If your commercial property loan is approaching the end of its term, start with the agreement and the decisions still outstanding. A discussion about a new rate, an extension request and a refinance application are different things. None should be treated as confirmation that the existing facility will continue beyond its agreed maturity. Check whether your agreement already sets out any continuation or reset terms.
This guide is for business owners and commercial property investors preparing a loan review. It helps you assemble the dates, evidence and questions for the lender, broker and relevant advisers. It does not determine which option is suitable or whether a lender will approve it.
Which date actually needs action?
Record these dates separately, using the current agreement, any variations and written lender confirmation:
- Facility maturity: the contracted end date and what the agreement requires then.
- Fixed-rate expiry: when a fixed interest-rate period ends, if applicable.
- Interest-only expiry: when an interest-only repayment period ends, if applicable.
- Lease expiry or renewal: where rent supports the loan assessment, record the lease dates and whether any renewal is actually confirmed.
These dates depend on the contract. For example, CommBank's business finance terms deal separately with final repayment, fixed-rate periods and interest-only periods. They illustrate one lender's terms, not a rule for every commercial loan.
Do not substitute one date for another. A loan may have repayments calculated over a longer period than its contracted term. Our commercial property lending guide explains the distinction between term and amortisation.
Use “unknown” when a date or condition has not been confirmed, and “not applicable” only when that feature does not apply. If you are unsure when the facility ends, promptly confirm the actual deadline with the current lender rather than work from an estimate.
What options are you comparing?
Questions to discuss include whether the current lender will review pricing, extend or restructure the facility, and whether an alternative refinance proposal is available. Any repayment arrangement being considered also needs a clear funding plan and the appropriate advice.
Ask for the proposed terms, conditions and outstanding requirements in writing. Repricing an existing loan is not the same as extending its term. A pending application with another lender is not an extension of the current facility.
The Australian Government's business loan cost guidance recommends reviewing existing terms and comparing refinancing costs with the potential benefit. The useful question is what each actual proposal changes, not simply which headline rate is lower.
What evidence should you have ready?
Start with the records you hold, then confirm the lender-specific list:
- the current facility agreement, variations, recent loan statements and relevant review or expiry notices;
- an outline of the borrower and any relevant company or trust;
- the property, its intended use and the facilities or securities connected to it;
- current business financial information where trading income supports the loan;
- the current lease and available renewal or rental evidence where tenant income is relevant; and
- existing commitments, the proposed transaction and timing.
Mark unavailable records and unconfirmed future rent as gaps. Do not assume the previous income-documentation pathway will still fit. Our guide to full-doc, alt-doc and lease-doc commercial lending explains the evidence questions for own-business premises, independent tenants and refinancing.
How do you compare the costs fairly?
As a practical comparison method, use the same borrowing amount and comparison end date for each proposal. Separate the interest and principal repayments from fees, and identify the balance still owing at the end of the comparison period. A lower monthly repayment caused by a longer term is not, on its own, evidence of a saving.
Ask which of the following apply to the actual transaction:
- Leaving the existing facility: a dated payout amount, any early-repayment or break costs, discharge costs and relevant legal charges.
- Starting or changing a facility: establishment, valuation, legal or other transaction costs.
- Keeping the facility: interest, ongoing fees and any relevant review or variation costs.
Distinguish one-off amounts from ongoing costs, and note whether an amount is a quote, an estimate or still unknown. Confirm the date to which a payout figure applies and what it includes. Product-specific exit costs can matter: Liberty's commercial product page, for example, sets out early-repayment and discharge-related conditions. Those conditions must not be assumed to apply to another lender's facility.
Which securities and guarantees are affected?
Map each relevant facility to its secured properties and guarantees. If you want a property or guarantee released, identify it explicitly and obtain the lender's written requirements or decision. Do not infer that paying out one loan will release every security or guarantee connected with the borrowing arrangements.
Confirm with the relevant lenders and legal or settlement professionals who will obtain the payout information, arrange any required discharge or release, satisfy outstanding conditions and check completion. A requested release is not a confirmed release, and an expected settlement date is not evidence that the existing facility has been discharged.
Build a short record of the unresolved decisions
For each important date, cost, condition or release, write down:
- The item and value: for example, the facility maturity date or a quoted discharge amount.
- The evidence: the agreement, variation, quote or written confirmation supporting it, including its date.
- The status: confirmed, unknown or not applicable. Keep estimates separate from confirmed figures.
- The next action: the specific question, document or decision still needed.
- The person responsible: who will obtain or confirm it, and by when the actual transaction requires it.
Illustrative incomplete entry: “Facility maturity: unknown. Evidence: current agreement not yet available. Next action: obtain the agreement and ask the current lender to confirm the repayment date and any continuation terms. Action owner and deadline: still to be agreed.” This entry identifies work to do; it does not show that the facility can continue.
If a critical item for your proposed transaction, such as the maturity date, a requested extension or a required security release, is unconfirmed, the plan is incomplete. Start with those confirmations rather than fill the gaps with assumed approval, future rent or a general notice period. This record is a preparation aid, not an approval or a replacement for advice on the actual agreements.
How can Flexdoc help with a commercial loan review?
Flexdoc helps business owners and investors review commercial property lending options. Start with the property, borrower, current facility, income source and confirmed dates. We can discuss the lending requirements and available assessment pathways for the proposed transaction.
Speak with Flexdoc about your commercial property loan review. Keep legal, tax and strategy questions with the appropriately qualified advisers.
Sources checked 19 October 2026. General information only. Your facility agreement, lender criteria and transaction circumstances govern what is available. No extension, refinance, security release or saving is guaranteed.