How Long Does a Bridging Loan Take to Settle in Australia?

A bridging loan from a private lender usually settles in one to three weeks. A clean, well-packaged deal with a current valuation can settle in under ten business days. A bank takes six to eight weeks.

Speed is the whole point of bridging finance. If it settled at bank pace, there would be no reason to use it. Below is what actually drives the timeline, and where deals get stuck.

What is the typical bridging loan settlement time?

One to three weeks is normal for a private lender. The fastest deals settle in five to ten business days. The slowest drag out because of valuations, missing documents or a messy security.

The work is not the credit decision. We can give an answer on a scenario in a day. The clock is really about valuation and legals, and how ready the borrower is.

Timeline, fast deal vs slow deal:

• Indicative terms: same day (fast) vs 2 to 3 days (slow)
• Valuation: 3 to 5 days (fast) vs 2 to 3 weeks (slow)
• Legals and documents: 2 to 4 days (fast) vs 1 to 2 weeks (slow)
• Total to settlement: 5 to 10 business days (fast) vs 4 to 6 weeks (slow)

What makes a bridging loan settle faster?

A current valuation, a company or trust borrower with clean searches, a clear exit, and a first mortgage on a standard metro property. Remove those variables and the deal flies.

The single biggest lever is the valuation. If a recent one exists, or the property is straightforward to value, you save one to two weeks. The second lever is packaging: identification, the business-purpose declaration, company or trust documents and a written exit, all in on day one.

What slows a bridging loan down?

Unusual security, a stale or missing valuation, an unclear exit, and second-mortgage consents. Each one adds days.

Rural or specialised property takes longer to value. A second mortgage needs the first mortgagee to sign a priority deed, which is outside our control. And if the exit is vague, we will ask questions before we commit, which is slower but safer for everyone.

Worked example: a nine business day settlement

Illustrative example. Figures are indicative and do not represent an actual client.

A Sydney company needed to repay a $1,150,000 business loan that was falling due, then sell the security property in its own time.

• Security: a Sydney house valued at $2,000,000.
• Loan: $1,300,000 first mortgage, at 65% of value.
• Term: 9 months, interest capitalised, so no monthly repayments.
• Exit: sale of the property.

The broker sent a complete package on day one, and a valuation was ordered the same afternoon. We issued terms that day, the valuation came back on day five, and the deal settled on day nine. The net advance of $1,169,187.50 cleared the $1,150,000 loan and left funds for costs.

Broker takeaway

If your client is against a deadline, a private bridging loan is the tool. Bring us a full package and a genuine exit and we can often settle inside two weeks. Send us a scenario and we will tell you the likely timeline honestly.

Vía Private is an Australian non-bank private credit lender providing property-secured bridging and commercial loans to companies and trusts for business and investment purposes across NSW, VIC, QLD and the ACT. All lending is subject to credit approval and valuation. General information only, not financial or credit advice.