Quick answer
If your landlord won't renew, check the notice first. For retail leases with no option, NSW and Victorian law expect the landlord to tell you six to twelve months before expiry. Use that window to price the move, secure a new site and arrange funding while your current premises still trade normally. Unsecured working capital or a line of credit, sized on turnover, can cover the new bond, fit-out and overlap rent without property.
Key points
- A non-renewal notice starts a countdown, and the months you have are your most valuable asset.
- Retail tenants in NSW and Victoria are owed written notice six to twelve months out when there's no option to renew.
- A forced move stacks costs: new security, fit-out, make-good, overlap rent, signage and a dip in sales.
- Arrange funding before you move, while your bank statements still show steady trading at the old site.
- Lenders back businesses that are relocating, so a signed or agreed new lease makes the conversation easier.
The letter is usually short. The landlord has “decided not to offer a further term”, or wants the building back for a redevelopment, or has a bigger tenant lined up. Either way, the place you’ve built your trade around has an end date, and you didn’t choose it.
If you own property, a move like this is mostly a logistics problem. If you rent your home and lease your premises, it’s also a funding problem: the new site wants money up front, the old site wants money on the way out, and there’s no house to borrow against. This guide is about getting from that letter to a new front door with your cash flow intact.
First question: was the notice given properly?
Before you start packing, check the paperwork. The notice can change your timeline, and sometimes it buys you time.
For retail leases without an option to renew, both NSW and Victoria require landlords to put their intentions in writing well before the end date:
- Victoria: The Victorian Small Business Commission’s options and renewals page explains that the landlord must give written notice between six and twelve months before expiry, either offering a renewal on stated terms or saying no renewal is planned. If the notice comes late, the lease runs on, on the same terms, for six months from the day the notice is given.
- NSW: The NSW Small Business Commission’s guidance on leases without an option says that if you haven’t heard from the landlord, you can write and ask for their notice before the lease ends. Any request to extend must also be in writing and sent before expiry.
Other states and territories have their own retail leasing laws, and non-retail leases (offices, warehouses, many industrial units) mostly come down to the lease wording. Your state small business commissioner is a free, quick first call.
Two other situations look similar but work differently:
| What you received | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Notice of non-renewal | The lease ends on its expiry date and you need a new home |
| Relocation notice under a relocation clause | The landlord wants you in a different shop in the same centre. In NSW you’re generally entitled to a new lease on the alternative shop on the same terms (NSW SBC) |
| Demolition or redevelopment notice | Depends on the lease clause and state law, and compensation may apply. Get advice early |
| You missed your option deadline | A different problem. Talk to the landlord straight away, as some will still negotiate |
How long do you actually have?
Work backwards from the expiry date, not forwards from today. A forced move has more steps than people expect, and several of them run in sequence.
| Months before expiry | What should be happening |
|---|---|
| 6–9 | Confirm the notice, brief your accountant, start the site search, price the move |
| 4–6 | Shortlist sites, check zoning and council approvals, get fit-out quotes, arrange funding |
| 3–4 | Sign the new lease, lodge the bond or bank guarantee, book trades |
| 1–3 | Fit-out at the new site, make-good quotes for the old one, tell customers and suppliers |
| Final month | Move, finish make-good, hand back keys, update your address everywhere |
Fit-outs that need council approval, plumbing or exhaust work can easily take three months on their own. That’s why six months of notice isn’t as generous as it sounds.
What does a forced move really cost?
You haven’t budgeted for this, so list everything, even the small items. Here’s the full stack for a typical tenant:
- Security on the new lease. Bond or bank guarantee, often several months’ rent. Banks usually want cash or property behind a guarantee, so a renter often ends up tying up cash.
- Fit-out at the new site. Joinery, electrical, plumbing, flooring, signage. Landlord incentives sometimes help, but rarely cover it all.
- Make-good at the old site. Returning the premises to the condition the lease requires. Our make-good guide covers how to shrink that bill.
- Overlap rent. Paying for two sites while one is being fitted out.
- The move itself. Removalists, specialist equipment movers, downtime for refrigeration or machinery.
- Lost or slower trade. Customers take a while to find you, and some don’t follow.
- Re-launch marketing. New signage, letterbox drops, ads and updated online listings.
- Admin. Legal review of the new lease, new utility connections, updated licences and insurance.
Our breakdown of lease upfront costs goes deeper on the new-site side. The point here is that a forced move often puts the new site’s costs and the old site’s exit costs into the same quarter.
Why should you arrange funding before you move?
This is the part most tenants get backwards. They wait until the bills arrive and then apply, often in the month their sales are at their weakest.
Without property, an unsecured lender is reading your bank statements to decide what you can afford. Think about what those statements look like at each stage:
- Now, at the old site: regular takings, a familiar pattern, rent you’ve paid for years. This is your strongest file.
- During the move: a few weeks of closed doors or reduced trade, large one-off payments to tradies and removalists, and maybe a dishonour if timing slips.
- First months at the new site: sales rebuilding, and no track record at the new address yet.
A lender can still say yes during or after a move, but the cleaner your recent months, the better the answer. Arranging a facility now, even one you don’t draw on until you need it, means you’re negotiating from your best position.
If the notice has landed and you’d like to know what your current trading supports, a 60-second enquiry doesn’t touch your credit file.
Which kind of funding fits a relocation?
Different parts of a move suit different tools. Matching them stops you paying for a lump sum you only needed for a few weeks.
| Cost | Tool that usually fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bond, overlap rent, marketing | Business line of credit | Draw as bills arrive, repay as trade recovers or the old bond is returned |
| Fit-out works | Unsecured working capital | A fixed sum for a defined project, paid back over a set term |
| Ovens, fridges, machinery, POS | Equipment finance | The asset secures itself, so your cash stays free for the things it can’t secure |
| Gap until the old bond comes back | Line of credit | Short, known need with a clear repayment source |
Unsecured facilities typically run from $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and statement history. The unsecured borrowing estimator gives you a rough range in a couple of minutes.
Be realistic about the limits, too. “Unsecured” means no property, not no strings. Most lenders ask for a director guarantee, and some register a general security agreement over business assets. And if the relocation is really a closure in disguise, with no new site and no plan to keep trading, most lenders will pass, because repayments come from future trade.
What helps a lender say yes to a relocating business?
A move raises one obvious question for an assessor: will the business keep earning at the new address? Answer it before they ask.
- The new lease, or heads of agreement. Rent, term, incentives and start date. It shows there’s a destination.
- A simple move budget. One page listing the costs above, with quotes attached where you have them.
- Evidence the customers will follow. Distance from the old site, share of repeat or online customers, foot traffic at the new location.
- A clean recent run of statements. Avoid new short-term debts in the months before you apply. Stacking makes everything harder.
- ATO and BAS up to date, or on an arrangement. Tax debt isn’t automatically fatal, but it needs explaining.
If the landlord’s notice gave a reason, such as a redevelopment, mention it. A forced move reads very differently from a business that’s leaving because it couldn’t pay the rent.
A worked example (illustrative only)
Picture a hypothetical bakery-café in a Geelong shopping strip, eight years into its premises. In March, the landlord gives notice that the lease won’t be renewed when it expires in October. The building is being sold for redevelopment.
- Month 1: The owners confirm the notice timing with the Victorian Small Business Commission and start looking within a two-kilometre radius, so regulars can follow.
- Month 2: They find a former takeaway shop with existing exhaust and plumbing, and get fit-out quotes. The move budget comes to roughly six figures, covering the bond, fit-out, a new deck oven, make-good, overlap rent and signage.
- Month 3: While the old café is still trading at its usual pace, they set up a line of credit and an unsecured loan for the fit-out. The oven goes on equipment finance.
- Months 4–6: Fit-out, a three-week overlap, a weekend move, and chalkboard signs at the old site pointing to the new one.
- After the move: They draw the line of credit down for the overlap and marketing, then pay much of it back when the old bond is released.
Nothing in the plan relied on owning a home. All figures and details are illustrative.
Your landlord set the deadline. You set the plan.
Being moved on is frustrating, especially after years of building a trade in one spot. But a notice months in advance is time you can use, and the owners who come through best arrange their funding while the old site is still doing what it’s always done.
We work with tenants who don’t own property every week, including plenty in your exact spot. Our enquiry takes about a minute, and there’s no credit check at that stage. One only happens if you choose to go ahead with an option. Your details aren’t passed around a panel of lenders either, so you won’t get a flood of calls from people you’ve never heard of. One specialist reads what you’ve sent, including where you’re moving and when, and calls you to work through it. Please fill the form in accurately: real turnover, existing repayments and your rough move budget. It’s the quickest way to land on the right option the first time.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice does a landlord have to give if they won't renew a retail lease?
In NSW and Victoria, where a retail lease has no option to renew, the landlord must give written notice no more than twelve and no less than six months before the lease expires, saying whether a renewal will be offered. Other states have their own rules, and non-retail commercial leases mostly depend on what the lease says.
What happens if my landlord gave late notice or none at all?
In Victoria, a late notice extends the lease on the same terms for six months from the date the notice is given. In NSW, a tenant can write to the landlord before expiry asking for the notice and requesting an extension. Check the details with your state's small business commissioner before you rely on them.
Can I get a business loan to relocate if I don't own property?
Often, yes. A business that is trading and moving, rather than closing, can be assessed on turnover and bank statements. Unsecured facilities typically range from $5,000 to $500,000. Expect a director guarantee, and have the new lease terms ready so the lender can see the business can carry the new rent.
Should I apply for funding before or after I move?
Before, where you can. Your statements from the current site show settled trading, while the weeks around a move often show lower sales and higher costs. Arranging a line of credit early means the money is there when the invoices land.
Do I need to update my ABN details when I move premises?
Yes. The Australian Business Register asks businesses to update their details, including the main business address, within 28 days of a change. Update licences, insurance, your website and online listings at the same time.
What if I can't find a new site before the lease ends?
Ask the landlord early about a short holdover or monthly arrangement in writing, look at temporary or shared space, and keep customers informed. Lenders are more comfortable once there's a destination, so lock in the new premises before finalising most of the funding.