Asset Finance Gold Coast

What Is Asset Finance?

Asset finance allows businesses to acquire equipment, vehicles, machinery and technology without the need to pay the full purchase price upfront. Instead, the cost is spread over a loan term that aligns with the useful life of the asset, preserving your working capital for day-to-day operations and growth.

Loan Hive works with a broad panel of specialist asset finance lenders and major banks to structure facilities for Gold Coast businesses across industries including construction, trades, hospitality, healthcare, transport and professional services.

Chattel Mortgage

A chattel mortgage is the most common form of equipment finance for businesses with an ABN. Under this structure, you own the asset from day one while the lender takes a mortgage over it as security. Key benefits include:

Immediate ownership and depreciation benefits from settlement date
GST claimable upfront on the purchase price (for GST-registered businesses)
Interest charges and depreciation are typically tax deductible
Fixed repayments for predictable cash flow management
Optional balloon payment at the end of the term to lower monthly repayments

Hire Purchase

Under a hire purchase agreement, the lender purchases the asset and you hire it from them over an agreed term. Ownership transfers to you once the final instalment is paid. Like a chattel mortgage, the asset appears on your balance sheet and depreciation is claimable. Hire purchase is common where a company's accounting treatment requires the asset to be capitalised from day one.

Finance Lease

With a finance lease, the lender retains ownership of the asset for the term of the agreement. You use the asset in your business and make regular lease payments. At the end of the term, you may have the option to purchase the asset at residual value, extend the lease or return the asset.

Lease payments are fully tax deductible as an operating expense
GST is paid on each lease payment rather than upfront
Suits businesses that prefer not to carry the asset as a liability on the balance sheet
Flexible end-of-term options including upgrade to newer equipment

Operating Lease

An operating lease is a true rental arrangement for the use of an asset over a fixed period. The lender carries the residual value risk, and you simply return or upgrade the asset at the end of the term. Operating leases are popular for technology assets such as printers, IT equipment and fleet vehicles where regular upgrades are desirable.

Frequently asked questions

A wide range of assets can be financed, including commercial vehicles, trucks and trailers, earthmoving and construction equipment, medical and dental equipment, commercial kitchen equipment, IT hardware, solar energy systems and manufacturing machinery. Some specialist or soft assets (e.g. software, goodwill) may be treated differently by lenders.

Requirements vary by lender and loan size. Many lenders offer low-doc or no-doc asset finance up to $150,000 for ABN holders with a clean credit history, requiring minimal documentation beyond an ABN and a signed application. Larger facilities typically require financial statements and tax returns for the previous one to two years.

The instant asset write-off (or temporary full expensing provisions) allows eligible businesses to deduct the full cost of qualifying depreciable assets in the year of purchase. This can significantly reduce your tax bill in the current year. A chattel mortgage is the most common structure used to take advantage of this benefit, as ownership transfers immediately. We recommend speaking with your accountant to confirm your eligibility.

The best structure depends on your business's GST registration, tax position, cash flow needs, balance sheet considerations and whether you want to own the asset at the end of the term. We work through these factors with you and your accountant to recommend the most appropriate product for your circumstances.