Max Funding Review

This review of Max Funding will delve into what makes this business funding facilitator unique and how their small business financing solutions  stack up against banks and online business lenders. We’ll explain the criteria to qualify for a small business loan through Max Funding and the diverse suite of predominantly secured lending products that can be arranged through the Sydney based financing facilitator. This is the web’s most comprehensive Max Funding review.

🌐 Website:http://www.maxfunding.com.au
®️ Logo:
📝 ABN:39 616 549 725
📝 Credit License:616 549 725
💰 Loan Amount$1,000 – $1,000,000
⏲️ Loan TermUp to 36 months.
💸 Unsecured Loans?Specialist Secured Funding Facilitator – Can also facilitate Unsecured Loans Available up to $30,000.
⌚ Lender Requirements
  • Trading for at least 6 months
  • Turnover greater than $10,000 per month
  • Paid Credit Defaults OK.
📃 Required:Personal Identity Documents + Company Bank Statements (for some types of loans)
⏱️ Response Time:Pre-approval within two hours. Full approval normally within the same day – Money in the bank in 24h.
🌝 Easy to Apply:Yes, fully online (expedited application here) and a team of experts on hand to speak with should applicants get stuck.

The Nitty-gritty

💌 Online Reviews:4.7 / 5 – Based on 361 Google Reviews

4.98 / 5 – Based on 617 Reviews on reviews.io

🏆 Awards and Recognition:None
💳 Minimal Interest Rates:From 1.5% per month.
⚖️ Advantages
  • Transparency about terms and conditions and interest rates
  • $1m loan cap- higher than anyone else
  • From 1.5% interest rate
  • Industry veteran with 10 years of experience
  • Diverse solutions and loan sizes
  • Easy integration with online bank account
  • Positive coverage in mainstream media
⚖️ Disadvantages
  • Relatively few client reviews online
  • Smaller in size than competitors like Prospa
  • Fund facilitator / commercial aggregator and not lender
Compare Max FundingCompare Max Funding with 50+ Australian Lenders on Lend.com
Review Table of Contents
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

Company Story

Founded in 2011, Max Funding has consistently worked to create a better business loan process for Australian small business owners. The company has set out to change the way small businesses interact with finance. Time is money – Max Funding understands it and knows that business owners can’t afford to waste time on slow lenders and confusing finance options.

Max Funding aims to be more than just a small business finance facilitator. It wants to collaborate with its borrowers on a personal level and this is evident right through its application process. Once you sign up with Max Funding, a dedicated lending specialist will manage every aspect of your loan from your initial enquiry to the settlement process, and beyond. Max Funding provides applicants with a lending specialist’s name, direct phone number, and email address, allowing them to speak with the same individual each time they have questions. These are team members who have been recruited precisely for their knowledge and expertise within the finance industry.

To date, Max Funding has arranged business loans for more than 8,500 businesses in over 130 industries, including retail, restaurants, health and fitness, accommodation and much, much more.

Australian Fintech touts them as one of the fastest, most reliable business lenders for new business owners. And The Sydney Morning Herald highlights Max Funding as a possible method for small business owners to fund their new business.

In addition to business lending, Max Funding openly supports a number of charities including Kiva – a non-profit organization that works to build opportunities for individuals in poverty on a global scale. They are an official Kiva sponsor as part of their ongoing effort to support people around the world financially.

Credibility Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

Max Funding Lending Solutions

Max Funding provides a greater number of lending products (including both secured and unsecured business loans) than most Aussie business lenders. 

Funding SizeLending TermsSecurity Required
Short Term Loans$3,000 – $30,0001 – 36 MonthsSecured or Unsecured
Bad Credit Loans$3,000 – $50,0001 – 36 MonthsVehicle or Property
Caveat Loans$10,000 – $50,0001 – 36 MonthsReal Estate Property (mortgage OK)
Second Mortgage Loans $200,000 – $1,000,0001 – 36 MonthsReal Estate Property (mortgage OK)
Low Doc Business Loans$50,000 – $1,000,0001 – 36 MonthsReal Estate Property (mortgage OK)
Fast Business Loans$3,000 – $10,0001 – 24 MonthsVehicle or Property
Unsecured Business Loans$3,000 – $30,0001 – 12 MonthsNone
Franchise Loans$3,000 – $1,000,0001 – 36 MonthsReal Estate Property (mortgage OK)
Equity Business Loans$20,000 – $1,000,0001 – 36 MonthsReal Estate Property (mortgage OK)

The variety of lending products is impressive and means that no matter the personal situation and lending requirements, Max Funding should have a solution. In truth, most of the business loans offered are on a secured basis and to borrow large amounts it’s likely that applicants will be reliant on sufficient equity being available in their home. However, that’s not always the case – every applicant’s situation is unique. Short term business loans can also be secured against a vehicle or a variety of different assets.

Speed is a key focus of Max Funding and borrowers can even apply specifically for a fast business loan up to $10,000. Choosing this loan type means applicants can expect funds in their account within hours. 

Max Funding Unsecured Business Loans

Source: www.maxfunding.com.au

Unsecured business loans are available up to $30,000 but loan terms are available for a maximum of just 12 months – Max Funding prefers to offer longer repayment terms on secured facilities. As to be expected, financial statements are required in order to be approved for an unsecured business loan. As no security is taken in the lending process, more emphasis is placed on the cash flow of the business.

Bad Credit Business Loans

Max Funding is one of a few business lenders to specifically advertise ‘bad credit business loans’. Collateral is likely going to be required in order to secure the business loan but Max Funding doesn’t automatically dismiss bad credit loan applications in the same manner that banks do. This is what Max Funding has to say about bad credit applicants, “Here at Max Funding, we still welcome applicants that have a bad credit history, and we have catered our loan criteria to try and consider each applicant’s circumstances as a whole.” Max Funding will not only do its best to provide borrowers with capital, it will also provide guidance as to how to strengthen personal and business credit scores Bad credit business loans are available from $3,000 through to $50,000.

Start Up Business Loans

For most loans processed through Max Funding, they ask that borrowers have been trading for a minimum of six months, however Max Funding is also one of a small number of lending companies that are prepared to process start up business loan applications. These will require property security and are generally for loan amounts between $10,000 and $100,000. The Max Funding website states, “We have revised our criteria so that it is much easier for new businesses to get a loan from us. We are new business-friendly, and unlike traditional banks, we don’t require a business plan or a credit check for our pre-approval.”

Products Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

 

Max Funding Reviews by Clients

  • REVIEWS.io: 4.98 / 5 – 619  Reviews
  • Google Reviews: 4.7 / 5 – 375 Reviews

The Feedback

Across all review platforms (as of April 2022), there are close to 1000 Max Funding reviews. We’re not entirely sure on the validity of the reviews on reviews.io – more on this below – but to highlight some of the google reviews:

“Gave me a chance where other lenders didn’t. Easy application process and very friendly staff. Highly recommended.”

“Absolutely fantastic! Me and my partner have a small business and we needed some funds to buy some equipment. I found Max Funding and decided to give it a try. Dealing with these guys was very easy and simple, so much better than going through a bank.”

Analysis of Client Reviews:

It would appear that Max Funding was using reviews.io as its primary review platform until 2020 as the vast majority of more recent reviews have been left on google. Many of the reviews on reviews.io are from ‘verified buyers’ meaning they have been invited by Max Funding to write a review. Providing the client clicks through the invitation link, the review is marked as verified.

With no feedback at all under four stars, all of the Max Funding reviews are glowingly positive. It’s possible that Max Funding was only sending its feedback link to customers it knew had a positive experience  – this can be quite a common tactic across many industries. Nevertheless, it still means there are a number of happy customers who are happy to recommend Max Funding to others. We do find it a little suspicious that there is not even one review rating the service as three stars or worse though – not even an unverified review. The positive reviews are also quite generic, we don’t see them specifically mentioning a part of the lending service which was helpful or a team member who guided them through the process. In short, despite many ‘verified buyers’ we don’t completely trust the reviews on reviews.io for Max Funding. 

If we take a look at the google reviews, many reviewers are specifically highlighting a team member by first name who has helped them in the lending process and Max Funding is taking the time to respond to each review. We get the feeling these are genuine reviews, even though anyone can leave a review on google. In addition to positive feedback, there are a number of negative reviews too. This is not unexpected in an industry as sensitive as lending and we welcome negative reviews, providing the company has taken the time to resolve/respond to them and look to fix issues for the future. 

Some of the negative reviews point to high interest rates – remember rates start at 1.5% per month (not annual) so borrowers should be absolutely sure of the full costs before agreeing to a business loan. High loan costs can be a common complaint across the lending industry. One of the more worrying reviews is from a borrower who had a charge set up against his house as security for a loan as well as his car when it was agreed it would only be his car that was used as security. Another bad review is from one client who received a credit check at the point of pre-approval when Max Funding advertises it doesn’t need to happen at this stage, only once the application has been processed further. We can’t see much from Max Fundings’ response – just that they have been in touch and would like to discuss the issue further. It’s definitely positive that Max Funding is taking the time to respond to each review but we can’t see if these major errors were resolved.

Products Score: ⭐⭐⭐ 

Max Funding Website Review

The Max Funding website is clear & concise.There’s easily enough detail to understand if they’ll be a good fit for businesses across a plethora of different industries, without having to speak to a member of the Max Funding team (though this is always an option at any time). All of the lending solutions are clearly explained and there’s a wide variety of finance options that readers can learn more about, such as the difference between a caveat loan and a second mortgage loan.

The FAQs are all encompassing and cover virtually any question one could have ahead of applying for a business loan. The application is easy and borrowers can receive a pre-approval within minutes of applying.

Website Score: ⭐⭐⭐ 

Max Funding Loan Compatibility

  • Startup: Yes, Max Funding accepts clients who are new to business.
  • Bad credit: Yes, Max Funding works with clients who have bad credit.
  • Sole trader: Yes, Max Funding accepts sole traders.
  • Established business: Yes, Max Funding will accept any established business.

No other major Aussie financing facilitator or business lender is as open about considering bad credit applicants as Max Funding is. Some other business lenders mention that paid credit defaults are OK or a ‘fair’ credit score makes SMEs eligible to apply but they often avoid the term ‘bad credit business loans’. Max Funding actually has a lending solution specifically designed for bad credit borrowers. They believe businesses deserve a second chance and can even provide guidance to borrowers as to how they can boost their credit rating. 

Remember, bad credit business loans are likely to involve some form of collateral to secure the loan.

Compatibility score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Max Funding Pricing & Rates

Across all of its lending solutions, whether secured or unsecured or short or long term, Max Funding states that interest rates start at 1.5% per month. We can surely assume unsecured and short term lending from Max Funding will attract a higher rate of interest than secured business loans. Most online lenders make no reference to interest rates at all, so whilst we can’t read too much into ‘rates starting at’ it’s still good to see this lender is more transparent than most. 

There are some negative reviews which directly mention the expensive loan costs they incurred. Though it must be said some of them had an unrealistic expectation on the costs of a short-term loan. There is a cost that comes with the speed and convenience of borrowing from an online lender and it’s better to compare the loan costs to a lending solution such as invoice finance as opposed to a bank loan that is likely to be for at least a 12 month term. Invoice Finance is usually charged at 2% for a 30-day invoice so this puts the ‘rates starting at 1.5%’ into perspective.

In a recent review, one borrower commented, “It’s easy to apply but there’s a catch! The interest rate is 3.42% monthly”. So this provides a steer as to the sort of rates one may be able to actually achieve. It must be remembered, everyone’s situation is unique and businesses can achieve a rate anywhere from 1.5% per month upwards.

Combability score: ⭐⭐⭐

Max Funding Review Summary
Overall
97%
97%
  • Credibility - 94%
    94%
  • Client Reviews - 96%
    96%
  • Website - 97%
    97%
  • Compatibility - 99%
    99%
  • Min Interest Rate - 100%
    100%

Editor's Conclusions

Max Funding is a well-known and respected financing facilitator for the SME community in Australia. It has been operating for a long time and has gathered, on the whole, very positive feedback from its customers. The firm is very flexible on the type of businesses it is accepting (including from any industry, bad credit and start ups). They are flexible in terms of lending options too, though Max Funding is certainly more of a secured lending specialist and unsecured business loans are capped at $30,000. SMEs seeking an unsecured business loan for more than this amount will need to look elsewhere. 

Max Funding claims to offer a pre-approval decision within 5 minutes or less – that’s very quick by our count and borrowers can complete their application from there.

✓ Retailers

✓ Business Requiring Quick Loans

✓ Building & Trade