Buying an investment property inside your SMSF: we structure the LRBA + bare trust and connect you to the few specialist lenders still writing SMSF loans.

A typical SMSF purchase. First the LRBA + bare trust must be set up, with the bare trust holding the property. Residential investment LVR runs 70–80% with some specialist lenders — at 70%, a $600k property borrows about $420k, and the deposit plus stamp duty and setup costs run a bit over $200k from the fund. Your $350k covers it, but you must keep a liquidity buffer afterward, not drain the fund. Servicing is assessed on whether annual super contributions plus the property's shaded rent cover repayments. Halo Loan first models whether contributions plus rent service the loan, then shortlists the 2–3 lenders still writing SMSF. Note: once bought, the property must be purely investment — no self-occupation or renting to you or family.

Yes, and it's a classic self-employed structure. Commercial property has an advantage residential doesn't: an SMSF-held commercial property can be leased to a related party — including your own company — provided the lease is at market rent and properly documented. Rent enters super tax-efficiently and the company's rent is deductible. Watch the trade-offs: commercial LVR usually caps at 65–70%, lower than residential, so the deposit is heavier, and even fewer lenders write commercial SMSF. We first confirm the shop meets the lender's commercial-property criteria, then build the LRBA structure and connect you to a specialist lender that writes commercial SMSF.

Correct — most big-4 banks exited SMSF lending years ago, which is the main reason the lender pool is thin. What's left is mainly specialist non-bank lenders, with Liberty and La Trobe used in some cases. Policies vary widely: minimum fund balance, residential vs commercial, acceptable property types and LVR caps all differ, and policies change often. So SMSF especially needs a lender-by-lender comparison — Halo Loan specialises here and, based on your fund's specifics (balance, contribution record, target property type), shortlists the 2–3 lenders currently writing and able to take your structure, so you don't get knocked back one by one.

Absolutely not while the fund holds it — an SMSF residential investment property must be purely for investment at every stage, never lived in or rented by you or a related party. This is a firm rule and breaching it triggers serious compliance penalties. In theory, once you reach the retirement / payout phase (after preservation age and meeting a condition of release), the property can be transferred out of the fund into your personal name, and only then could you occupy it — but that transfer itself may trigger stamp duty and CGT, so plan it with your accountant well ahead. In short: pure investment while in the fund, and any self-occupation requires a compliant transfer out with the tax cost worked through.

Materially — both are more expensive. Deposit: a personal-name investment property can reach 90% LVR (10% deposit) with some lenders, while SMSF residential usually caps at 70–80% and commercial lower at 65–70%, so you need 10–20% more deposit. Rate: SMSF loans generally price above standard residential because lenders are few, the structure is complex and risk pricing is conservative. SMSF also carries setup costs (bare-trust establishment, legal documents) and ongoing audit / compliance fees. So SMSF isn't about a cheap rate — it's about deploying super for long-term allocation plus limited-recourse asset isolation. Whether it's worth it means weighing the tax benefits against the deposit tied up and the higher rate — we can lay that out for you before you decide.