The rules changed. Your options didn’t disappear.
From around $170,000 in an SMSF there are still real, workable options. This free guide walks you through what actually changed on 10 August, what didn’t, and the four routes still genuinely open to you.
- Why you almost certainly do not have to sell
- The two things nearly everyone got wrong about the “ban”
- What $170,000 actually reaches, here and overseas
- How international property is held compliantly inside super
- Five questions to ask anyone selling you a solution
A lot of people think they’ve been shut out. Most of them haven’t.
From 10 August 2026, a new SMSF borrowing arrangement for real property can only be used to buy business real property. If your plan was to borrow inside super to buy a house or an apartment, that route has closed.
But your balance did not shrink, your fund is not in trouble, your tax structure has not changed, and if you already own a property inside super, nothing forces you to sell it. What closed was a route, not the destination.
The rules restricted borrowing, not buying. That single distinction is what keeps a $170,000 balance in the game, and it is where most of the useful options now sit.
13 pages. No jargon, no pitch.
What actually changed on 10 August
The change in one sentence, plus the two corrections almost every article got wrong.
What did not change
Grandfathering, refinancing, pre-deadline contracts, and why you probably don’t have to sell anything.
Why $170,000 is a real starting point
What that balance actually reaches once you stop measuring it against a borrowed Australian house.
The four routes still open
Two inside super, two outside it, with a plain assessment of which suit a smaller balance.
International property inside super, done properly
The five requirements a compliant overseas structure has to satisfy, and how to test whether someone has met them.
Before you “pivot to commercial”
What you’re actually taking on, and the four routes side by side in one table.
Five questions to ask anyone selling you a solution
Print this page. Keep it next to you on every call this year, including the one with us.
Your next 90 days
A simple week-by-week plan so this doesn’t end up in a drawer for two years.
Written by an investor, not a salesperson
Tim Kowaliw has spent his working life around money and property, first in a major bank, then in a family business, and now building portfolios alongside everyday Australians. Wealth Investment Properties exists because the difference between a good portfolio and an expensive mistake is almost always the research nobody did.
The routes that remain open after 10 August are real, but most of them are hard to execute alone. They involve structures, jurisdictions, lenders and compliance requirements a trustee doing this once in their life has no reason to know. That is what Tim and WIP’s partner network are for: the road is already built, so you don’t have to survey it yourself.
This guide is written the way Tim runs a Discovery call. It tells you what a $170,000 balance genuinely reaches, it sets out exactly what a compliant overseas structure has to satisfy, and it gives you a way to test everyone you speak to from here, us included.
The $170k Question
What Australian SMSF trustees can actually do from a $170,000 balance now the borrowing rules have changed.
Still not sure whether this applies to you?
It takes about 15 minutes to read and it will tell you either way. We’ll email it straight away.
Everyday Australians, real portfolios
I’d been thinking about using my SMSF to invest in property for years but the process seemed too complicated. Tim and the team made it straightforward — they handled the fund setup, compliance, and found a property that ticked every box. My super is finally working harder for me.
Tim helped my husband and me set up our SMSF and purchase a commercial unit. The whole process was handled professionally from start to finish. The yield is fantastic and we feel so much more confident about our retirement now. We recommend WIP to everyone we know.
After a bad experience with another agency, I was sceptical about property advisors. Tim restored my faith completely. He’s transparent about costs, realistic about returns, and genuinely cares about your long-term outcome.
Before you request it
No. Existing arrangements are broadly grandfathered, so if your SMSF already holds a residential property with a loan against it, nothing in the new rules forces a sale. You can also still refinance that loan. Confirm your fund’s specific position with your accountant or SMSF administrator, because grandfathering depends on the facts of your arrangement.
Yes. The rules restricted borrowing, not buying. Your fund can still purchase property outright using its own cash, in which case no borrowing arrangement exists and the new restrictions do not apply. It can also still borrow to buy business real property, meaning property used wholly and exclusively in a business. What is no longer available is a new borrowing arrangement to buy a residential house or apartment.
That is exactly who it was written for. From around 170,000 dollars there are real options, they are just not the ones people were used to. The guide is honest that this will not buy an Australian capital city property outright, and it sets out what it does reach: outright purchases in selected overseas markets, a deposit on business real property, or a pooled balance with a partner.
Yes, and the 10 August changes did not alter that. Where the purchase is made outright with the fund’s own cash, no borrowing arrangement exists, so the new restrictions are not engaged. What matters is the structure. Part five of the guide sets out the five requirements a compliant overseas holding has to satisfy, including ownership the local law recognises, the sole purpose test, your trust deed and investment strategy, and an auditor who will sign it off every year. Wealth Investment Properties works with established partners in markets where those requirements are well trodden.
No. The guide is general information only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs, and it is not personal financial product advice, taxation advice or legal advice. Before acting on anything in it, speak with a licensed financial adviser and your accountant about your own circumstances.
No. Enter your details and we will email the guide to you straight away. You will be invited to book a free 20-minute Discovery consult, and it is the fastest way to get a straight answer on your own position, but there is no obligation and the guide is not held back if you don’t.
The guide lands in your inbox within a few minutes. From there, the best next step is a free 20-minute Discovery consult. On that call we look at your real numbers, work out which of the four routes are genuinely open to you, and tell you what we and our partner network can execute at your balance. No property is put in front of you on a first call.
Get your copy of The $170k Question
Free, 13 pages, and written for people who want a straight answer rather than a sales pitch. We’ll send it to your inbox, then help you work out your own position on a free 20-minute call.
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