
Professional services office property loans
Secured finance for accountants, lawyers and advisory practices
Looking to buy an office for your practice?
Most accountants, lawyers and financial advisers spend years in leased offices before the maths of buying starts to make more sense than renting. We are commercial mortgage brokers who work with professional practices, and we know which lenders understand how professional income is structured and will approve your deal.
We can help you:
- Buy the office your practice operates from
- Borrow up to 70% to 75% as a professional owner-occupier. 100% LVR is available in some cases involving cross-collateralised security.
- Purchase a strata suite or a whole professional building
- Get a better deal or conditions on your existing finance
- Release equity for growth or a second office
- Finance an office fitout alongside the property
- Arrange finance for an SMSF purchase of your premises
- Free up your working capital
- Arrange finance through a partnership or service trust
Who we help:
- Established business owners who require finance between $50K to $30M
- First-time borrowers who need a beginner-friendly strategy
- Sophisticated borrowers and investors who need a unique strategy and deal structure
- Urgent, time-sensitive deals that need to move quickly
- Self-employed and trust-structured borrowers who need their income presented properly
- Commercial property owners with multi-tenancy plans



Speak to a specialist today
1,000+
loans settled
$2B+
funded
Professional office finance
Helping professional firms own their office rather than lease it
We help accountants, solicitors, financial advisers and other professional practices buy the premises they operate from. We handle the lender research, deal structuring and application process from start to finish. Whether you are buying solo, in a partnership, through a trust, or looking at a multi-tenancy building, we find the lender who understands how your income is structured and get the deal done.
Funding from $50K to $30M
from over 60 bank & non-bank lenders
- ANZ
- Bankwest
- Bluestone
- Bank of Queensland
- Commonwealth Bank
- Firstmac
- ING
- Macquarie
- NAB
- Pepper Money
- Suncorp Bank
- Thinktank
Professional office finance specialists
Office finance is a specialist area we can assist with, for accountants, lawyers, advisers and agencies buying their office. The premises we can finance include:
- Legal practices and law firm offices
- Accounting and professional advisory suites
- Financial planning and wealth management offices
- Multi-tenancy professional service buildings
- Strata office suites and individual tenancies
An office suite is standard commercial security, valued on comparable sales and the rent it could command. The fit-out is a separate cheque, because a valuer prices the floor rather than the joinery a firm installed for itself.
Why businesses choose Ardent Capital Group as their broker
Execution and strategy
Strategy first, then execution. We structure your deal properly and take it to the lenders genuinely comfortable with it, so you are not chasing each one yourself.
Clear advice for smart lending
Straight answers on LVR, structure and timing, including when a deal does not stack up.
A long-term partner
We stay with you well beyond settlement, with lasting relationships and ongoing support from the team.
Finance types
Office property scenarios we can help finance
A professional firm buying its own premises is assessed on how the practice trades and on the entity that holds the title. The scenarios below set out what we can assist with.
Billings, add-backs and the deposit
Where the firm buys the office it works from, a lender assesses it as an owner-occupier purchase against how the practice trades, gearing to 70% to 75% and reaching 80% where it reads the borrower profile as strong. We can help you:
- Present billings, profit distributions and add-backs as the income a lender tests serviceability against
- Compare full-doc, alt-doc and low-doc paths where the tax returns understate what the firm earns
- Fund the deposit from cash, retained earnings or equity in a property you already own
- Borrow up to 100% of the price by adding your home or another commercial property as security on a cross-collateralised facility
- Run the loan over a term of up to 25 years, with an interest-only period of up to 5 years from some lenders
- Draw the fit-out at settlement, or fund it on a separate facility after the firm moves in
Your floor and the leased floors
In a building where your firm occupies part and other tenants lease the rest, the LVR runs from 65% to 75% and is set by the share you occupy yourself, with rent assessed net of outgoings. We can help you:
- Present the leases, the weighted average lease expiry and each tenant's covenant with the application
- Expect net rent after outgoings to be assessed rather than the gross figure written into the lease
- Count rent from the leased floors toward servicing the loan
- Allow for vacant or under-let floors being treated as investment stock
- Order a valuation that takes in the building grade and its NABERS energy rating
- Finance whole-floor and part-floor tenancies in the one building
Cross-guarantees between the principals
Where the premises are held in a partnership, a unit trust or a discretionary trust, a lender underwrites the entity and each principal standing behind it, and some lenders apply a tighter LVR to that borrower. We can help you:
- Present the partnership agreement, trust deed and unit register your solicitor has settled
- Expect cross-guarantees between the principals where a lender requires them, arranged as part of the facility
- Supply personal tax returns and financial statements for every guarantor named on the loan
- Match the application to lenders that lend to partnerships and trusts, since not every lender does
- Show who controls the entity and who stands behind the loan if a principal later exits
- Finance a unit trust, a discretionary trust or a general-law partnership as the borrowing entity, with a related-party lease to the practice where a lender accepts one
SMSF purchase of a professional office
Yes, this can be done, and we arrange it. A self-managed super fund buys the office under a limited recourse borrowing arrangement, the property sits in a separate holding trust, and your practice leases it back at market rent. It is a solid, compliant structure. It is also unforgiving of detail, and the detail below is where these purchases are won or lost.
We know this sounds complicated, and we can assist to make things clearer. Reach out and we will guide you through the entire process. We structure the finance and tell you which lenders will take an office as SMSF security and on what terms, and we bring in the SMSF specialists and licensed advisers who set the fund side up, so the structure holds together from the first conversation rather than being unpicked at settlement.
- From 10 August 2026 a new arrangement can only be used for business real property: a property trading wholly as a business generally qualifies, a property with a residence attached generally does not
- The property sits in a separate holding trust, and the lender's recourse is limited to that one asset
- Your practice leases it back in writing, at market rent supported by an independent appraisal, and the rent has to actually be paid, or it can be taxed as non-arm's length income
- The arrangement funds a single asset, so the business, its goodwill and its fit-out are financed separately, outside the fund
- Cross-collateralisation is not available inside super. The fund needs its own deposit, and the 100% LVR structures available outside super do not apply
- Lenders cap SMSF lending below a standard purchase, generally between 65% and 75%, and want cash left in the fund after settlement
Equity release and the exit costs
A refinance is set by a fresh valuation and current servicing rather than the price paid at purchase, and the break costs and discharge fees on the existing facility come off whatever a switch saves. We can help you:
- Refinance as an owner-occupier to 75%, or take cash out at a lower LVR
- Release equity for a fit-out, a technology refresh or a second office
- Convert from principal-and-interest to an interest-only period of up to 5 years
- Consolidate a fit-out or equipment loan, and debt spread across several entities, into the one facility
- Move from a non-bank lender to a bank once the firm has trading history behind it
- Compare lenders that cap a strata office at 65% against those that write it to 80%, as our page on refinancing an office suite sets out
One lot rather than a whole floor
A single strata lot is assessed as standard commercial security, and appetite for strata office varies lender by lender, with some applying a minimum floor area to small lots. We can help you:
- Buy one lot rather than a whole floor or a whole building
- Order a valuation of the lot as standard commercial security, which takes in the floor level and any car space
- Confirm each lender's minimum floor area, which some apply to small lots, before the application is lodged
- Match the purchase to lenders that hold appetite for strata office, which is selective at the major banks
- Fund a suite sized for a single principal or a small partnership
- Expect tighter terms where a high proportion of the building is investor-owned
Our complete list of services
- Buy the office your practice operates from
- Borrow up to 70% to 75% as a professional owner-occupier
- Purchase a strata suite or a whole professional building
- Improve the rate or conditions on your existing finance
- Release equity for growth or a second office
- Finance an office fitout alongside the property
- Fund technology, equipment and practice setup costs
- Arrange finance for an SMSF purchase of your premises
- Arrange finance through a partnership or service trust
- Refinance and consolidate existing practice debt
- Free up your working capital
- Bridge a settlement timing gap
- Fund a partner buy-in or practice acquisition
- Finance fitted-out suites and shell-and-core offices
- Provide personal and home finance for principals
- Support new principals stepping into ownership
- Fund the business behind the property with business loans for professional services firms
Our process
How it works
✓We understand your scenario
We talk through the property, your business and timeline, and any complexity in your structure.
✓We find the right lender
We match your deal to the lender on our panel best suited to it.
✓You receive clear terms and guidance
We present indicative terms and explain what we recommend, and why.
✓We stay with you beyond settlement
We manage everything through to settlement, then stay in your corner well beyond it, with ongoing support from the team.
Lender features compared
How office and professional-services property loans compare across lenders
| Office loan feature | Major banks | Non-bank lenders | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum LVR | Not published, assessed case by case | Up to 80% | Standard |
| Owner-occupier finance | Preferred rates | Available | Common |
| SMSF purchase | Withdrawn from SMSF lending | Up to 65% to 80% | Popular |
| Interest-only periods | Up to 5 years | Up to 5 years | Common |
| Loan term | Commonly 10 to 15 years | Up to 25 to 30 years | Flexible |
| Strata / suburban office appetite | Selective on strata | More flexible | Important |
| Approval timeframe* | 3 to 6 weeks | 2 to 4 weeks | Varies |
| Best suited for | Established firms, standard office | Strata suites, mixed tenancy, higher LVR | — |
*IMPORTANT: These are indicative figures only. Terms, LVRs and approval timeframes vary with borrower capacity, security type and individual lender criteria, and are subject to change. Figures are a general guide, not a quote or an offer of finance, and not a representation that finance is available on these terms.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy my office or consulting suite at 100% LVR?
Yes, and more often than firms expect. A lender can advance up to 100% of the purchase price for your office when you add extra security, usually your home or another commercial property, set up as a cross-collateralised facility. The exact structure depends on your file, so talk to us and we will map it.
What is professional office finance?
Professional office finance is a commercial mortgage used to buy premises for a professional services firm, from legal and accounting practices to advisory and multi-tenancy suites. LVR and terms depend on the property type, your entity structure and how the office will be used. Ardent Capital Group is a Sydney-based finance brokerage helping professional firms buy their premises across Australia.
How much finance can you help me access?
Office premises funding runs from $50K up to $30M, from a strata suite for a small firm through to a floor or a whole building. Location, floor plate efficiency and parking tend to shape the valuation.
What makes Ardent Capital Group the right broker for you?
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. An owner-occupied office reads on its own terms rather than being lumped in with a passive investment building, so we place it with lenders who read owner-occupiers on how they trade and help you time the move around your lease. Beyond settlement we keep working with you, whether the firm grows into the floor above or a second office down the track. For a Sydney purchase specifically, we cover the market in more depth on our commercial property loans Sydney page. Every figure is subject to serviceability, lender appetite and approval.
Why not just go direct to my bank?
Going direct to your bank means one set of lending criteria and one answer. professional services office property is a specialist asset class, and not every lender has strong appetite for it. Income structured through service trusts, partnerships or multiple entities is frequently misread by bank credit teams who are more comfortable with straightforward PAYG borrowers. A specialist broker knows which lenders are actively writing this type of deal right now, how to present the submission correctly, and which ones to avoid. You get the lenders that suit your situation, so you are not approaching each one yourself, rather than working through a list and collecting unnecessary declines.
What LVR can I borrow for an office purchase?
Professional owner-occupiers usually gear to 70% to 75%, and strong profiles reach 80%. Strata offices sit on the same basis, and an investment office let to a solid tenant also reaches around 80%. Your tenancy and borrower profile move the exact figure, so talk to us and we will map it.
How long does the finance take from application to settlement?
For a straightforward owner-occupier purchase, most clients receive indicative credit terms within 48 hours of our first conversation. Formal approval typically follows within one to two weeks. Partnership structures, SMSF lending and multi-tenancy buildings take longer. We will give you a realistic timeline upfront so your purchase schedule stays on track.
What documents do I need to apply?
For a full-doc application, most lenders require two to three years of business financial statements and tax returns, personal tax returns for all guarantors, and a copy of the contract of sale or expression of interest. That said, many enquiries come from self-employed owners who do not fit neatly into a standard full-doc assessment. Non-bank lenders offer alt-doc and low-doc options where income can be evidenced through an accountant's declaration, BAS statements or bank statements. These products typically carry slightly higher rates but open the door for borrowers whose paperwork understates income. We work through your income situation upfront and identify whether full-doc, alt-doc or low-doc is the right fit for you.
Can I buy a professional office through my SMSF?
Yes, it is possible, and we arrange these. It is also one of the more intricate purchases in commercial finance, and the detail is what decides whether it works. The fund borrows under a limited recourse borrowing arrangement, so the office sits in a separate holding trust and the lender can only come after that one property. From 10 August 2026 a new arrangement can only be used for business real property: a property trading wholly as a business generally qualifies, a property with a residence attached generally does not. Your practice leases the office back from the fund, in writing, at market rent supported by an independent appraisal, and the rent has to actually be paid. Cross-collateralisation is not available inside super, so the fund needs its own deposit and the 100% LVR structures described elsewhere on this page do not work here. Lenders cap SMSF lending below a standard purchase, generally between 65% and 75%, and want cash left in the fund after settlement. We know this sounds complicated, and we can assist to make things clearer. Reach out to our team and we will guide you through the entire process. We structure the finance, tell you which lenders will take an office as SMSF security and on what terms, and bring in the SMSF specialists and licensed advisers who set the fund side up. You will not be working it out on your own. Get that right and it is a solid, compliant structure. Our business real property page sets out what that test requires and the situations that decide it.
Can my partnership buy an office together?
Yes. Group professional practice partnerships are a common way for multiple principals to buy premises together. Lenders review the partnership agreement, the financial position of each partner, and how the loan would be serviced if one partner exited. Some lenders are more comfortable with this structure than others. We know which lenders regularly approve professional practice partnerships and how to present the deal correctly.
Can I finance the fitout alongside the property purchase?
In many cases, yes. Some lenders will include fitout finance as part of the commercial property loan, either at settlement or as a facility drawn down afterwards. Others require fitout funding to be handled separately through business finance. The right approach depends on the lender and the overall lending structure. We factor this in at the start so the full cost is planned for, not discovered later.
My bank declined my application. Can you help?
Often, yes. A decline from your bank does not necessarily mean the deal is not fundable. Banks have rigid credit policies, and professional office property does not always fit neatly within them. Non-bank lenders assess deals differently, and sometimes a structuring or presentation issue is all that stood between you and an approval. We will give you an honest assessment of what is possible before proceeding.
Do you charge broker fees?
Most of the time, no. Where your financials are complex, your structure is unusual, or the deal requires significant preparation before it can go to a lender, we may charge a small mandate fee depending on the complexity. We will always be upfront about this before any work begins.
What areas do you service?
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 office or consulting premises are located, we can arrange your finance.
What other finance can you assist with?
Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, we also assist with office fit-out finance and working capital for professional services firms. On asset finance, that covers office and IT fit-out, computers and servers, office furniture, and company vehicles. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit, and debtor or invoice finance to smooth the billing-cycle gaps common to professional firms. We also arrange home loans, where a practising certificate or professional membership is the qualifying test rather than income: see home loans for lawyers and accountants. Where the plan is to build rather than buy, we arrange owner occupier office construction finance.
I've been a business owner for a few years now, but this will be my first loan. Are you beginner friendly?
Yes. That is our core ethos, helping you understand the right strategy, structure and clear advice from the very first conversation. Our main borrower profiles are established firm owners and professional practitioners seeking finance from $50,000 upwards for their company, so a first commercial loan is well within our wheelhouse. Smaller sole-trader and consumer-style ABN lending sits outside our field.
Can you give financial advice?
No. Arranging finance and advising on financial products are two different disciplines, and we do the first. What we bring is the credit analysis lenders require, the structuring of the facility, and the strategy for putting your application in front of lenders whose appetite matches it.
Because we act as a credit representative under an Australian Credit Licence, we do not give financial product, superannuation, taxation or legal advice, and nothing we provide should be taken as such. Where your circumstances need that input, we are happy to work with your accountant, financial adviser and solicitor to understand the full picture before anything is submitted.
The information on this page is general in nature and does not take account of your objectives, financial situation or needs.
Office & professional services
Office property we finance
An office suite is standard commercial security, but the published spread between lenders is wider here than almost anywhere else. We have written a page for each situation.
Commercial property finance specialists
Looking to buy your business premises? Whether you're buying your first commercial property or refinancing an existing one, we can get it sorted.

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