Purchasing property inside your self-managed super fund is one of the most powerful retirement strategies available — but it's also one of the most complex. Blambles accounting background makes him uniquely qualified to navigate LRBA structures, specialist lenders and the compliance requirements that go with them.
If you're a trustee of a self-managed super fund and you're considering purchasing property inside the fund, you're already thinking strategically about your retirement. Property held inside an SMSF benefits from superannuation's tax-concessional environment — rental income taxed at 15% in accumulation phase, potentially 0% in pension phase — and offers the ability to use leverage (borrowing) through a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement to acquire a more substantial asset than the fund could otherwise afford.
The challenge is that SMSF lending is one of the most compliance-intensive and specialist areas of Australian finance. The lender pool is small — the major banks largely withdrew from this space, leaving it primarily to non-bank and second-tier lenders. The legal structure required (LRBA with a bare trust) involves multiple documents, multiple professionals and specific requirements that, if not met from the outset, can have serious legal and tax consequences. And the ongoing compliance obligations — auditing, investment strategy documentation, related-party transaction rules — require a fund that is genuinely well managed.
Many SMSF trustees come to Blambles after getting poor or incomplete advice from other advisers about what's actually possible. Some have been told their fund can't borrow — when in fact it can with the right lender and structure. Others have been given unrealistic expectations about LVRs and interest rates. Blambles gives you an honest, complete picture of what's available, what it costs and what the compliance obligations involve — before you commit to anything.
Business owners in particular have a uniquely powerful SMSF option: the ability to purchase their own commercial premises inside their SMSF and lease it back to their business at market rent. This is specifically permitted under superannuation law (unlike residential related-party purchases), and it's a strategy Blambles has helped many Queensland business owners execute correctly.
LRBA structure, bare trust setup, specialist lender selection and full SMSF loan management — Blambles handles the finance side so your accountant and solicitor can handle their roles.
Learn more →Business owners using their SMSF to purchase commercial premises — including the related-party purchase and leaseback structure. Blambles specialty.
Learn more →Broader trust and structure lending for SMSF members who also hold property through family trusts or companies — coordinating across multiple entities.
Learn more →Blambles Chartered Accountant background gives him a level of depth in SMSF lending that most mortgage brokers simply can't match. He understands LRBAs, bare trusts, related-party transaction rules and the compliance framework inside out — and he works alongside your SMSF accountant, auditor and solicitor as a genuine member of the advisory team, not someone who operates in isolation from them.
With established relationships with the specialist non-bank lenders who dominate the SMSF market, Blambles knows which lenders suit which fund profiles — based on fund balance, contribution levels, property type (residential or commercial) and member age. This means efficient applications to the right lenders, rather than wasted time with lenders whose appetite doesn't match your fund's profile.
There is no cost to you for the broker service. For SMSF trustees, the complexity of the lending process is already high enough — Blambles manages the finance element comprehensively so you're not navigating it alone.
The key indicators are: the fund has sufficient assets to support a deposit (lenders typically require 30–35% of the property value from fund assets), the fund has a sufficient history of contributions to service the loan, the trust deed explicitly permits borrowing, and the investment strategy allows for property investment through an LRBA. Blambles assesses all of these in the initial consultation — and works with your SMSF accountant to confirm the fund's readiness before any application proceeds.
No — this is one of the strict rules of SMSF investing. An SMSF cannot purchase residential property from a related party (including fund members or their relatives). Commercial property, however, is specifically exempt from this restriction — an SMSF can purchase "business real property" from a related party at market value, which is the basis of the business premises leaseback strategy. Residential property must be purchased from an unrelated party.
Lenders look at the fund's ability to service the loan — primarily through member contributions (assessed on history and projected forward), rental income from the property, and investment income within the fund. The members' capacity to continue contributing to the fund is also considered. The assessment varies significantly between lenders — some are more contribution-focused, others look at the overall fund's assets. Blambles matches your fund to the lender whose assessment methodology best suits your fund's profile.
It's not necessary — but it's useful if you can. Blambles can work with the information you have and identify what additional advice or documentation is needed. He will almost certainly recommend that your SMSF accountant and a specialist solicitor are involved before any application is lodged, and he can coordinate that process. If you don't have an SMSF accountant yet, Blambles can refer you to trusted specialists in this area.
Free consultation, no obligation. Blambles will assess your fund's position and tell you clearly what SMSF borrowing options are available — and what it takes to proceed.