A Quick Overview
| Goal | To refinance a commercial property loan and two residential investment loans to reduce repayments, improve cash flow, and secure a longer-term lending structure |
| Problem | Customer A had strong new self-employed income but did not yet have standard tax returns. The application also involved a specialised commercial property, valuation issues, a mid-assessment restructure, and commercial loan-term limitations |
| Loan Amount | $3,755,000 total lending package |
| Commercial Loan | $2,025,000 refinanced from Lender A to Lender B at 6.39%, with 5 years interest-only and a 25-year principal-and-interest period |
| Residential Investment Loans | $1,730,000 refinanced from Lender A to Lender B at 6.32%, with 5 years interest-only and a 25-year principal-and-interest period |
| Solution | A full portfolio refinance using both commercial and residential security to improve pricing, support servicing, and create a more flexible long-term structure |
| Result | Formal approval secured, with more than $2,500 in monthly repayment savings and a 30-year commercial loan term |
Customer A was a registered nurse who had moved from a stable PAYG role into self-employed contracting under an ABN.
The change had significantly increased his income, but it also created a lending problem. Because the business structure was new, he did not yet have the standard tax returns most lenders would usually require.
At the same time, Customer A had a large lending portfolio across commercial and residential investment properties. His commercial loan was with a lender at 8.40%, and his two residential investment loans were with another lender at 6.55% and 6.44%.
The opportunity was clear: if the lending could be restructured properly, Customer A could reduce his interest costs, improve cash flow, and create a more sustainable long-term loan structure.
The challenge was getting a lender comfortable with the complexity. That’s where Home Loan Experts broker Romy Dhungana stepped in.
How Romy Structured The Loan
Romy reviewed multiple options across Tier 1 banks, Tier 2 commercial specialists, and non-conforming lenders before identifying the strongest path forward.
The goal was not simply to find a cheaper rate. It was to restructure Customer A’s full lending portfolio so the deal made sense to credit while giving the customer the cash-flow relief they needed.
One of the key challenges was income verification. Customer A had recently moved into contracting and did not yet have a full financial year of self-employed tax returns. Romy worked with the lender to have servicing assessed using the customer’s most recent six months of invoices instead of making them wait for standard tax returns.
Romy also used Customer A’s residential investment properties strategically. By cross-collateralising these properties, the commercial loan-to-value ratio was kept below the required threshold. This helped unlock sharper commercial pricing and strengthened the overall approval strategy.
The application also had to be reworked during assessment. When Customer A decided to sell a separate commercial property, Romy recalculated the lending package and reduced it from about $5.02 million to $3.75 million, while keeping the lender’s assessment moving.
A Quantity Surveyor requirement then delayed the application. Romy escalated the issue through the lender’s Relationship Manager and BDM, pushing for credit to issue formal approval subject to the insurance estimate being finalised before settlement. This allowed the application to progress rather than remain stuck.
Finally, Romy negotiated a longer commercial loan term. Although standard commercial policy often links the total loan term to the lease term or WALE, Romy presented Customer A’s strong net worth, residential security, and overall position to support a full 30-year commercial loan term.
The Result
After more than three months of work, formal approval was issued on 17 June 2026.
- Customer A’s $2.025 million commercial loan was refinanced to the lender at 6.39%.
This replaced his previous 8.40% commercial rate, reducing monthly repayments by more than $2,500. - The commercial loan was structured with 5 years interest-only, followed by a 25-year principal-and-interest term.
- Two residential investment loans totalling $1.73 million were also refinanced to the lender at 6.32%. These loans had previously been on interest-only rates of 6.55% and 6.44%.
- The final structure delivered a full 30-year commercial loan term, despite the usual commercial loan-term restrictions.
- The lender supported Customer A’s new contracting income position using recent invoices rather than waiting for standard self-employed tax returns.
- Formal approval was achieved before the 30 June tax-planning deadline.
For Customer A, this was not just a lower-rate refinance. It was a complete cash-flow transformation that overcame incomplete tax returns, valuation delays, policy restrictions, and high commercial repayments.
If you are self-employed, have recently changed business structure, or have a complex commercial and residential lending portfolio, a standard bank approach may not be enough. The right refinance strategy can reduce repayments, improve cash flow, and present your situation to lenders in a way that makes sense.
Get in touch with Home Loan Experts to explore your options. Call 1300 889 743 or enquire online. At the time of publication, this outcome was based on lending policies available then. Lending criteria and policies can change, so the same result may not apply today.