Pilbara Finance — Navigation v4
Private Lending | Pilbara Finance
Private Lending

When the Deal Has to Happen,
We Find the Angle

Private lending for business owners, self-employed operators and property investors who need fast, flexible funding — usually backed by property equity. We work with dozens of specialist private lenders to structure short or long-term solutions that get the deal done when standard lending can't move quickly enough.

4.9
Google Rating
0Specialist
private lenders
0Australians
helped
4.9 on Google
Trusted by 1,300+ Australians

Built for the Deals That Don't Wait

Most of the people who come to us for private lending are running real businesses, doing real deals, with genuinely strong positions — they just need finance that moves at the speed of the opportunity. A trade business that's won a big contract and needs working capital before invoices land. A self-employed operator with strong equity in their home but a tax position that doesn't fit the standard bank model. A developer who needs to settle on a property in 14 days, not eight weeks. A business owner cleaning up an unexpected ATO bill before it gets in the way.

The deal stacks up. The bank is just too slow or too rigid to back it. That's where we come in. We've built relationships with dozens of private lenders across Australia — each with their own appetite, speed, and pricing — and we know which one to take your deal to.

48hr decision Asset-backed security Specialist lender panel
Access to 60+ Lenders — We Compare So You Don't Have To
Why It Works

Why Private Lending Works

Three things this kind of finance does that standard lending genuinely can't.

Backed by What You've Already Built

Most of the deals we structure here are secured against property — your home, an investment property, your commercial premises, or sometimes a combination. That equity is what makes the deal possible. It means private lenders can focus on the strength of the security and the exit plan rather than picking apart your last two years of tax returns. If you've got equity and a clear path forward, there's almost always a way.

Short-Term, Long-Term, or a Bridge to Something Better

Some clients need 6 months of breathing room while a contract delivers and the cash flow normalises. Others need a 2-year facility while a property is renovated, leased, and refinanced. A few need long-term funding the bank simply won't write. We structure each deal to its actual purpose — including the exit plan from day one, so you know how it ends before it begins.

Dozens of Specialist Private Lenders

Private lenders are not interchangeable. We've built relationships with dozens of specialists across Australia — each with their own appetite, speed and pricing — and we know exactly which one to take your deal to.

How It Works

How We Get the Deal Funded

Three sharp steps. We move at the pace your situation actually needs.

Tell Us the Situation

A 15-minute conversation. Tell us what you need the money for, how much, your timeline, and what property equity or other security is on the table. We'll come back fast — usually same day — with a clear read on whether private lending is the right tool, what it would realistically cost, and which of our specialist lenders we'd take it to. No commitment, no credit checks at this stage.

We Match You to the Right Lender

Private lenders are not interchangeable. Some price aggressively for clean property security and a clear exit. Others are more flexible on the borrower's circumstances but charge for the comfort. Some move in days, others in weeks. We know exactly who we're dealing with on each deal — their appetite, their timeline, their pricing — and we shop your situation to the lender best positioned to fund it cleanly. You see two or three real options side by side.

Settle the Deal, Then Plan the Exit

Once you've picked the option, we package the deal properly, coordinate the valuation, work alongside your solicitor, and get to settlement. Most private deals settle in 7–14 days from formal application. From day one we're already mapping the exit — usually a refinance back to standard commercial lending once the situation has stabilised. Private lending is a tool, not a destination. We make sure you get out of it cleanly when the time comes.

Cost Estimator

Private Lending Cost Estimator

Indicative only. The all-in cost over the time you actually need the money is what makes the structure decision real.

Loan Amount, Rate & Term

$500,000
10.5%
Monthly Interest
$4,375
Interest-only, indicative
Establishment Fee
$12,500
2.5% of loan amount
Total Cost of Funds
$65,000
Interest + establishment over term
The Detail

The Bits Worth Understanding Before You Sign

Private lending is fast and flexible. It's also not the cheapest money in the room. Here's what actually matters when you're deciding.

Private lending pricing reflects the speed and flexibility you're paying for. Rates typically sit anywhere from around 8% to 15% per year, with establishment fees usually 2–5% of the loan amount. Sounds steep next to a standard commercial rate — and it is — but the right way to look at it isn't the rate alone. It's the total cost over the time you actually need the money.

Borrowing $400,000 at 10.5% for 9 months costs about $32,000 in interest plus an establishment fee. If that lets you secure a $1.5M contract, settle a property purchase that doubles in value, or clear an ATO bill before it strangles your trading, the maths usually stacks up cleanly. We always show you the full cost projection upfront — not just the headline number.

Every private loan needs a clear exit — the way the loan gets paid out at the end of the term. The most common exits are: refinance to a standard commercial or home loan once trading or position has stabilised; sale of the property the loan was secured against; or pay-down from contract proceeds, business cash flow, or another expected event.

We structure the exit at the start, not as an afterthought. If the exit plan doesn't add up, the deal doesn't go ahead — we'd rather tell you that on day one than have you stuck on a private loan with no clean way out.

Most of what we do in this space is secured against real estate — your home, an investment property, or commercial premises you own. Private lenders look at the equity in those properties, the strength of the property as security, and the exit plan, then price the deal accordingly.

Strong equity (typically loan-to-value ratios under 70%) opens up the sharpest pricing and the most lender competition. Tighter equity is still workable but the pricing reflects the additional risk to the lender. We'll calculate your usable equity on the first call so you know exactly what's available.

The fastest private deals we structure settle inside 7 working days from the first conversation. That's full credit assessment, valuation, legal documentation, and money in your account — not just an indicative approval.

The trick is preparation: knowing exactly what each lender wants to see, having the property valuation lined up, and packaging the deal cleanly so the lender's credit team can say yes the moment it lands on their desk. We do this often enough that the process is well-worn. If your deal genuinely has to settle next week, tell us upfront — we'll match it to a lender who can deliver.

A lot of self-employed business owners earn very well but show modest taxable income because of legitimate business deductions, restructures, or the way their accountant has structured the group. Banks read those tax returns and tighten up.

Private lenders care about something different: the strength of the property as security, the equity position, and how the loan is going to be repaid. If you've got equity in property and a clear repayment plan, your tax return doesn't drive the decision the way it does at a bank. This is one of the most common scenarios we structure private lending for, and it's one of the cleanest fits for the product.

A new lending rule introduced in February 2026 caps how many high debt-to-income loans the major banks can write — meaning even good borrowers with strong assets and healthy cash flow are getting bumped from bank pipelines. Property investors with multi-asset portfolios are feeling it most. Self-employed business owners with property equity behind them are seeing it on standard refinances they would have walked through two years ago.

Private lending is increasingly the right answer for these clients — not because the bank is wrong, but because the bank's allocation is full and your deal needs to happen this quarter, not next year. We're seeing more of these scenarios every week and we know exactly how to structure them.

Real Story

What It Looks Like in Real Life

How we got Daniel's commercial fitout business across the line on a contract that would have walked otherwise.

Daniel
Commercial fitout business, Joondalup
The Situation

Daniel runs a commercial fitout business in Joondalup with twelve employees. He'd just won a tender to fit out three new dental practices for a private hospital group — total contract value around $1.6 million across nine months. To start the job, he needed working capital for materials, mobilising staff, and locking in subcontractors. Required: $480,000. His main bank had banked him for six years and turned him down inside a week — the recent jump in turnover from winning bigger contracts was flagged as "volatility".

What We Did

Daniel had around $740,000 of usable equity in his Joondalup home. We had a 20-minute call on Monday afternoon. By Friday we'd matched the deal to a private lender we knew was actively pricing trade business deals secured against family-home equity, structured a 12-month interest-only facility at 9.5% with a 2.5% establishment fee, and settled it the following Wednesday. The contract started on schedule. By month seven Daniel was running cash-positive on the new contract and had won two more. We refinanced the private loan into a standard commercial facility at month 11. Total cost across the 11 months landed around $52,000 — the contracts that wouldn't have happened without that finance: significantly more.

9 days
Days to settlement
$480K
Funded
11mo
Refinanced cleanly

Names changed, situation real. Numbers based on actual lender pricing as at March 2026.

Common Questions

Private Lending FAQs

The questions that come up on every private lending conversation.

Yes — typically 8–15% per year versus 6–7% for standard commercial lending, plus an establishment fee of 2–5%. The right way to think about it isn't the rate alone, though — it's the total cost across the time you actually need the money. A 12-month private loan that lets you secure a major contract or settle a property opportunity often pays for itself many times over. We always show you the all-in cost upfront and tell you straight if a slower, cheaper path would land you a better outcome.
The fastest deals we structure settle inside 7 working days from the first conversation — full assessment, valuation, legal documentation, and money in your account. More straightforward deals can be 5–10 days. More complex structures (multiple properties, group structures, larger amounts) typically take 2–3 weeks. We give you a realistic timeline on the first call and stick to it.
If you've got equity in residential or commercial property, that's almost always the security used. Some private lenders accept other security like business assets or investment portfolios for specific scenarios, but property is what makes the cleanest, sharpest deals. We'll always tell you upfront which property is being used as security and exactly what that means in practical terms.
Common starting point for our private lending clients. A no from a major bank doesn't mean the deal isn't fundable — it usually means the deal didn't fit that bank's particular policy, timing, or appetite. Specialist private lenders look at deals very differently: equity strength, exit plan, security quality, and the borrower's overall position. If the deal genuinely stacks up, there's almost always a private lender who'll back it.
The exit plan is the way the loan gets paid out at the end of the term. The three most common are: refinance to standard commercial or home loan lending once trading position or property circumstances have stabilised; sale of the property the loan was secured against; or pay-down from contract proceeds, sale of stock, or another expected cash event. Lenders won't fund a deal without a clear exit plan, and frankly neither will we — getting in is half the deal, getting out cleanly is the other half.
Yes — it's one of the most common scenarios we structure for. Many self-employed business owners earn very well but show modest taxable income because of legitimate business deductions, group structures, or recent restructures. Banks read those tax returns and tighten up. Private lenders care about the strength of the property as security and the exit plan — not whether your tax return looks like a wage earner's. If you've got equity and a clear repayment plan, the tax return doesn't drive the decision.
A snapshot of recent ones: a contractor needing working capital before invoices land on a new mining services contract; a developer settling on an off-market property purchase in 12 days; a self-employed operator clearing an unexpected tax bill before it impacted trading; a property investor cashing out equity to fund a quick second purchase; a trade business owner buying out a partner ahead of a sale event. Different scenarios, same approach: clear purpose, real security, strong exit plan, fast structuring.
What People Say

Straight Talk, Straight Back.

Real reviews from real Google. No curated screenshots, no cherry-picked quotes.

4.9 on Google · 80+ verified reviews

Send a Quick Brief

Got a Deal That Needs to Move?

Send us a quick rundown of what you're trying to fund, your timeframe, and the rough property security available. We'll come back inside a business day.

Checking availability…
4.9 from 240+ Google reviews

Get in touch

A few quick details and we'll give you a ring. Usually takes about 30 seconds.

Mon–Fri 7am–8pm · Sat–Sun 7am–12pm AWST

Let's start with your name

So we know who we're talking to.

★★★★★4.9 from 240+ Google reviews

What's your email?

We'll flick a confirmation through so you know we've got it.

We'll never share your email or spam you

And your mobile?

This is what we'll use to give you a ring.

Real people. No call centres.

Nice one, mate.

Here's what we've got. Hit send and we'll be in touch, or add a quick note first if you want.

What's on your mind?

Doesn't need to be long — just anything you reckon we should know before we call.

0 / 500

Thanks, mate.

We're on it. One of our brokers will give you a ring shortly.

Want to lock in a time or have a chat right now?

Pick a time that works

We'll give you a call then — usually won't take more than 20 minutes.

Loading available times…

Calendar not loading? Open it in a new tab →

Your details are private. We'll never share them.
Brokers online now

Got a deal that
needs funding?
Let's find the angle.

Tell us the situation — what you're funding, how fast you need it, and the rough property security on the table. We'll come back inside a business day with a clear read on whether we can fund it, the structure we'd use, the all-in cost, and how fast we could get it across the line. If private lending isn't the right tool, we'll tell you what is.

(08) 9122 3929
Usually replies in under 15 min · Mon–Fri 8am–6pm AWST
Google Reviews
Verified business
4.9
Based on 80+ reviews

"Settled in nine days when our bank said weeks. Saved the contract."— Daniel R., Joondalup

SM JT DR AK +76 happy clients
Call WhatsApp
Commercial Loans Section - Pilbara Finance
Pilbara Finance

Bank, non-bank and private lending options — matched to your scenario

We source finance across major banks, specialist non-banks and private lenders, then lay out the options in plain English — including rates, fees, security requirements and the exit plan — so you can make a confident decision.

If your deal doesn’t fit standard bank policy (or the bank process is simply too slow), we’ll tell you quickly whether a specialist or private solution is realistic — and what it would take to make it work.

Pilbara Finance — Footer v3
Scroll to Top