RedZed: secured commercial loans for self-employed owners

If you run your own business, your tax return can tell a strange story. Depreciation, owner drawings, a big equipment purchase or a year of reinvesting can make a healthy operation look modest on paper, and a bank’s standard serviceability model reads the paper. RedZed exists for exactly that gap: it is a non-bank lender that says it specialises in secured loans for self-employed borrowers.

This profile covers what RedZed publishes about its commercial lending as at October 2026, who it tends to suit, what to ask before you apply, and where to look if it isn’t the right fit. Terms change, so confirm every detail with the lender.

What does RedZed offer business borrowers?

RedZed’s focus is property-secured lending. Its commercial loans are listed for purposes such as buying a warehouse or business premises, buying plant and equipment, and refinancing an existing commercial loan. It also lends in other categories, including residential and SMSF loans, but this directory is concerned with the business side.

Feature	What RedZed says (October 2026)
Security	Property only; it does not offer unsecured loans
Commercial loan cap	Up to 75% of the security property’s value
Income evidence	Full documentation or alternative income verification
Assessment	Individual review by people; no credit scoring
Purposes	Premises, plant and equipment, commercial refinance

Because everything is secured, this is not a product for a quick unsecured top-up. If you have no property to offer, look at our guide to business loans without property instead.

How does RedZed’s alt-doc approach work?

Alt doc means the lender accepts something other than two years of tax returns and financial statements. For RedZed’s commercial loans, its website lists an accountant’s declaration, your BAS, or business bank statements as alternative evidence. The idea is simple: your recent trading is often a better guide to repayment ability than last year’s taxable profit.

That ties closely to what we explain on our low doc business loans page. Lenders that take alt-doc evidence usually lend a smaller share of the property’s value than a bank would on full documents, because they carry more uncertainty. RedZed’s 75% ceiling sits in that pattern.

Use our LVR calculator before you apply. If the property is worth $1.2m, a 75% cap means a maximum loan of $900k, and any existing debt secured on it comes out of that figure first.

Not sure whether a lender like this is your best first move? Tell us about the property and the business and a person will suggest where to start.

Who is RedZed a good fit for?

• Self-employed owners buying their own premises, especially where the business is profitable but the tax return is lumpy.
• Owners refinancing a commercial loan who have outgrown a lender’s standard model.
• Borrowers with a story to tell. RedZed says it does not credit score and that real people assess each application, which can help when a past issue has a clear explanation.

It tends to suit less well if you need unsecured money, if the property is unusual or in a hard-to-value location, or if you need more than a 75% share of the value.

If a major bank can approve you, listen carefully to what it offers. Banks are often the cheapest source of property-secured money, and a clean full-doc profile is where they do their best work. A non-bank like RedZed earns its place when the bank’s model doesn’t fit.

What should you ask before you sign?

1. What is the maximum loan against this property type and location, not the headline figure?
2. Which income documents will be accepted, and how recent must they be?
3. What are the establishment, valuation, legal and exit fees in dollars over the term?
4. Is interest-only available, and for how long?
5. Will directors need to give personal guarantees?

Our loan cost comparison calculator is the easiest way to line two offers up in total dollars.

What if RedZed declines or doesn’t fit?

A decline usually points to one of three issues. Work out which before you try elsewhere.

• The property. Try another non-bank first-mortgage lender; see Pepper Money and Thinktank, which has its own page here.
• The loan size. If you need more than the lender’s cap, a second mortgage on the same property can cover the gap.
• The timing. If a purchase is close to settling, bridging finance or a caveat loan can move faster than a full commercial assessment.

For a wider view, read our bank vs non-bank lender comparison and the commercial property loans guide.

Want a second pair of eyes on your deal?

Choosing between a non-bank first mortgage, a bank, or something short-term depends on the numbers, the property and your timeline. We’d rather look at that with you than leave you guessing.

The form takes roughly a minute. We don’t pull your credit file just because you asked, we don’t broadcast your details to a long list of lenders, and an actual person reads what you wrote before calling. Give us accurate property and income details and the first option we suggest has a good chance of being the right one.

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