Short answer: An urgent second mortgage is funded against equity in property you already own, usually within 24 hours, when a fixed deadline leaves no time for a bank. Instant Business Finance assesses on the equity and your exit rather than financials, so a decision comes the same day.
The deadlines that actually do not move
Most business problems can absorb a week. A few cannot, and they are the ones this loan exists for. What they have in common is a third party with a date and no discretion.
| Deadline | Why it will not wait | What the second mortgage does |
|---|---|---|
| ATO garnishee or payment arrangement | The arrangement fails on the day it is missed, and the next step is worse | Clears the balance before the date, keeping the arrangement alive |
| A settlement you are buying into | The contract date is the contract date | Covers the shortfall so settlement completes |
| Supplier stop-credit | Accounts go on hold and delivery stops | Pays the account down and reopens supply |
| Payroll | There is no version of this that waits | Funds the run while receivables catch up |
| Bond or deposit on a won contract | No bond, no purchase order, and the work goes elsewhere | Lodges the bond in time to keep the contract |
| Plant or vehicle off the road | Revenue stops while it sits | Pays for the repair now rather than after the claim |
If your situation is not on that list but has the same shape — a fixed date, an external party and a consequence for missing it — it belongs here too.
What do we need from you in the first hour?
Urgency is won or lost in the first conversation. Five things decide whether a file can move today.
- The property and roughly what is owing on it. An approximate figure is fine to start; the exact balance can follow.
- Who is on the title. Your own name is fastest. A company or trust is entirely normal, but every signatory has to be reachable today.
- The deadline and what happens if it is missed. This is not a formality. It shapes the term and the structure.
- How the loan gets repaid. A contracted payment, a sale, a refinance already in progress, or a defined trading period.
- Anything awkward, said upfront. Defaults, judgments, arrears, an existing caveat, a dispute on the title. None of it necessarily stops the loan. Finding it at 4pm does.
What makes an urgent file miss its deadline
In our experience almost every missed deadline traces back to one of four things, and three of them are fixable before you start.
- A signatory who cannot be reachedA director travelling, a co-owner who does not know the loan is happening, a trustee company with two signatories and only one contactable. Confirm availability before anything else.
- A property that needs a full valuationRemote locations, unusual buildings and some rural holdings cannot be valued from a desk. That adds days, not hours. If you have a choice of security, the metropolitan property is the faster route.
- A surprise on the titleA caveat somebody forgot about, an old encumbrance, a name that does not match the ID. All resolvable, none resolvable in an afternoon if discovered late.
- Starting too lateA Friday afternoon enquiry for a Monday deadline is a different job from a Wednesday morning one. Start the conversation the day you know the date, even if you have not decided to proceed.
An urgent file, start to finish
A Queensland civil contractor received a garnishee notice on a Tuesday. The ATO balance had been under an arrangement that lapsed while the business was chasing a disputed progress claim. The bank account was frozen in effect, and payroll was Thursday.
The director owned a home with substantial equity behind a modest mortgage. We confirmed ownership and equity that morning and had an offer out by early afternoon. Documents were signed the same day, the second mortgage was registered with Titles Queensland, and the tax debt was paid on Wednesday.
The garnishee lifted. Payroll ran on Thursday. The exit was the progress claim, which resolved six weeks later, and the loan was repaid then. The business never stopped trading, which was the whole point of moving on the Tuesday rather than the following Monday.
Is urgent the same as desperate?
No, and it is worth separating them, because lenders should.
An urgent file has a deadline, an asset and a way out. The business is solvent and the problem is timing. That is an ordinary commercial situation and it is what this product is for.
A file where the loan would simply postpone an unavoidable outcome is different. Borrowing against your property to fund losses with no identified exit does not solve the problem; it adds a secured creditor to it. If that is what your situation looks like, we will say so rather than write the loan, and you are better served by an accountant or a restructuring adviser than by us.
The distinction is not about the size of the number or how loudly the deadline is ticking. It is whether there is a credible way the loan gets repaid. If there is, speed is simply useful. If there is not, speed is the last thing you need.
Why urgency does not have to mean a worse deal
The worry is reasonable: everyone knows what happens to prices when the buyer is in a hurry. Two things protect you here.
The first is that this loan is priced on the security and the exit, not on how anxious you sound. The equity behind your existing mortgage is the same figure on a calm Tuesday as on a frantic one.
The second is that every cost goes in the written offer before you sign. Establishment fee, legal and title costs, the term, what happens if the exit runs late, and what it costs to discharge. If a lender will not put all of that in writing in advance, that is the signal to walk — and it is a much more useful test than any advertised rate.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can you actually move?
A decision the same day and funds in as little as 24 hours. Where a full valuation is needed or signatories are scattered, two to four days is more realistic and we will say so at the start rather than at the end.
Does a garnishee notice or ATO debt stop the application?
No. Clearing tax debt is one of the most common reasons these loans are written. The debt is a reason for the loan, not a reason to decline it.
I have defaults and arrears. Is it worth calling?
Yes. The assessment is on the equity in the property and the exit. Credit history matters far less here than it does at a bank.
What if my deadline is tomorrow morning?
Call rather than fill in a form. Whether it is achievable depends on the title, the signatories and the valuation basis, and that is a five-minute conversation.
Can I use a property I own with someone else?
Yes, provided every registered owner signs. Their availability is usually the thing that decides whether the file moves today or in three days.
Does it cost anything to apply?
No. There's no cost to apply or check your eligibility. All costs are set out in writing in your loan offer before you sign anything.
Will checking my eligibility affect my credit score?
No. Our 60-second eligibility check doesn't make a credit enquiry. A credit check is only done later, with your consent, if you decide to proceed.
