Commercial Property Finance in Sydney

DeMarque Finance is a commercial finance brokerage based in Sydney’s CBD. We structure and place commercial property finance for businesses buying their own premises, investors acquiring or refinancing income-producing assets, and owners looking to release equity from property they already hold.

Commercial property lending is scenario-based rather than rate-card driven — which means the outcome depends heavily on how the deal is presented and which lenders see it. That is the work we do.

What We Arrange

• Purchases — owner-occupied premises and investment assets: office, retail, industrial, warehouse and mixed-use.

• Refinancing — moving an existing commercial property loan for better pricing, a cleaner structure, or a lender whose appetite fits the asset. Our full guide to refinancing a commercial property loan covers when it stacks up.

• Equity release — converting built-up value into capital for expansion, another property, equipment or working capital. See commercial property equity release.

• Construction and development — where the asset doesn’t exist yet, funding is staged against the build program rather than advanced as a lump sum: construction and development finance.

Sydney Scenarios We See Most

Businesses buying their premises. Trading businesses across Sydney reach the point where paying rent stops making sense — a fabricator in the inner west, a practice in the eastern suburbs, a logistics operator near the freight corridors. These are assessed primarily on the trading business’s cash flow rather than on the property alone, and established businesses in sensible premises are a category most lenders like.

Investors with tenanted assets. Strata suites, standalone retail, small industrial units and suburban offices across the Sydney basin. Here the lease does much of the work: term remaining, tenant covenant and the sustainability of the rent shape both leverage and pricing.

Owners refinancing at expiry. Commercial facilities carry review and expiry dates, so a decision is forced periodically. The incumbent’s rollover offer is a starting point, not the market.

Owners releasing equity for the next move. Sydney property that has been held for a decade often carries more usable equity than the owner assumes — and releasing it is generally cheaper capital than unsecured business borrowing.

Refinancing Commercial Property in Sydney

Refinancing is the most common reason Sydney owners come to us, and the local dimension is real. Valuation is the pivot point of any commercial refinance, and valuation outcomes turn on how the specific submarket, building type and lease profile are read — a strata office suite, a standalone industrial unit and a suburban retail strip are three different conversations, even at the same loan size.

What we do is test the scenario against lenders with genuine appetite for that asset type before an application goes anywhere, so the valuation and credit process runs once rather than repeatedly. The mechanics of the decision — triggers, costs, break-even, documentation paths — are set out in full in the refinancing guide.

Owner-Occupier or Investor?

The distinction changes the assessment more than most borrowers expect: owner-occupied lending is underwritten against the business, investment lending against the property’s income. Mixed scenarios — a business occupying part of a building and leasing the rest — are common and entirely fundable, but they need presenting deliberately. Our guide to owner-occupied vs investment commercial loans covers how each is read, and commercial property deposits and equity covers what you need to bring to a purchase.

What Lenders Look At

Whether the deal is a purchase, a refinance or a release, commercial lenders work through the same short list — and how well each item is evidenced is usually what separates a smooth approval from a slow one:

• The property. Type, location, condition and how readily it could be re-let or resold. Standard office, retail and industrial stock is assessed more comfortably than specialised assets with a narrow buyer pool.

• The income behind the debt. Lease term, tenant covenant and rent sustainability on an investment asset; trading cash flow on owner-occupied premises.

• Serviceability with headroom. Repayments are tested above the actual rate, and interest cover — the margin by which income exceeds interest — usually matters more than a bare surplus.

• Leverage against valuation. The lender’s valuation governs, not the asking price or the owner’s estimate. What ratio is available varies by security type, lender and scenario.

• Conduct and credit history. Business and director credit files, conduct on existing facilities, and the ATO position.

• Purpose and exit. Why the funding is needed and how the facility ultimately ends — sale, refinance, or amortisation.

Working With a Sydney Broker

Being based here means we can meet in person — at our Barangaroo office or at the property — which matters more than it sounds on commercial deals, where the security is a specific building with specific characteristics rather than a standard product. We work across bank and non-bank lenders, and the job is matching your scenario to the ones whose appetite genuinely fits it, then presenting it so the credit assessor has what they need the first time.

For a broader view of what we do beyond property, see our commercial finance hub.

Get a Read on Your Scenario

Use our 2-minute pre-assessment tool for an indicative view of the commercial property options that may suit you.

Start Your Free Pre-Assessment

Common Questions

Do you only work with Sydney clients? No. We are based in Sydney and much of our commercial property work is here, but we arrange finance for clients around Australia. Being local simply makes it easier to meet, and to see the property.

Can you help if my existing loan is with a major bank? Yes. A large share of commercial property refinancing involves moving between banks, or between a bank and a non-bank lender — and sometimes the outcome is that the incumbent reprices and you stay put, which is a legitimate result.

What documents will I need? Typically business financials and tax returns, details of the existing facility, and lease documentation for tenanted property. Where financials aren’t current, low-doc paths using alternative verification may be available, with more conservative terms.

Do you charge the borrower a fee? We may receive commissions from the lender or finance provider that provides your finance, and those are not fees payable by you. If a fee is payable by you for our services, it is disclosed in a Credit Quote before you apply. Our credit guide sets out the detail.

How do I start? Either run the 2-minute pre-assessment for an indicative view, or get in touch and we’ll talk through the scenario directly.

Visit or Call Us

DeMarque Finance · International Tower One, Level 35, 100 Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney NSW 2000 · 1300 108 751 · demarquefinance.com.au

We work with clients across the Sydney metropolitan area and nationally. To talk through a purchase, a refinance or an equity release, get in touch.

This information is general in nature and does not constitute financial advice. It does not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. Lending is subject to individual circumstances and lender criteria.