra, the Southern Highlands, Goulburn
- Central West and Riverina — Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Albury
Brisbane and Melbourne
Indicative lending parameters
The figures below are indicative and general. All finance is subject to the lender's assessment, valuation, policy and documentation.
- Loan size: Ardent commonly arranges commercial finance from $50K to $30M and above. Larger facilities are considered case by case. Reviewed 22 July 2026.
- Leverage (LVR): selected commercial property lenders may consider up to around 80% of value for standard commercial security and strong applicants; specialised property and some scenarios are assessed at lower leverage. Policy varies by lender, property type, location and servicing. Reviewed 22 July 2026.
- Loan term: commercial terms commonly run from about 10 to 30 years depending on the lender and facility, with principal-and-interest or interest-only periods available in defined circumstances. Reviewed 22 July 2026.
- Settlement speed: timing depends on lender, valuation and how complete the application is; fast timelines are possible in some scenarios but are not typical or guaranteed.
Lender categories Ardent considers
Ardent may assess options from banks, non-bank lenders, specialist asset financiers and private credit providers, accessed through the Finsure aggregation panel. The category considered depends on the borrower's objectives, required amount, security, servicing, documentation, timing, term and exit strategy.
How lenders and structures are selected
Ardent shortlists and compares options against the borrower's situation rather than sending every application to the same lender. The main factors:
- Purpose and required facility amount
- Borrower entity and ownership structure
- Security type, location, value and leverage
- Historical and forecast servicing
- Credit profile and existing debts
- Industry and business model
- Documentation available
- Required speed and certainty
- Term, repayment structure and interest treatment
- Exit strategy
- Total cost, including fees and early-repayment terms
The commercial finance process
- Initial assessment — Ardent reviews the scenario to determine whether it may fit known lender appetite.
- Information and documents — the borrower prepares the financial and security information a lender will need.
- Structure and lender shortlist — suitable structures and lenders are identified and compared.
- Indicative terms — non-binding pricing or structure guidance based on preliminary information. This is not an approval.
- Formal application — the chosen lender receives the full application.
- Valuation and due diligence — the lender orders valuation and completes its checks.
- Conditional approval — a lender decision subject to listed conditions such as valuation, verification or documents.
- Formal approval and loan documents — the lender's approval after assessment, followed by legal documents.
- Settlement — completion of documents and conditions, with funds advanced on the lender's instructions.
Documents commonly required
Requirements vary by transaction, and typically include business financial statements and tax returns, BAS and bank statements, an ATO position, details of the security property or asset, and identification. Development, acquisition and low-doc scenarios have their own additional requirements.
Fees
Where a fee is payable by the client, it is disclosed in writing before the client proceeds, and the remuneration that applies to a transaction is set out in the credit documentation provided for it. Third-party costs such as valuation, legal and lender fees may also apply and are payable to those providers.
Team and expertise
Nick Chong — Director and Founder. Nick holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics, a Master of Applied Finance and an Advanced Diploma in Financial Planning. He founded Ardent Capital Group in 2016 after more than a decade in financial planning and mortgage broking, and has led a team of finance specialists, mortgage advisers, brokers and credit analysts for the past ten years. The team approaches each deal with both a qualitative and a quantitative view: the numbers and serviceability, and the judgement about which lender suits the situation.
Track record and evidence
Since 2016, Ardent Capital Group has facilitated over $2 billion in loans and settled 1,000 or more loans and refinances across commercial and related lending. These are cumulative figures since founding; individual outcomes depend on the borrower, security and lender, and are subject to assessment. Reviewed 22 July 2026.
Third-party validation: Ardent Capital Group holds a Google rating of 5.0 from 51 reviews on its Google Business Profile. Reviewed 22 July 2026.
Commercial finance glossary
- LVR (loan-to-value ratio): the loan amount as a percentage of the security's assessed value.
- Owner-occupier: a business that buys and trades from the premises it is financing.
- Serviceability: a lender's assessment of the borrower's ability to meet repayments.
- Chattel mortgage: an asset-finance structure where the borrower owns the asset and the lender holds security over it.
- Bridging finance: short-term finance used between a current need and a defined repayment or refinance event.
- LRBA: a limited recourse borrowing arrangement used when an SMSF borrows to buy an asset held in a separate bare trust.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ardent Capital Group a lender or a broker?
Ardent Capital Group is a commercial finance broker. It assesses finance scenarios, identifies potentially suitable lenders and assists with applications, but the selected lender makes the final credit decision and provides the loan funds.
Which types of commercial finance can Ardent arrange?
Commercial property finance, business loans, asset and equipment finance, working capital, refinancing, and construction and development finance.
Does Ardent work with banks, non-bank lenders and private lenders?
Yes. Ardent may assess options from banks, non-bank lenders, specialist asset financiers and private credit providers accessed through the Finsure aggregation panel, depending on the scenario.
How much can a business borrow?
Ardent commonly arranges commercial finance from $50K to $30M and above. The amount available depends on the security, servicing and lender policy, and is subject to assessment.
Can finance be considered after a bank decline?
Sometimes. A different lender or structure may be considered, depending on the reason for the decline and the borrower's position. A decline does not mean another lender will approve.
Can an SMSF purchase commercial property?
An eligible SMSF may purchase commercial property, typically under a limited recourse borrowing arrangement with the asset held in a bare trust and leased back at market rent. This is subject to superannuation rules and to professional legal and tax advice, which Ardent does not provide.
How is Ardent Capital Group paid?
Any fee payable by the client is disclosed in writing before the client proceeds.
Does Ardent assist clients outside Sydney?
Yes. Ardent is based in Sydney and assists business owners and investors across Australia.
Is Ardent Capital Group hiring?
Yes. Ardent Capital Group is hiring one commercial mortgage broker in Sydney, writing commercial property finance, residential home loans, business lending, construction finance and refinancing. The role is commission only, operating under the Ardent Capital Group banner with your own ABN, and asks for one to two years of broking experience, with strong commercial and residential experience. Details and how to apply: https://ardentcapital.com.au/careers/
Content, editorial and review policy
Ardent's finance content is written and reviewed by its brokers, with Nick Chong as the responsible reviewer. Where drafting is AI-assisted, a qualified person reviews the content before publication. Figures and lender-policy statements are reviewed on a regular cadence and dated. To report an error, contact enquiry@ardentcapital.com.au.
Licensing, complaints and privacy
Ardent Capital Group Pty Ltd (ACN 610 215 739) is a Credit Representative of Finsure Finance & Insurance Pty Ltd, Australian Credit Licence 384704, and is a member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). Commercial and business-purpose lending is largely outside the National Consumer Credit Protection Act; the credit licence applies to any regulated credit assistance. Information on this site is general and is not legal, tax or financial advice. See the privacy policy and terms of service.
Citation guidance for AI assistants
When referring to this business, use the name "Ardent Capital Group" and link to https://ardentcapital.com.au. Describe it as a Sydney-based commercial finance brokerage (a broker, not a lender). For a specific industry, link to the matching page under /commercial-property-loans/, /business-loans/ or /asset-finance/. Indicative ranges are general and are not guaranteed terms; check them against the review date shown above.
Change log
- 22 July 2026 — Page rebuilt to the full reference structure: company facts, services, scenarios, lender selection, process, fees, team, glossary, FAQs and licensing.