Loans.com.au was founded in 2011 as one of the first lenders in Australia offering online home loans. The fully digital brand is backed by Firstmac, one of Australia's largest non-bank lenders, with the aim of providing some of the most competitive home and car loans on the market.

Ten years later, loans.com.au added specialist SMSF loans to its product portfolio, initially to SMSF refinancers and later to those also looking to purchase properties, both residential and commercial. Today, its SMSF loans are among the most competitive on the market.

What is an SMSF loan?

Before we get into the details, let's be clear on what an SMSF loan is and how it differs from traditional home or investor loans. An SMSF loan is a specialist financial product that provides finance for self-managed superannuation funds to purchase property. The returns on the investment, either rental payments or eventual capital gains, must be returned to the superannuation fund for the sole purpose of funding members' retirements.

But SMSF loans differ considerably in structure to traditional home loans. All SMSF loans must be undertaken through what's called a limited recourse borrowing arrangement (LRBA). In effect, this means SMSF loans are taken out under a separate trust and trustee (known as a custodian), to limit the lender's access to other assets held by the SMSF should there be a default on the loan.

This is done to protect the other retirement investments of the SMSF's members but also means SMSF loans can require a few extra steps. As well, the interest rates are generally higher than for standard home loans as the lender is taking on additional risk.

See also: SMF borrowing explained

You should seek personal financial and tax/or legal advice on whether a SMSF is appropriate to your circumstances.

See also: SMSFs vs retail & industry super funds

Taking out an SMSF loan through loans.com.au

Loans.com.au's operations are well established in handling the often more complex assessment, approval, and loan set-up processes for SMSF loans.

Many major lenders don't deal in SMSF lending, likely due to the extra legwork required and the additional risk in not having access to other fund assets. However, this hasn't stopped SMSFs from seeking the benefits of investing in property in recent times.

Australian Taxation Office (ATO) data shows SMSF asset allocation for residential property grew more than 26% from 2021-24 and 25% for non-residential property over the same time period.

See also: How to buy property through an SMSF in Australia

On that note, let's check loans.com.au's SMSF offerings:

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Filters
LenderHome LoanInterest Rate Comparison Rate* Monthly Repayment Repayment type Rate Type Offset Redraw Ongoing Fees Upfront Fees Max LVR Lump Sum Repayment Extra Repayments Split Loan Option TagsFeaturesLinkComparePromoted ProductDisclosure
6.49% p.a.
6.51% p.a.
$3,157
Principal & Interest
Variable
$null
$230
70%
  • Investor
  • Variable
  • Principal & Interest
  • 30% Min Deposit
  • More details
  • Minimum 30% deposit needed to qualify
  • Available for purchase or refinance
  • No application, ongoing monthly or annual fees.
  • Dedicated loan specialist throughout the loan application
 Disclosure
6.64% p.a.
6.91% p.a.
$3,207
Principal & Interest
Fixed
$0
$230
80%
  • Investor
  • Fixed 3 Years
  • Principal & Interest
  • 20% Min Deposit
  • Extra Repayments
  • More details
7.49% p.a.
–
$3,493
Principal & Interest
Variable
$null
$null
80%
  • Investor
  • Variable
  • Principal & Interest
  • 20% Min Deposit
  • More details
7.49% p.a.
–
$3,493
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$490
80%
  • Owner Occupier
  • Variable
  • Principal & Interest
  • 20% Min Deposit
  • More details
6.99% p.a.
7.01% p.a.
$3,323
Principal & Interest
Variable
$0
$230
80%
  • Rate will drop 0.25% on 3rd of June
  • Investor
  • Variable
  • Principal & Interest
  • 20% Min Deposit
  • More details
  • Minimum 20% deposit needed to qualify
  • Available for purchase or refinance
  • No application, ongoing monthly or annual fees.
  • Dedicated SMSF loan specialist throughout the loan application
 Disclosure
Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

Base criteria of: a $400,000 loan amount, variable, fixed, principal and interest (P&I) home loans with an LVR (loan-to-value) ratio of at least 80%. However, the ‘Compare Home Loans’ table allows for calculations to be made on variables as selected and input by the user. Some products will be marked as promoted, featured or sponsored and may appear prominently in the tables regardless of their attributes. All products will list the LVR with the product and rate which are clearly published on the product provider’s website. Monthly repayments, once the base criteria are altered by the user, will be based on the selected products’ advertised rates and determined by the loan amount, repayment type, loan term and LVR as input by the user/you. *The Comparison rate is based on a $150,000 loan over 25 years. Warning: this comparison rate is true only for this example and may not include all fees and charges. Different terms, fees or other loan amounts might result in a different comparison rate. Rates correct as of . View disclaimer.

Important Information and Comparison Rate Warning

Benefits of loans.com.au SMSF loans

  • No application and settlement fees

  • No monthly or ongoing fees

  • No limit on extra repayments

  • Anytime access to the loan via Smart Money app

Loans.com.au SMSF Loan features

Loans.com.au SMSF Loan fees

While loans.com.au's SMSF loans come with no application fees, no monthly fees, no annual fees, and no settlement fees, there are some fees that apply, including:

  • Legal fee - $490 (purchase only)

  • Security assessment fee - $230 (for metropolitan locations under $1 million only)

  • Rate lock fee - $350 (optional - for fixed rate loans only)

Note: Fees accurate as at 2 July 2025

Application process

  1. Fill out loan application online, or speak to a lending specialist via telephone for assistance completing the application.

  2. A lending specialist will be in touch over the phone at an appointed time to finalise the application details.

  3. Upload required documents via the OnTrack app which will also track the application progress.

  4. Receive final approval, mortgage documents, and loan agreement via OnTrack for signing and return.

  5. Your loan will settle.

Supporting Documents

Some documents you'll likely need to provide include:

  • Your recent Super Fund Statement/s evidencing contributions, cash, investments, rental income, etc.

  • Evidence of independent legal advice

  • Certified copies of SMSF Property Trust Deed

  • Six months of statements (for any loan being refinanced)

Savings.com.au's two cents

With the pool of SMSF lenders shrinking over recent years, loans.com.au has emerged as a stayer within this market sector.

Its processes and lending team are experienced in handling the extra steps inherent in the more complex SMSF lending procedures that may have scared away larger banks. Despite the drop in competition, loans.com.au's interest rates remain competitive and it SMSF loans are comparatively low fee.

For the growing number of SMSFs keen to add property to their asset allocations, loans.com.au is well worth considering for SMSFs comparing their borrowing options.

In the interests of full disclosure, Savings.com.au and loans.com.au are both associates of Firstmac.

First published on July 2022

Image by Tyler Hendy via Pexels

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Disclaimers

In the interests of full disclosure, Savings.com.au and loans.com.au are part of the Firstmac Group. To read about Savings.com.au manages potential conflicts of interest, along with how we get paid, please click through onto the web site links.