Probate property finance for estate property in Australia
An estate is asset-rich and cash-poor. Windsor Finance arranges short-term finance secured against estate property so executors and beneficiaries get cash now and settle the estate properly, without a forced sale at the wrong price.
The will leaves a house worth $1.4m, but until grant of probate comes through, nobody can sell it, refinance it, or draw a cent against it. Meanwhile the bills do not pause.
We are a finance broker, not a lender. We take your situation to a panel of Australian bank and non-bank lenders, then place it with the one that lends on probate and deceased-estate security.
When the estate has a deadline and probate is slow
Probate in Australia commonly takes several months from the date of death, longer where the will is contested, assets sit across multiple states, or the registry is backlogged. During that window the executor holds legal responsibility but limited liquidity. The pressures that arrive in that gap are real and time-stamped.
In each case the value exists. The access does not, yet. That timing mismatch is the whole problem, and it is exactly what short-term property finance solves.
One beneficiary wants to keep the family home but cannot access their inheritance to fund the buyout until the estate distributes.
Death duties, capital gains on a sold asset, or an outstanding tax debt fall due before the estate has cash.
A mortgage on the deceased's property keeps accruing interest and the lender is pressing for payment.
Rates, insurance and maintenance run on a vacant property month after month while probate is pending.
The finance that bridges the probate gap
Two products fit most probate situations. Both are short-term, both are secured against property, and both are designed to be repaid from a clean, defined exit, usually the sale of the estate property or the grant of probate releasing the inheritance.
Bridging finance
Short-term, property-secured lending that releases equity ahead of a sale or distribution.
- Indicative cost roughly 6% to 12% per annum on bank and near-bank bridging.*
- LVR up to around 75% of value on standard security.*
- Indicative terms back inside 24 to 48 hours; settlement typically 5 to 14 business days.
- Best where there is time to package a clean file and the exit is a few months out.
Private and caveat lending
When the deadline is measured in days, private credit funds and private lenders move faster, secured by a first mortgage, a second mortgage behind an existing lender, or a caveat over the interest in the property.
- The most expensive money on the panel, commonly priced 9% to 18% per annum or as a monthly rate, plus establishment fees.*
- Settles in 3 to 10 business days where the security and exit are clean.
- Best for a genuinely urgent buyout, tax deadline, or holding-cost crisis a bank cannot fund in time.
Which one fits depends on how tight the deadline is, how much equity sits in the property, and what the exit looks like. A short call sorts that quickly. Most probate finance is business-purpose or investment-purpose lending; where the borrowing is for a personal or domestic purpose, different rules apply and we will tell you so up front. The purpose of each deal is confirmed in writing before it proceeds.
How fast it actually moves
Speed matters more than headline rate when an estate is under pressure. Here is the honest timeline. Private and caveat options can settle in days; standard bridging runs one to three weeks. Complex estates, contested wills, or unusual security run slower, and we will say so rather than promise a date we cannot hold.
Outline the deal
The property, its rough value, the loan size, the deadline and the exit.
Indicative structures
We come back with one or more indicative structures from suitable lenders. No cost, no commitment.
Package the file
ID, grant of probate or evidence it is in progress, property details and exit evidence.
Valuation & credit
The lender instructs a valuer and runs credit on the security and the exit.
Funds release
Private and caveat options can settle in days; standard bridging runs one to three weeks.
What executors and beneficiaries worry about, answered
It looks expensive. +
Can finance even be arranged before probate is granted? +
The estate is messy and there is an existing mortgage. +
Who actually borrows, the executor or the beneficiary? +
Frequently asked questions
How long does probate take in Australia? +
Can I get a loan against an inherited property before the estate is finalised? +
What can probate finance be used for? +
Do you lend the money yourselves? +
Talk through your estate situation today
If an estate property is tied up in probate and a deadline is bearing down, the fastest next step is a 15-minute call. We look at the property, the timeline and the exit, then come back with indicative structures inside 24 to 48 hours. Structuring and lender shortlisting cost you nothing.