Commercial fitout and refurbishment finance

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 a fitout the security position and the lease term decide the structure, and most people find that out after they have committed to the works. We start there.

Yes, and it is the most common project we see here. Because the works attach to a building you do not own there is no property to mortgage, so the facility is written against your business and its trading, with the lease forming part of the assessment. It is well established lending rather than an exception.

We arrange from $50,000 to $30 million. What is available to you depends on whether there is property security. On leased premises it is driven by your trading income and the remaining lease term. On premises you own it is driven by the property and the value of the completed works.

Almost always, because commercial leases generally require consent to fitout works. A lender will want to see that consent alongside the plans before releasing funds. Starting works without it creates a problem under the lease, and it is the kind of problem that stops a drawdown.

On leased premises, inside the remaining term of your lease. Lenders generally will not run a facility past your right to occupy, and an unexercised option to renew is usually treated as an option rather than as certainty. On premises you own, the term is set by the property in the ordinary way.

Yes, in your favour. A contribution reduces what you need to borrow. Where it is paid as a lump sum after the works are complete, or taken as a rent free period, there is a timing gap between paying for the works and receiving the benefit, and that gap can itself be funded.

Yes. Reinstatement is a real cost and it usually arrives while you are also paying for the fitout of your new premises. Where you are relocating, the makegood on the old site and the fitout of the new one can be arranged together on one facility rather than taking two bites out of working capital.

Often yes. Where a business has funded works out of working capital, those costs can frequently be moved onto a term facility afterwards, which puts the cash back into the business. How far back a lender will look varies, so ask sooner rather than later.

On leased premises, substantially. There is no security, no as-if-complete valuation and no sale, so it is assessed on your business. On a building you own, larger works are closer to a construction facility, with a scope, a fixed price where possible and a valuation of the completed building.

Yes, and most of this work is staged that way. A section at a time, after hours or across a quiet period. Staging costs more and protects the revenue that services the facility. The programme and your cash flow are assessed together, so the facility is sized against reduced trading rather than a normal month.

It can, and it is usually simpler that way. Joinery, services, kitchen and workshop plant, signage and the trade works can be arranged together rather than split across several agreements. We will tell you where combining them helps and where it does not.

Faster than most construction lending. Fitout facilities on leased premises are commonly settled in days to a couple of weeks through the non-bank panel, and in two to six weeks through a major. Where a landlord has given you a date to be out of your existing premises, tell us that at the start.

Your signed lease or the agreement for lease, the landlord consent where it has issued, the fitout quote or scope of works, your last two years of business financials and recent management accounts. Where you own the building, the title and details of any existing mortgage as well.

Most of the time, no. Where a project requires significant preparation due to its complexity, a small mandate fee may apply, and 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 premises are located, we can arrange your finance.

Although our main speciality is property loans for business owners, we also assist with asset finance and working capital. On asset finance, that covers the plant and equipment that goes into the premises, from kitchen and workshop plant to vehicles. On working capital, we arrange business overdrafts, lines of credit and cash-flow funding to carry a business through a refurbishment or a relocation.

Yes. That is our core ethos, helping you understand the right strategy, structure and clear advice from the first conversation. A first relocation carries more moving parts than people expect, with makegood on one site and fitout on another landing in the same period. We will walk you through what can be funded, what your lease allows and how the timing works, before you commit to anything.

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.