Private business lending
A private commercial loan is short-term funding from a non-bank or private lender secured against property, and Quantum Finance uses it where a bank cannot help, with the exit agreed before the facility is drawn.
- Short-term funding from private and non-bank lenders.
- Secured against property, assessed on the security and the exit.
- For a specific situation with a clear end point.
- It costs more than bank funding, and the exit is agreed first.
- Years broking
- 21+Years broking
- Loans settled
- $1B+Loans settled
- Credit licence
- ACL 389083Credit licence
- Lenders compared
- 40+Lenders compared
Our awards and recognition
Awarded by the people who see every broker’s numbers
Diamond Club
2026
Money Quest Group
Diamond Club
2025
Money Quest Group
Diamond Club
2024
Money Quest Group
Mortgage Broker of the Year
2023/24 — National, highest dollar volume settled
Southern Cross Broker Network
Excellence in Finance, Gold
2021
PLAN Australia
Excellence in Finance, Gold
2020
PLAN Australia
Hall of Fame
Valued partner, 15 years
PLAN Australia
Elite Broker
2021
Broker Value Proposition
Premium Broker
ANZ
Individual Excellence Award
2016
Specialist Finance Group
Sales Excellence Award
PLAN Australia
Sales Master Award
PLAN Australia
Top 100 Brokers
Four times
Australian Broker
What our private lending service does
The work on a private commercial facility, from testing the banks to the exitA private commercial loan is business funding provided by a private or non-bank lender rather than a bank, secured against property. The lender assesses the security and the exit rather than years of trading history, and it is short-term money for a specific situation.
It suits a deal with a clear end point: a settlement that has to happen, a facility being paid out, or a purchase completing before a sale. The exit is agreed before anything is drawn.
Private lending is a commercial contract. The consumer protections that apply to a regulated home loan do not automatically carry across, so read the agreement with your solicitor.
We check whether a bank could still do this first
Private funding is expensive and it should be the second answer, not the first. We test the bank and non-bank options before we go near a private lender. Sometimes the timeline is workable and the premium is avoidable, and that is worth ten minutes of checking.
We agree the exit before the facility is drawn
Private lending is short-term money and the exit is the entire question. A sale, a refinance to a bank or a scheduled payment has to be real and identified at the start. A facility drawn without an exit is the one that turns into a serious problem.
We put the whole cost in front of you, not the rate
Private facilities carry establishment costs, legal costs, line fees and exit terms, and the rate on its own describes very little of what the money costs. We set out the total over the period you expect to hold it, so the decision is made on a real number.
We read the default terms and tell you to have your solicitor read them too
The clauses that matter in private lending are the ones that apply when something slips: default rates, extension terms, enforcement rights and what security is at stake. We identify them before signing. Your solicitor should read every private facility agreement in full.
We deal with the lenders directly rather than through a chain
Private lending has more introducers in it than any other part of the market, and every layer adds cost without adding assessment. We work with funders we can speak to about the deal, so the answer comes back from a decision maker rather than an intermediary.
We start the exit refinance while the facility is running
The cheapest private loan is the one that ends on time. We begin work on the longer-term facility as soon as the short-term one settles, so the exit is being built rather than waited for and extensions never become the plan.
When private funding gets used
Six situations where private lending is the right answer, and the exit for eachPrivate funding solves a timing or an appetite problem, never a capacity problem. Every situation below has an identified end point. Where there is no credible exit, the honest answer is that this is the wrong product.
- Settling before an existing property sells
Why the banks step back
Timing, not capacity, is the problem
What the exit has to be
The sale is the exit, and it needs to be genuine
- Paying out a facility being called in
Why the banks step back
A bank exit that cannot wait for a new approval
What the exit has to be
The replacement facility is the exit, and it starts immediately
- A settlement date a bank cannot meet
Why the banks step back
An approved deal with an unworkable timetable
What the exit has to be
A refinance to a bank is the exit once the file lands
- Trading history a bank will not read
Why the banks step back
Strong property equity behind a difficult set of numbers
What the exit has to be
The security carries the file, so the equity has to be real
- Security a bank has stepped away from
Why the banks step back
Property the majors have no appetite for
What the exit has to be
A sale or a specialist refinance has to be identified up front
- Bridging a short, defined gap
Why the banks step back
A known event on a known date
What the exit has to be
The shorter the term, the smaller the premium you pay
If your situation is not on this list, that is worth a conversation rather than an application. Sometimes the answer is a bank facility with a different structure, and we would rather tell you that.
Who private commercial lending suits
The Perth borrowers we arrange private funding forEvery borrower below has a defined end point and a short gap to bridge. These are the situations that come through the door most often.
Business owners settling a purchase before an existing property sells
Borrowers paying out a facility that is being called in
Buyers whose bank approval will not land before the settlement date
Owners with strong property equity and a trading history a bank will not read
Businesses needing to complete a deal while a longer-term facility is arranged
Borrowers with a defined exit already in place and a short gap to bridge
How a private lending application runs
Five steps, run in a shorter window with the exit set at step oneA private facility runs through the same five steps as any file we write, compressed and with the exit established before anything else. The security, the equity and the end point decide the deal, so they are dealt with first.
Start an application
You send us the basics and we work out what you could borrow and which lenders will look favourably at your situation.
Read this step in full: Start an applicationWhat you need
Income, debts, deposit
Get pre-approved
We put your file to the lender that fits and bring back a pre-approval in writing, subject to lender approval and your circumstances.
Read this step in full: Get pre-approvedWhat we do
Match the lender to your file
Get officially approved
Once your offer is accepted, the lender orders its valuation and issues formal approval.
Read this step in full: Get officially approvedWhat we do
Chase the lender, so you do not have to
Prepare for settlement
We go through the loan documents with you before you sign anything, then coordinate the lender and your settlement agent.
Read this step in full: Prepare for settlementWhat you need
Your questions, asked early
Stay up to date
After settlement we keep the loan under review as rates move and your circumstances change.
Read this step in full: Stay up to dateWhat we do
Review it, and tell you first
Step 1 of 5 · Start an application
About our independent mortgage brokers
The Perth brokers who use private funding sparingly and say whyIndependent means no franchise above us and no lender owning a share of the business. Nobody upstairs sets a monthly target, so we have no reason to place a deal privately when a bank would write it. We compare 40+ lenders first, and reach for private funding when they cannot help.
Gavin Harrigan has been broking from West Leederville since 2005. Today it runs on a small team, Gavin Harrigan, Justin Richardson and Xavier Prescott, each with their qualifications on the page. You deal with the person who writes your loan, before settlement and after it.
The work runs from a first home loan, through refinancing and investment lending, out to construction, small developments and commercial property. Same broker, whichever end of that you are at.
- VerifiedBroking since 2005
- VerifiedOver $1 billion in loans settled
- VerifiedAustralian Credit Licence 389083
- VerifiedMoneyQuest accredited
- VerifiedMember of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA)
- Verified40+ lenders on the panel
Fifteen minutes is usually enough to tell you where you stand. No cost, no obligation, and any lending is subject to approval and your circumstances.
Why choose us for private lending
The broker's job here is to argue you out of it firstPrivate funding is the most expensive money on this site and it is the right answer far less often than it is offered. Every point below is a consequence of how this business is owned, not a slogan about service.
- Included
No franchise, no head office quota
We do not pay a franchise fee, so nobody upstairs sets a monthly target for us to hit. That removes the main reason a broker recommends the wrong loan.
- Included
No lender owns a share of us
The banks have no stake in this business and no claim on where files go. Your bank has one loan to sell you. We do not.
- Included
40+ lenders, one shortlist
We compare 40+ bank and non-bank lenders, then explain why the shortlist looks the way it does. Policy differences decide more applications than rate does.
- Included
We will tell you when the answer is no
If refinancing does not actually save you money, we say so and you leave the loan where it is. A wrong loan costs more than the fee it earns.
- Included
The same broker after settlement
You keep dealing with the person who wrote the loan. We review it as rates and your circumstances change, not once and then never again.
What our clients say
In their words, not oursReviews left by people we have settled loans for, pulled straight from the platform they were written on.
Our private and non-bank panel
Private funders vary more than banks do, so we compare 40+ lendersSecond-tier banks, specialist non-bank lenders, and private funders who look at security and exits rather than trading history. MoneyQuest gives us access to the panel. 21+ years across it tells us who is worth dealing with.
A selection of the lenders we are accredited with. Ask us who else is on the panel for your situation.
Our commercial finance guides
Commercial lending, explained plainlyHow commercial lending is assessed, and what a credit team is actually looking at. Each one carries a broker's name.
Choosing a broker
What a mortgage broker does
What the job actually involves, who pays for it, and when your own bank is the better call.
Read it: What a mortgage broker does
Investing
Financing an investment property
How lenders read rental income, and how investors fund a deposit from equity.
Read it: Financing an investment property
Development
Funding a property development
How funders read a project, and why the exit is decided before the first drawdown.
Read it: Funding a property development
Commercial
Commercial finance, explained
Why commercial lending is negotiated rather than priced, and what lenders ask for.
Read it: Commercial finance, explained
Meet our Perth commercial finance brokers
You get a broker, not a call centreThree people, all named, all reachable. The person who tests the bank options is the person who arranges the private facility and the person who builds your exit.
Gavin Harrigan
Managing Director
Broking since 2005, four-time Top 100 broker and a PLAN Australia Hall of Fame member.
- Bachelor of Commerce, Applied Finance and Commercial Law — Curtin University
- Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management — AAMC Training Group
- PLAN Australia Hall of Fame member
- Elite Broker status
- Top 100 Brokers, four times
Justin Richardson
Loan Consultant
Business and law background, and a habit of making the process feel simple.
- Bachelor of Commerce, Business Law and Marketing — Curtin University
- Bachelor of Laws (in progress) — Murdoch University
Xavier Prescott
Loan Consultant
Fresh qualifications, a competitor's discipline, and a lot of patience.
- Diploma of Finance and Mortgage Broking Management
Common questions about private commercial lending
What is a private commercial loan?
A private commercial loan is business funding from a private or non-bank lender rather than a bank, secured against property. The lender assesses the security and the exit rather than years of trading history. It is short-term money for a specific situation, and it costs more than bank funding.
When does private business lending make sense?
When the problem is timing or lender appetite rather than capacity, and there is a real end point. Settling before an existing property sells, paying out a facility being called in, or completing a deal while a longer-term facility is arranged. The exit has to exist before you draw.
How much does private lending cost?
More than bank funding, and the rate is only part of it. Establishment costs, legal costs, line fees and exit terms all sit alongside it. We set out the total cost over the period you expect to hold the facility, because that is the only number worth deciding on.
How fast can a private lender move?
Private lenders work through a shorter list of questions than a bank credit team, because they assess the security and the exit rather than the trading history. We do not promise a timetable, since the lender sets it. What we control is a file that leaves nothing to come back for.
Is private commercial lending regulated like a home loan?
No. Credit advanced to a business for business purposes is a commercial contract, and the consumer protections that apply to a regulated home loan do not automatically carry across. Have your solicitor read the facility agreement, the fees, the default terms and the security in full.
What happens if I cannot exit on time?
That is the risk the whole product turns on, and it is why the exit is agreed before drawdown. Extensions, default rates and enforcement rights are set out in the agreement, and they are the clauses that matter most. We identify them before you sign, not afterwards.
Do I need property to get a private commercial loan?
Almost always. Private funding is secured against real property, and the equity in that security is what the lender is relying on instead of trading history. Without property behind it, a private facility is generally not available and a different product is the right conversation.
Will you tell me if I should not use private funding?
Yes, and it happens regularly. Private money solves a timing problem and makes a capacity problem worse. If the numbers say the business cannot service the exit, we say so rather than write the facility. That is the point of using a broker who is not paid to place it.
Related commercial finance we arrange
The facilities a private lending client usually moves to nextA private facility is a stage, and the exit is usually one of the loans below. It is the same broker and the same conversation when you get there.
Low Doc Commercial Loans
For self-employed borrowers and businesses that cannot supply two years of current financials.
Learn moreabout Low Doc Commercial LoansCommercial Property Loans
Finance secured by an office, warehouse, shop or mixed-use building you buy or already own.
Learn moreabout Commercial Property Loans
Working Capital Loans
Cover the gap between paying your suppliers and being paid by your customers.
Learn moreabout Working Capital Loans
The information on this page is general in nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Any figures shown are estimates only. Lending is subject to approval, and to the lender's terms, conditions, fees and charges. Consider whether the information is appropriate for you before acting on it.
Get in touch
Talk to us about a private facilityFour questions and you are done. A broker reads it, tests whether a bank could still do it, and rings you back on the number you give us.
Would rather just talk?
Ringing is quicker than waiting for us to ring you, and you get a broker rather than a queue.
1300 813 113