Thinktank is the best SMSF lender to approach first for a broker’s new business real property purchase through a self-managed super fund. It combines commercial loans up to $10 million with no post-settlement liquidity requirement. That gives you room to place a larger premises purchase without a fixed cash reserve covenant deciding the application.
Other SMSF lenders suit smaller loans, established residential refinances or different trustee structures. Compare the fund’s cash after settlement with the lender’s security rules before comparing interest rates.
Top SMSF Lenders for Brokers in 2026
1. Thinktank
Thinktank takes commercial SMSF loans and eligible residential refinancing through brokers. Its published SMSF range reaches 80% loan-to-value ratio (LVR), with commercial loans up to $10 million and residential loans up to $5 million. Terms reach 30 years, including up to five years interest only.
The corporate trustee requirement narrows the borrower structure. Thinktank excludes vacant land, rural residential security and specialised properties such as service stations. Its broker team can assess complex structures, but a higher advertised limit does not make every property acceptable.
Thinktank suits a larger commercial purchase or a fund with modest remaining cash. Its absence of a fixed liquidity requirement still leaves trustees responsible for meeting the fund’s expenses.
2. Granite Home Loans
Granite Home Loans accepts eligible business real property purchases and existing residential SMSF refinancing through its broker platform. The maximum LVR is 80%. Principal-and-interest loans reach $5 million per security over 30 years. Interest-only loans reach $3 million, with an interest-only period up to five years.
Granite assesses liquidity at application. Its policy distinguishes that assessment from ongoing net asset covenants and annual liquidity retests, which it does not impose unless a loan variation triggers reassessment. A corporate trustee is required.
Granite suits a broker who wants an offset option and a commercial purchase within its size limits. Its refinance pathway also suits an established residential fund loan with satisfactory repayment history.
3. Liberty
Liberty lends up to 80% LVR for commercial SMSF property, with loan amounts from $100,000 to $4 million. Its commercial range includes principal-and-interest and interest-only repayments. Offices, warehouses and factories are examples of acceptable business premises.
Liberty has no minimum contribution requirement on this product. The fund must still demonstrate repayment capacity and enough cash for its obligations. The commercial offer and approval determine the repayment term and cash conditions for the file.
Liberty suits a fund whose commercial rental income supports the application without a required contribution floor. Brokers must include establishment costs and the deferred facility fee in any early repayment comparison. The Liberty lending policy guide covers its wider lending approach.
4. La Trobe Financial
La Trobe Financial has a broker SMSF product for commercial premises and eligible residential refinancing. Its term sheet lists commercial loans up to $5 million at 75% LVR or $10 million at 70% LVR. Residential lending reaches $3 million at 80% LVR. The maximum term is 30 years.
The term sheet permits individual or company SMSF trustees. It lists no minimum holding of other fund assets. For an off-the-plan purchase without a lease, it requires cash equal to 2.5% of the loan at settlement.
La Trobe suits a larger commercial file where the fund has a bigger deposit or an individual trustee structure. Its rural residential category does not establish acceptance of an agricultural business property. The La Trobe Financial policy guide explains its broader criteria.
5. Firstmac
Firstmac has commercial SMSF lending and a residential refinance product on its broker rate schedule. Both product sheets list $1.5 million at 80% LVR or $2 million at 70% LVR, over terms up to 30 years. Neither product has annual or ongoing fees.
Firstmac’s residential policy requires liquid assets equal to 5% of total SMSF debts after completion. Its residential refinance fee package removes application, settlement and lender legal fees. The valuation expense remains separate.
Firstmac suits an established residential refinance where the fund can retain the liquidity reserve and wants lower transaction costs. Its commercial range also belongs in the comparison for purchases within the published loan limit.
6. BOQ
BOQ accepts non-specialised commercial SMSF purchases and refinances, plus existing residential SMSF refinancing. Its product page lists up to 80% LVR with a corporate trustee and terms up to 30 years. Loan size is subject to the property and credit assessment.
The BOQ Commercial Broker channel handles business lending and has its own accreditation process. Residential interest-only periods reach five years. Commercial interest-only lending is limited to related-party occupancy under the published product terms. The fund’s remaining cash forms part of the credit assessment.
BOQ suits a commercial premises file where a bank business lending relationship helps the client. Use its SMSF product terms when comparing it with ordinary business lending concessions.
7. AMP Bank
AMP Bank SuperEdge is a residential SMSF refinance option through its broker channel. Its placement here is for residential refinancing. Its published maximum is 80% LVR, with loans from $200,000 to $2.5 million in eligible locations. High-density property has a $2 million cap.
SuperEdge requires a corporate trustee, at least $250,000 in fund net assets at submission and post-settlement liquidity of 5% of the loan. Terms reach 30 years, with an SMSF offset account available.
AMP suits an eligible residential refinance where the fund meets both the asset and liquidity tests. Its place in a lender comparison comes from that refinance role.
Compare SMSF Loans on LVR, Rates and Liquidity
The best SMSF loan is the one the fund can service while retaining the cash its lender requires. A higher maximum LVR does not compensate for an ineligible property or an unmet liquidity test.
| Lender | Maximum LVR by security | Liquidity treatment | Establishment and ongoing costs | Rate comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thinktank | SMSF range up to 80%, subject to security | No post-settlement liquidity requirement | No ongoing fees; establishment costs form part of the offer | Scenario pricing |
| Granite | Business real property and eligible residential refinance up to 80% | Assessed at application; no routine annual retest | No application or settlement fee; other product costs apply | Product and LVR tier |
| Liberty | Commercial up to 80% | Credit assessment and offer conditions | Establishment from 1%, minimum $2,500; $30 monthly, plus other transaction fees | Commercial product pricing |
| La Trobe Financial | Commercial 75%, or 70% for the larger loan tier; residential 80% | No minimum other assets; 2.5% cash for specified unleased off-the-plan files | Product and legal costs in the offer | Risk grade and security |
| Firstmac | Published SMSF range up to 80% | 5% liquidity benchmark; assessed under SMSF policy | Residential refinance application, settlement and lender legal fees waived; no ongoing fee | Residential SMSF 80: 7.54% p.a. versus standard investor 80: 6.99% p.a. |
| BOQ | Up to 80% with corporate trustee | Fund cash flow and credit assessment | Application 0.75% of loan; $25 monthly | Business Term Loan pricing |
| AMP Bank | Residential refinance up to 80% | 5% of loan after settlement; $250,000 net assets at submission | $950 settlement; $10 monthly; solicitor costs at cost up to $2,500 | SuperEdge pricing by loan and LVR |
Firstmac’s matched published variable principal-and-interest rates show a 0.55 percentage point residential SMSF premium at 80% LVR. That example is not a standard premium for every SMSF lender. Commercial risk grades and security types need their own pricing comparison. Firstmac’s broker rate schedule separates the products.
For a hypothetical $800,000 loan, a 5% liquidity test means retaining $40,000 after settlement. A fund with $25,000 left would miss that test, even if the property meets the LVR limit. Transaction costs reduce that remaining balance further.
Compare total costs over the expected holding period. Include valuation and trust review costs, separate legal expenses and any early repayment charge alongside the advertised interest rate.
SMSF Property Lenders for Commercial and Rural Premises
New SMSF property borrowing must acquire business real property. Schedule 5 of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 adds that condition to the limited recourse borrowing exception. Existing arrangements and protected acquisitions have transitional treatment.
Thinktank, Granite, Liberty, La Trobe Financial, Firstmac and BOQ have commercial SMSF options. The accepted property still depends on each lender’s security criteria. Offices, industrial premises and retail shops need a valuation and a lease that supports the rent used in servicing.
A lease to the members’ business must be on arm’s-length terms. Record market rent and enforceable lease terms between the business and the fund. Related-party occupancy does not remove the fund’s investment obligations.
For rural and agricultural property, distinguish an operating farm from a lifestyle block. Business use can meet the legal property test, but that does not establish lender acceptance. Thinktank excludes rural residential security. La Trobe’s rural residential category is not blanket approval for farms. Put the actual use and property details into the lender’s security assessment before incurring valuation costs.
A private lender can fund an unusual security or transaction only within the same compliant limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA). Its higher interest or establishment charge must fit the fund’s cash flow. Short terms also create a refinance risk if mainstream security criteria remain unmet.
The SMSF borrowing rules guide covers trustee eligibility. For a proposed build, read the SMSF construction borrowing guide before treating a property loan as construction finance.
SMSF Home Loan Lenders and Residential Refinancing
Residential SMSF borrowing now centres on refinancing an existing protected arrangement or completing an acquisition covered by the transitional rules. The legislation preserves refinancing of pre-commencement borrowing and certain acquisitions under pre-commencement arrangements. The Act’s transitional provisions determine eligibility.
Firstmac, Granite, AMP Bank and BOQ expressly identify existing residential SMSF refinancing in their product material. Thinktank, Liberty and La Trobe also have residential SMSF products, subject to the legal limits and their refinance criteria.
Give the lender the existing loan statements and the acquisition documents that establish the arrangement. The bare trust must already support the property holding structure. Rental income needs a lease or acceptable rental evidence. The new valuation must satisfy the lender’s LVR limit.
Keep the purpose as refinancing the protected debt. A request for extra borrowing or a change to the asset needs its own legal and lender assessment. An advertised residential product does not create permission for an unprotected new residential acquisition.
Which Banks Give Loans to SMSFs
BOQ advertises commercial SMSF purchases and existing residential refinancing. AMP Bank advertises SuperEdge residential refinancing through its broker channel. Those are different roles, so a general claim that banks do not lend to SMSFs would exclude available options.
| Bank | Position relevant to a property placement |
|---|---|
| CBA | Legacy SuperGear terms remain online; CBA does not advertise a new broker SMSF property offer alongside those terms |
| NAB | Super Lever funds shares and managed investments; it is not a property loan |
| Westpac | Its published SMSF reference rates sit under existing investor loans, rather than a new SMSF property offer |
| ANZ | Its SMSF Cash Hub is a cash account; ANZ does not advertise an SMSF property loan in that product range |
| BOQ | Commercial purchases and refinances; residential refinance only |
| AMP Bank | SuperEdge residential SMSF refinancing |
An existing loan rate or an SMSF bank account is not evidence that a bank accepts a new property application. Non-bank lenders have a broader visible SMSF property range, including larger commercial limits and different liquidity policies.
What SMSF Lenders Check Before Approval
SMSF lenders assess the trust structure and the fund’s ability to repay from acceptable income. Prepare the legal documents before the application reaches settlement review.
- The SMSF deed and any variations must permit borrowing and the proposed security.
- The bare trust or custodian trust deed must identify the property holding arrangement correctly.
- Corporate trustee details must match the application and legal documents where the lender requires that structure.
- The investment strategy must support the transaction and address the fund’s liquidity obligations.
- Recent fund financial statements and bank statements must show the existing assets and liabilities.
- Member contribution history must support the amounts used in servicing.
- The contract, lease and rental evidence must support the purchase or refinance and the assessed income.
Lenders use rent, fund investment income and acceptable contributions to assess repayments. They can discount income or test repayments above the offered rate. Proposed contributions need evidence that members can sustain them within the applicable contribution rules.
A fund can pass servicing and still fail the cash reserve test. Work through the SMSF borrowing capacity calculation before choosing the loan size, then reconcile the deposit and all costs against the post-settlement balance.
Placing an SMSF File: Accreditation, Advice Limits and Commission
Confirm SMSF product access before lodging the file. Thinktank works through brokers and provides SMSF training. Granite has broker application training. BOQ uses its commercial broker accreditation, while AMP distributes SuperEdge through its broker channel.
For Liberty, La Trobe and Firstmac, activate the relevant product through the lender and your aggregator panel process. General home loan access does not establish authority to lodge every SMSF product.
Keep arranging the loan separate from recommending the fund or its investment. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s SMSF licensing guidance says recommending an SMSF as a property investment vehicle is financial product advice. It requires an Australian financial services licence or appropriate authorisation under one.
Record the referral to the fund’s appropriately authorised adviser. An accountant’s involvement alone does not establish authority to recommend establishing an SMSF or investing through it.
La Trobe’s published SMSF term sheet lists 0.50% upfront and 0.25% trail, with no commission clawback.
The broker’s actual payment also depends on the aggregator agreement. For Thinktank, Granite, Liberty, Firstmac, BOQ and AMP, payment follows the lender’s schedule and the broker’s aggregator agreement.
A residential refinance and a commercial purchase can use different commission schedules even within SMSF lending. Upfront is the initial payment for the settled loan. Trail is the ongoing payment under the applicable schedule. Confirm the product classification and deduction basis in writing before forecasting the file’s income.
Choose the lender on the property’s eligibility and the fund’s servicing first. Then record the approved product, your accreditation and the commission terms together so the settled payment can be reconciled against the right schedule.
