Caravan Park & Holiday Park Finance | Switchboard Finance
Accommodation Finance · Caravan Park Finance

Banks See A Caravan Park. We See A Business. Caravan Park and Holiday Park Finance, Freehold Going Concern and Leasehold Pathways for Self-Employed Australian Buyers

Finance to buy a park as a business, freehold or leasehold, not finance for a caravan to live in. The number that decides your loan is tenure, and most lenders treat parks as specialised security. We know which ones say yes.

Freehold going concern Leasehold & Crown lease First-time & portfolio buyers Non-bank specialist
See How It Works ↓ Check Eligibility
50–70%
Freehold LVR
35–50%
Leasehold LVR
Up to 30yr
Loan Term
$200K–$5M+
Loan Size
Switchboard Finance · Credit Representative 576702 · Finsure ACL 384704
What Are You Buying?

Five ways to finance a park.

Pick the model that matches your park to see how it gears, or jump straight to a callback.

🏞️
Freehold Going Concern
You own the land and run the park, secured over land plus business against a going concern valuation. The highest gearing, and the only model that carries capital growth, because you hold the land underneath the business.
50–70%
Typical LVR
$200K–$5M+
Facility Size
Up to 30yr
Term
  • Land plus business as security
  • Carries capital growth
  • Supporting security bridges the deposit gap
Accommodation finance hub →
🔑
Leasehold Park Business
You buy the business and operate under a lease, paying rent to the freeholder. Financed against the lease with a deed of consent. Cheaper to enter, higher running yield, but a diminishing asset.
35–50%
Typical LVR
~50%
Deposit
Lease-capped
Term
  • Lease and business as security
  • Deed of consent from the freeholder
  • Term set inside the remaining lease
Get a free callback →
🏕️
Holiday Parks, Cabins & Sites
Cabin income, powered and unpowered sites, camp kitchens and function space. The blend of tourist and steady income drives the valuation, so it has to be read the way the park actually trades through the seasons.
Income mix
Read properly
Cabins
+ Sites
Seasonal
Upside
  • Cabins, powered and unpowered sites
  • Permanents and annuals as the steady base
  • Function and camp-kitchen revenue counted
Get a free callback →
💰
Refinance & Equity Release
Already own a park. Move off a tough facility, fund new cabins or extra sites, or release equity for retirement, an estate, or a partner buyout, without selling the park.
Cash-out
Business purpose
No sale
Keep the park
Better
Facility
  • Refinance to a stronger facility
  • Fund cabins or upgrades
  • Release equity without selling
Equity release & refinance →
📜
Crown & Council Lease Parks
Many parks sit on Crown land or council land rather than freehold. The lease structure, the term remaining and the consent path all get confirmed before the deal goes anywhere near a lender.
Crown
or Council
Consent
Confirmed first
In-lease
Loan term
  • Crown or council land tenure
  • Lease length and renewal options checked
  • Consent path cleared before valuation
Get a free callback →
How It Works

Tenure decides
everything.

Caravan park finance funds a park as a trading business, not a caravan or a cabin you buy to live in. How much you can borrow is set first by tenure. A freehold going concern is secured over land plus business and gears higher. A leasehold is secured over the lease only and gears lower.

Parks are valued on the business, not the bricks. A valuer takes the adjusted net profit and applies a yield multiple, so the income and how it is presented matter as much as the property. Low doc is not available on parks: this is a full financials assessment, supported by your accountant.

We work with business owners and self-employed buyers, never PAYG. Where a deal involves raising investor equity, a co-ownership scheme or a unit trust, that interest is licensed-partner territory: we arrange the secured credit, and we introduce the right partner for the equity side.

🏞️
Freehold going concern
  • Land plus business secured
  • Typical LVR 50% to 70%
  • Carries capital growth
Suits: buyers who want control and the land value
🔑
Leasehold business
  • Lease and business secured
  • Typical LVR 35% to 50%
  • Deed of consent, term inside the lease
Suits: first-timers entering with less capital
🏢
Freehold investment
  • Own the land, lease to an operator
  • Assessed closer to commercial property
  • A more passive position
Suits: investors who want rent, not operations
Not sure which model fits? Get a free callback →
What You Can Borrow

How a park gears,
and what it takes to get in.

Parks gear lower than a motel or a standard commercial building, because the security is a trading business with a mix of income. As a working guide, a freehold going concern sits around 30% deposit, and a leasehold around 50%.

Equity in other property you own can be used as supporting security to bridge that gap, which can lift effective gearing closer to the full purchase price without overstretching serviceability.

The loan is driven by the going concern valuation, not the asking price. If the valuation lands under the contract, the gap is yours to cover, which is exactly why we pressure test the numbers before you commit.

50–70%
Freehold going concern LVR
35–50%
Leasehold LVR
Up to 30yr
Term on a freehold
Full doc
No low doc on parks
Get a Free Callback Check Eligibility →
How Deals Come Together

Four ways a park deal gets done.

Illustrative scenarios that show the structure, not specific client outcomes. Yours will differ, but the shape of the thinking is the same.

🏕️
Leasehold · First-time buyer
A couple buys their first tourist park
Long lease, deed of consent, first-time experience presented

A leasehold tourist park with a long lease remaining. Financed against the lease with a deed of consent, the loan term set inside the lease, and a business plan that carried the first-time experience question. Because leasehold gears lower, the deposit was larger, so the structure was built around keeping a working cash buffer for the first season.

✓ Leasehold✓ Deed of consent✓ Business plan
Enquiry
Tenure check
Approved
Settled, cash kept in reserve
📈
Freehold · Step-up
Stepping up from leasehold to the freehold
65% going concern plus supporting security

A freehold going concern at around 65% against the going concern valuation. Equity in the buyer's existing property was used as supporting security to bridge the deposit gap, lifting effective gearing toward the full price without overstretching serviceability. The land value gives them the growth a leasehold never could.

✓ Freehold✓ Supporting security✓ Going concern valuation
Enquiry
Structured
Valued & approved
Settled, land secured
💰
Equity release · No sale
An owner releases equity without selling
Refinance to fund retirement and equalise an estate

A long-tenure owner not ready to sell, but wanting to free up capital. A refinance of the freehold released equity to fund retirement income and equalise an estate between children, with the park kept and trading. The structure let them step back from the day to day without giving up the asset or its income.

✓ Refinance✓ Cash-out✓ No sale
Enquiry
Reviewed
Refinanced
Capital released
⏱️
Settlement timing
Holding a tight settlement window
Short-term cover, then refinanced to the senior loan

Exchange and the bank settlement did not line up, and the vendor would not move the date. Short-term cover through a caveat loan or private lending held the position so the deal closed on time, then the senior facility refinanced it out cleanly once it settled. The timing was planned upfront, so nothing was rushed at the end.

✓ Caveat✓ Private lending✓ Refinanced out
Exchange
Short-term cover
Settled on time
Refinanced to senior
FAQ

Caravan park finance, answered.

Straight answers on deposits, tenure, valuation and what lenders look for. Education first, market-standard ranges, no claimed offers.

As a working guide, lenders look for around 30% of the price on a freehold going concern and around 50% on a leasehold business. Equity in other property you own can be used as supporting security to bridge that gap, which can lift effective gearing closer to the full purchase price. The exact figure depends on the park, the income, the tenure and your experience, so treat these as ranges rather than a fixed offer.
Yes. A leasehold park is financed against the lease and the business rather than the land, so the lender needs a deed of consent from the freeholder and the loan term is set inside the remaining lease. Because the security is the lease rather than land, the loan to value ratio is lower, usually in the 35% to 50% range. Lenders generally want a healthy number of years left on the lease, ideally with options to renew.
Parks are valued on the business, not the bricks. A valuer takes the adjusted net profit (the real earnings after addbacks) and applies a yield multiple reflecting location, condition, seasonality, occupancy and the income mix. Two parks with the same gross takings can value very differently. The going concern valuation drives the loan, so the contract price and the valuation need to line up.
Freehold going concern is generally easier to finance and gears higher, because the lender holds the land. Leasehold gears lower because the security is only the lease. The trade runs the other way on yield and entry cost: leasehold is cheaper to buy and tends to return more, but it is usually a diminishing asset with no capital growth, while a freehold carries the land value and the upside.
Lenders treat parks as specialised security, so your background matters more than on a standard commercial property, but first-time operators are still financeable. The difference is in how the application is presented: a clear business plan, cash flow forecasting, a sensible management plan and properly adjusted figures. Most parks are bought by first-timers, and presenting that well is part of the job.
No. Park finance is assessed on full financials and a business plan, not on a low doc or alternative documentation basis. Park lending is a going concern business loan, which is a different product to the property-secured low doc and alt doc loans used on residential and commercial property. Expect to provide proper figures, supported by your accountant.
On a freehold going concern, terms can run up to around 30 years when secured to suitable property. On a leasehold, the term is capped inside the remaining lease, often up to about 15 years, because the security expires when the lease does. Interest only periods are commonly available for the early years while you settle into the business and build occupancy.
As a business, the returns sit in a useful range: freehold going concern parks tend to yield from the high single digits to the high teens, while leasehold returns higher but is a diminishing asset. That is a different question to buying a caravan or cabin to put on a park, which behaves like a vehicle and depreciates. This page is about financing the park itself as an operating business.
Still have questions? Talk to a broker or browse the full glossary.

Buying a park,
or releasing equity from one?

No credit check to enquire. Tell us the park and the tenure, and we will tell you what is fundable, where the deposit lands, and which lenders fund it.

Get a Free Callback Check Eligibility →
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General information only, not credit or financial advice. Switchboard Finance arranges secured business-purpose credit. Lending is subject to lender assessment, valuation and terms. Figures shown are market-standard ranges, not an offer of finance.

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