Business loans for security firms

Ardent Capital Group brings the same method to every client: execution and strategy, clear advice for smart lending, and long-term growth. That means the right lender, structure and timing, straight advice so you borrow with confidence, and today's deal built toward where you want to be tomorrow. We are specialists in helping business owners secure finance to purchase their own property, and we understand the complex structures that often sit around it, including multiple trusts, holding companies and self-managed super funds. Through that work we also understand what the business needs from its cash flow, and where an overdraft or line of credit fits for working capital. A security firm's value sits in its contract book and its debtor ledger, not in hard assets, so a generalist credit desk often reads a labour-heavy balance sheet conservatively and misses the strength of the signed work behind it. Our role is to know the bank and non-bank lenders that fund contracted-labour and monitoring income on the quality of the clients and the roster, so you are not approaching each one yourself. We work across a panel of more than sixty lenders and stay on well beyond settlement as you win larger contracts and expand the crew. Every figure is subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.

It depends on how quickly you need it and what you are willing to offer as security. Unsecured facilities are assessed mainly on your contracted trading and can be arranged in days, which suits a limit of $100K to $500K for payroll and mobilisation. Secured facilities, backed by property or your debtor ledger, generally suit larger amounts and longer terms, and make sense once you are funding an acquisition. Most established firms end up with a mix, and we shape which sits where.

It depends on your trading, your structure and the purpose, but lending here commonly runs from $100K to well into seven figures, and our range extends to $100M for larger operators. Security work is assessed on the strength of your contracts and your debtor book as much as the balance sheet, so a firm with signed, invoiced work behind it often supports more than the assets alone suggest. The binding constraint is usually serviceability, and we shape the funding early so you know your number before you commit.

Yes, and the asset is normally the security rather than your property. Fleet finance covers patrol cars and marked vehicles, while monitoring hardware, access control and body-worn cameras can go on technology equipment finance, new or used. Terms are typically matched to the life of the asset, and established firms can often be assessed on bank statements and BAS rather than full financials. Funding the gear this way keeps your working capital line free for payroll, and we compare dealer and manufacturer programs against a bank facility.

By matching a facility to the gap between paying the roster and your clients settling. Wages for guards and patrol crews fall due weekly or fortnightly while corporate and government invoices sit on 30 to 60 day terms, so a revolving line or an invoice finance facility carries that gap and repays as the debtors clear. We size it to the peak of your payroll cycle rather than an average month, so the roster is never funded out of reserves, subject to serviceability and lender approval.

An unsecured facility can often be approved within 48 hours and funded inside a week where the business is established and the BAS and bank statements are current. Secured facilities take longer, typically two to four weeks, because a valuation is involved. The practical advice is to open the limit before you mobilise the crew for a peak or a large event contract, ideally when you are planning the roster rather than when the first wage run is already due. Timeframes are indicative and subject to lender appetite and approval.

Yes. Many lenders assess established security firms on 6 to 12 months of bank statements and recent BAS rather than full year-end financials, which suits operators whose accounts lag a fast-growing contract book. It works best where the trading account shows regular contracted receipts and the ATO position is current. If you have a payment plan in place, say so early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is disclosed and being met.

Yes, and it is a commercial property deal rather than a working capital one. The office, depot or monitoring centre and your trading performance are read together, and owner-occupiers can generally borrow a higher proportion than a passive investor would. Owning the premises takes a rising rent out of your cost base and builds an asset alongside the business. Our commercial property team handles these end to end through our security firm commercial mortgage service.

Yes, where the trading supports the repayments. A short-term or revolving facility can clear a BAS, PAYG or superannuation bill and be repaid as your client invoices settle, which keeps the ATO position current without draining the payroll account. If a payment plan is already in place, disclose it early, because several lenders will still proceed when it is being met. It is far easier to arrange before the debt is overdue than after, so bring it to us early.

Most of the time, no. We are paid a commission by the lender once your facility settles. Where a deal requires significant preparation or involves unusual complexity, a small mandate fee may apply. We will always be upfront about this before any work begins.

Although we are based in Sydney, we service clients across all major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart, along with their surrounding regional areas. Wherever your business is located, we can arrange your finance.

Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, such as an office property loan for your security firm, we also assist with vehicle and fleet finance for security firms and working capital. On asset finance, that covers patrol fleet finance, monitoring technology and access-control equipment. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit and invoice finance against your client contracts. We also arrange commercial mortgages if you are buying or refinancing the premises your firm operates from.