FAQ: business lending & business loans for business owners
Business Loans Frequently Ask Questions
More about the The Gap Small Business Loans
Tell me about the The Gap Small Business Loans
The Gap unsecured loans provides amounts of between $5,000 and $100,000. The terms range between 3 and 24 months. They also offer cash flow-friendly repayments which can be made daily or weekly.
How is the Unsecured Loan different from a traditional company loan?
You can apply to get your Small Business Loan in under 10 minutes via the internet or over the phone. You’ll get an immediate response, and funds may be in your account within 24 hours. Traditional business loans are based on an annual interest rate along with other charges and fees. We offer a business loan is a loan that is priced upfront and you’ll know in advance the amount you will have to pay, including any fees, interest or charges. This is then broken down into a daily or weekly amount to be paid back.
What could the Small Business Loan be used for?
A Small Business Loan can be used for almost every company use, including the management of cash flow, company renovations, marketing for purchasing inventory or new equipment, as general working capital and much more. The loan cannot be used to fund personal expenses.
About Larger The Gap Business Loans
What is the Larger The Gap Business Loan?
The Larger Business Loan is a larger loan size to support company expansion opportunities. Loans are between $100,000 and $500,000 with a fixed-term with a maximum of 36 months. The repayments are made weekly or fortnightly in order to accommodate you cashflow.
How’s the Origination Fee determined?
This Larger Business Loan has an Origination Fee that is calculated at 2.5% of the amount of the loan.
Am I eligible for the Larger Business Loan?
To qualify for a loan that is this large, your business needs to have been in operation for at least 3 years with an annual turnover of $700,000. Your company must belong to a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident) with a minimum age of 18 years old, own a New Zealand company (with a valid NZBN/IRD) and be able to demonstrate at minimum 12 months of continuous trading.
What can the funds be used for?
A large company loan can be used for nearly any company use, including business renovations, to purchase inventory or new equipment as well as for general working capital, and much more. The loan cannot be used for personal reasons.
Is the Larger Business Loan a secured loan?
Asset security is required for funding of more than $150,000. This can be done by taking a charge on assets and can be registered through the PPSR or the registration of a caveat.
A personal or director’s ensure is a commitment to pay off a credit line that is general in nature, rather than defining security over a particular asset. The person who signs the ensure is personally liable in the event that the company creditor is unable to re-pay the debt.
The Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) is a central, national online registry run by the New Zealand Government. It contains security interests that are registered for personal property (including goods or assets). The PPSR allows the priority of personal property granted according to the date a security interest has been registered.
The caveat can be described as a formal document filed to provide the public notice of a legal claim against a property.
What exactly is a preapproval without Credit Check?
When you’re applying for larger business loans of $250K or more it’s possible to offer an initial pre-approval in order to ease the process. We could be able to make this decision without a credit check and within six hours of your initial application. The pre-approval process is based on an initial assessment that includes you answering some financial well-being checks. This is not an offer or guarantee of funds. A conditional approval is subject a full credit assessment and any offer that you might receive could be subject to different conditions.
The application process
Do I have the right to receive funds?
You can apply for an business loan if you
- are a New Zealand Citizen (or Permanent Resident)
- are 18 years or older, have a New Zealand business (with a valid NZBN/IRD)
- can demonstrate at least 6 months’ worth of transactions (for a unsecured loan $5K – $100K) or three years of trade (for the Larger Business Loan $100K or $500K)
How do I apply?
The application process is quick and simple. Simply complete the online form in few minutes and a dedicated business credit specialist will call you to guide you.
To be eligible for up to $100,000 you’ll need ID details (valid Driver’s Licence) along with a valid NZBN/IRD as well as at least 6 months’ worth of bank statements.
If you’re looking for loans with larger sizes, you’ll require:
$100K to $250K: Application requirements, including credit consent, 6-12 months of IRD statements, bank statements (if loan above $150K).
$250K-$500K: Details of the application, including credit consent as well as 12 months of bank statements, IRD statement Last 2 years’ finalised financial statements, and interim financials from the current financial year including Aged Payables, Aged Receivables reports.
How soon will I hear a decision?
For an unsecured loan ($5K to $100K) we can often offer a response in one hour, provided you submit your request within standard business time and you allow us to utilise the advanced bank verification system to instantly verify your bank information online. If you opt to submit copies of your bank statement, we’ll provide a decision within just the span of one business day.
For the Larger Business Loan ($100K to $500K) we may be likely to offer you with a conditional pre-approval in around six hours. Once you’ve signed the pre-approval form, it will take about 2-3 days for final approval, however it could be faster based upon the circumstances for each application. Certain agreements have been approved in less than 24 hours.
The quickest method is to make sure you apply during normal company hours. Also, let us use the advanced bank verification system to verify your bank account information online. If you choose to send us duplicates of your banking accounts, it takes a bit longer.
How fast will I get the cash?
For the Small Business Loan ($5K up to $100,000) we typically offer an answer within one hour, provided you submit your request in standard business timings and permit us to make use of the advanced bank verification system to instantly verify your bank details online. If you decide to upload copies of your banking statements we can provide an answer in as little as an business day.
For Larger Business Loans ($100K to $500K) we could be able to provide you with conditional pre-approval within about six hours. Once you have signed the pre-approval, the turnaround time is about 2-3 days for final approval. However, it could be faster based on the specifics of each application. Some transactions have received approval within 24 hours.
The quickest method is to ensure you apply during normal business hours and allow us to use the sophisticated bank verification link to instantly verify your bank information online. If you decide to upload copies of your bank accounts, it can take a bit longer.
How much can I borrow?
We offer loans ranging from $5,000 to $500,000. When you submit an application for a particular amount, we will consider a number of variables to determine what is the well-being that is your business and the level of repayments your company is able to afford. The total amount of your loan will depend on the particular circumstances of your business.
When you apply for a specific amount we look at a range of aspects to assess the well-being for your business as well as the amount of the repayments your company will be able to support. The total amount of your loan will depend on the particular circumstances the company.
Fees & repayments
How do you charge for the cost of a company loan?
If you decide to make an application for one of our company credit, we will assess the risk assessment the company and offer an individualised offer including the amount of loan, the term and interest rates. It is a company loan is an upfront-priced loan and you’ll know the exact amount you will have to pay, including charges, interest rates or fees.
What is the basis for the rate I’m charged?
The interest rates on company loans rates differ based on various variables like the amount to be borrowed, what business assets the funds will be used for and the sector the business operates in, how long the company has been operating, in the event that the company has sufficient cash flow to pay for the loan, and overall health or creditworthiness of the company.
What are the cost?
There aren’t any hidden costs with our company loans. You’ll know precisely what it is that you need to pay and when, from the first day. There’s no compounding and the loan comes with no additional fees (as as you make your payments punctually).
We don’t charge an application fee. You are able to request a credit loan with no cost upfront or obligation to proceed.
The Origination Fee covers the costs associated with setting up and managing the loan. The only way to pay this cost if you take out the loan. Our Origination Fee is 2.5 percentage of the loan amount.
Can I pay off the loan early?
You can decide to repay the entire amount of the loan at any point in time.
If you do decide to do this please speak to our friendly business loans professionals. They’ll provide you with the details of your repayment and an early payment figure. This is calculated as the total of the principal amount remaining plus any accrued interest as of the time of early payout in addition to 1.5 percent of the remaining principal plus any outstanding fees.
How do you make repayments work?
To ensure that you don’t miss repayments and to fit in your cash flow schedule, we offer repayments that are either weekly or daily. They are automatically deducted from your business account.
Security & privacy
Will my information be protected?
Protecting your information, and making it clear how we collect, use, exchange and protect your information, is of paramount importance and a vital part of our relationship you.
Is it safe to link my bank account to the platform?
Yes. We utilise industry-recognised encryption techniques to protect your personal, sensitive and financial data and our funders are ISO 27001 qualified for our commitment to the security of our customers as well as their security. We use an advanced bank verification system link to instantly confirm your bank account information online to provide a fast response.
About business loans
What’s an asset-based borrow (a secured loan)?
An asset-based loan is when a business owner utilises an asset that they own to make the funding. The asset may be an individual property, such as the family home, or a business asset like a truck as well as a piece of machine.
The majority of lending institutions, including the major banks, prefer to make loans secured by an asset. If you are having difficulty paying back the loan then the asset could be offered for sale by the lender. In essence it is the process of securing new financing taking advantage of the value of what you already have.
Do I need security to secure a company loan?
For loans of up to $150K, no asset security is required prior to the loan’s access, however we do need an individual guarantee. So long as you comply with your loan commitments (as specified in your loan contract) the security of assets will never be required. For loans over $150,000 generally, you are able to get personal guarantee and security in the form of a charge over assets.