Your Next Property Is
Already In Your Walls.
Every year your investment properties grow in value, equity builds silently inside them — untouched, undeployed, and earning nothing. Refinancing to release that equity is the strategy that transforms a single investment property into a portfolio. Tenfold engineers the process from revaluation to settlement so not a dollar of accessible equity is left behind.
How Accessible Equity Is Calculated
Accessible equity = (Property Value × 80%) − Current Loan Balance. This example is illustrative only. Your Tenfold broker will model your actual position across every property in your portfolio.
Equity Is Not Wealth Until
It Is Deployed.
Most investors understand that their properties have grown in value. Far fewer take the deliberate step of refinancing to extract that growth and put it to work in the next acquisition. Done correctly — with the right loan structure, the right lender, and a clear deployment plan — equity release is the engine of compounding portfolio growth. Done incorrectly, it erodes serviceability and stalls your strategy. At Tenfold, we make sure it's done correctly.
Why Sophisticated Investors
Refinance Regularly
Refinancing isn't just about a better rate — it's a proactive portfolio management tool used by investors who are serious about growth.
Fund Your Next Acquisition
The most common — and most powerful — reason to release equity is to use it as the deposit and costs for your next investment property. Rather than waiting years to save a fresh deposit, you redeploy the capital your existing portfolio has already generated. One property becomes two, two becomes four, and your portfolio compounds without requiring additional cash savings at every step.
Secure a Better Rate
Lenders reserve their most competitive rates for new customers and recent refinancers. Long-term borrowers frequently find they are paying rates 0.5–1.5% above what the market currently offers. Refinancing allows you to reset to a sharper rate — and at Tenfold, we use the full lender panel to make sure the rate you move to is the best available for your portfolio profile.
Force Equity Through Renovation
Strategic renovation — adding a bedroom, modernising a kitchen, subdividing a block — can increase a property's value well beyond the cost of the works. Once complete, a revaluation captures that new value, and a refinance releases the manufactured equity as accessible capital. This is one of the few strategies in property investment where you directly control the outcome rather than waiting on the market.
Restructure for Tax Efficiency
As your portfolio grows, your loan structure can become misaligned with your tax position. Refinancing provides an opportunity to separate investment debt from non-deductible personal debt, establish correct IO periods on investment loans, set up offset accounts for maximum tax efficiency, and ensure each loan is structured to the entity that holds the property — all of which can materially improve your after-tax cash flow.
Remove Cross-Collateralisation
Many investors unknowingly hold multiple properties crossed as security under the same lender, giving the bank control over your entire portfolio if a single loan falls outside policy. Refinancing is the tool to decouple your properties — separating them across lenders, giving each property its own standalone loan, and restoring your flexibility to sell, refinance, or release equity on individual assets without seeking the bank's consent across the whole portfolio.
Reset Your Interest-Only Period
Investment loans are commonly structured on interest-only (IO) terms to maximise cash flow and tax deductibility. IO periods typically run 5 years before converting to principal and interest, which significantly increases repayments. Refinancing to a new lender — or renegotiating with your existing lender — can reset the IO clock, maintaining your preferred repayment structure and protecting your monthly cash flow position.
From First Conversation to
Equity in Your Account
Releasing equity through a refinance is a structured process. Here is exactly how Tenfold takes you from portfolio review to funds available — typically within four to six weeks.
Step 01
Portfolio Strategy Session with Tenfold
The process begins with a conversation — not a form. Your Tenfold broker reviews your entire portfolio: current loan balances, lenders, interest rates, IO expiry dates, and the current market value estimate of each property. We model your accessible equity position across every asset and identify which properties represent the best refinance candidates based on value growth, current rate, and lender policy.
Tenfold's annual portfolio audit often uncovers equity and rate opportunities clients didn't know existed. The best time to have this conversation is before you need the capital — not after.Step 02
Property Revaluation
The most critical step — and the one that determines how much equity you can access. Your broker will order an upfront property valuation, either as a desktop (AVM) assessment or a full physical inspection, depending on the lender and the property type. The valuation result directly sets the new loan limit. We manage the valuation process to ensure the right valuer is engaged, the property is presented appropriately, and the report accurately reflects its current market position.
Timing your refinance correctly matters. A property that has recently undergone renovation, been leased to a quality tenant, or is located in a suburb with recent comparable sales will support a stronger valuation — and therefore more accessible equity.Step 03
Serviceability Assessment & Lender Selection
Before going to market, we run a full serviceability assessment across your income, existing debts, and the proposed new facility. This ensures we only approach lenders where approval is achievable — protecting your credit file from unnecessary inquiries. We then shortlist lenders based on rate, policy, equity release appetite, and the loan structure that best aligns with your strategy: standalone equity loan, cash-out refinance, or line of credit.
Step 04
Application, Approval & Documentation
Tenfold prepares and lodges your complete refinance application — including current loan statements, income documentation, rental statements, and the new loan structure. We manage all lender communication, respond to credit queries, and push the file through to formal approval. For a straightforward equity release, approval typically takes 10–20 business days from application lodgement.
Step 05
Settlement — Equity Released & Ready to Deploy
Once loan documents are signed and settlement occurs, the discharged portion of your old loan is cleared and the released equity sits in your offset or redraw facility — available immediately. From here, Tenfold works with you on deployment: structuring the next purchase, positioning your deposit, and ensuring the capital is put to work in the right asset with the right finance structure from day one.
Released equity held in an offset account against your investment loan reduces your daily interest until it is deployed — so there is no cost to accessing it before you've identified your next acquisition.Five Ways to Put
Released Equity to Work
Equity released through a refinance is only as powerful as the strategy it funds. Here are the most effective ways sophisticated investors deploy it.
Deposit for the Next Investment Property
The most direct deployment: released equity becomes the deposit and acquisition costs for your next residential investment property. With a 20% deposit requirement on a $700,000 purchase, you need $140,000 plus roughly $30,000 in stamp duty and legals — often entirely funded by equity in a well-grown existing property. This is how single-property investors systematically build portfolios without returning to the savings cycle.
Discuss portfolio growth →Commercial Property Acquisition
Released equity from residential properties is regularly used to fund the 30–40% deposit required for a commercial property purchase. The higher deposit threshold for commercial lending means equity release is often the only practical path to commercial ownership for residential investors — and the superior yields on commercial assets can transform portfolio cash flow almost immediately.
Learn about commercial finance →Renovation to Force More Equity
Using released equity to fund a strategic renovation on another property in your portfolio — then refinancing that property again once the work is complete — is a compounding equity manufacturing strategy. The renovation increases value, the revaluation captures that increase, and the new refinance releases the manufactured equity as another round of deployable capital, without requiring any external savings.
Contribution to SMSF or Development
For investors with a self-managed super fund, released equity from personal property can be used to supplement SMSF contributions — though strict contribution cap rules apply and financial advice is essential. Similarly, released equity can form the developer equity contribution in a small residential development project, allowing you to enter development finance without requiring liquid savings for the equity tranche.
Learn about SMSF finance →Buffer & Portfolio Resilience
Not all equity deployment needs to be an immediate acquisition. Holding released equity in an offset account against an investment loan creates a financial buffer — one that reduces daily interest while remaining fully accessible. This buffer provides protection against vacancy periods, unexpected repairs, and rate movements, and gives you the confidence to hold properties through market cycles without the pressure of being under-resourced.
Important Considerations
Before You Release Equity
Equity release done thoughtlessly can expose your portfolio to risk. These are the considerations every investor should work through with their broker before lodging a refinance application.
- Serviceability is reassessed at every refinance. Every time you refinance — even with the same lender — the bank runs a full serviceability assessment against current lending criteria. Your income, existing debts, and living expenses are all requalified. If your circumstances have changed since your original loan, or if bank policy has tightened, approval at the same level may not be guaranteed. This is why Tenfold pre-assesses serviceability before any application is lodged.
- Valuations can come in below expectations. Lenders use their own valuers — not real estate agents — and bank valuations are typically conservative. In softer markets, or where recent comparable sales are limited, a valuation may come in below the price you believe your property is worth. Understanding this before you commit to a purchase contract that relies on equity access is critical.
- There are costs involved — model them carefully. Refinancing has real costs: discharge fees from your existing lender ($150–$400), application or settlement fees at the new lender, potentially a new loan establishment fee, and in some cases break costs if you are leaving a fixed rate loan early. These are typically modest and recovered quickly through rate savings or equity deployment, but they should be factored into your decision.
- Released equity increases your debt — and your risk. Releasing equity means increasing your total loan balance and therefore your total interest cost. In a rising rate environment or during a prolonged vacancy, a higher debt level creates more exposure. The deployment plan for released equity needs to be well-considered — equity released for an income-producing asset is fundamentally different to equity released without a clear purpose.
- Avoid cross-collateralisation when releasing equity. The most efficient equity release uses a single property as security for a standalone loan — not a facility that crosses multiple properties. Crossed portfolios give the lender control over all your assets if one falls outside policy. Tenfold structures equity releases as clean, standalone facilities wherever possible to protect your flexibility as your portfolio grows.
- Tax deductibility depends on how equity is used. The interest on your refinanced loan is only tax-deductible to the extent the borrowed funds are used for an income-producing purpose. If you release equity and use any portion for personal spending, that portion of interest is non-deductible. Your accountant should be consulted to ensure the use of funds is clearly documented and appropriately structured from day one.
Access to Every Lender
That Competes for Your Refinance
We go to market across our full panel of banks and non-bank lenders to ensure your refinance lands at the best available rate and structure — not just the most convenient one.
The best refinance lender for your equity release is determined by your current LVR, income profile, and deployment plan — not by which bank has the loudest advertising. Tenfold assesses the full panel for every client, every time.
Find Out What's Sitting
Inside Your Portfolio Right Now.
Book a portfolio strategy session with Tenfold. We'll model your accessible equity position across every property you own, identify the best refinance candidates, and map the path to your next acquisition.