SMSF finance for retail and consumer premises

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. On shops the borrowing rules are the same every time and the property is what changes: a strata jeweller, a bulky goods showroom, a gym and a butcher are four different assets, and the lender list is different for each.

We arrange commercial property finance from $50K up to $30M. Inside a fund, retail is standard commercial security and generally gears between 65% and 80% of the value, so the fund provides the rest as its own deposit.

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. A self-managed super fund with no more than six members may acquire business real property from a related party at market value, so a shop owner who holds the premises in their own name can sell them to their own fund. The price has to be market value supported by an independent valuation, and transfer duty generally applies. From 10 August 2026 a new arrangement can only be used for business real property. Cross-collateralisation is not available inside super, so the fund provides its own deposit and the 100% LVR structures available outside super do not apply here. Talk to our team. We arrange the finance, tell you which lenders will take your premises as SMSF security and on what terms, and bring in the SMSF specialists and licensed advisers who set the fund side up.

The test is whether the property is used wholly and exclusively in a business. A shop trading as a shop meets it. A flat above the shop that someone lives in generally does not. Settle that before you offer. Your accountant and the fund auditor confirm the position, and we can tell you which lenders will take the property as SMSF security once they have.

Yes. The lease has to be in writing at market rent supported by an independent appraisal, and the rent has to actually be paid. Rent below market, or rent that is not paid, is non-arm's length income and is taxed at the top marginal rate. Your accountant sets the figure and a valuer supports it.

No. A limited recourse arrangement funds the acquisition of one asset and its repair and maintenance, not an improvement. A new shopfront, a fit-out or an extension is an improvement, and the fund pays for it from its own other money rather than from borrowed money.

No. The arrangement funds a single asset, so the fund buys the shop itself. The cabinets, the cool rooms, the gym equipment, the salon basins and the stock are financed separately, outside the fund. Ask the valuer what has been included in the property figure before you rely on it.

The lot is what the fund buys, so the by-laws, the levies, the sinking fund balance and any trading-hours covenant come with it. A lender assesses the scheme as well as the lot, and a weak sinking fund shows up in that assessment. Your solicitor reviews the by-laws and the strata report.

If part of the building is lived in, the property is generally not used wholly and exclusively in the business, and a fund cannot acquire it under a new arrangement. Where the upstairs is used in the business rather than lived in, the position can be different. Settle it with your accountant and the fund auditor, and we can arrange the purchase outside super where it will not work.

Yes. A fund can hold retail premises let to an unrelated tenant, and it is assessed on the lease and the tenant rather than on a business you run. The business real property test still applies to the property itself. We can tell you how lenders read a given lease inside a fund.

No. The major banks left SMSF lending some years ago, so these purchases are written by specialist and non-bank lenders. That shapes the rate, the fees and the paperwork, and it is why the lender list matters more on a fund purchase than on an ordinary one.

Four to six weeks from application to settlement is realistic for a straightforward shop purchase, and longer inside a fund, where the trust deed, the holding trust and the fund auditor are all part of the approval. A strata lot adds the strata search. We give you a timeline for your specific property before you commit to a settlement date.

Most lenders writing SMSF loans require a corporate trustee for the fund and a separate corporate trustee for the holding trust. Your accountant and solicitor set both up. We tell you what the lender you are going to needs before you start.

Before contracts are signed, and the order is state based. In Queensland and South Australia the deed is executed before the contract; in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT it follows. The contract is signed by the holding trust trustee rather than the fund trustee. Getting the order or the name wrong can mean duty twice, so your solicitor drives it.

Identification, the contract or property details, the fund's trust deed and recent financial statements, member balances, the business financials, and the draft lease. A strata shop adds the strata report and the by-laws. A food premises adds the registration. A showroom adds the zoning certificate.

Most of the time, no. Where a purchase needs significant preparation or is unusually complex, and an SMSF purchase sometimes is, a small mandate fee may apply, and we will always tell you plainly 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 premises are located, we can arrange your finance.

Yes. We explain what the fund can and cannot do, tell you which lenders write your shop type and on what terms, and work to the timeline your accountant and solicitor set. We know this sounds complicated, and we can assist to make things clearer.