Faizal Garasia works with 230+ lenders across Ontario to place purchase, refinance, construction and private commercial mortgages on mixed-use, retail, office, industrial and multi-unit property — one application, one credit check, a custom quote instead of a guess.
"We'll classify the property, walk through realistic loan-to-value and rate ranges, and tell you which of the 230+ lenders in the network actually fit your file — before you commit to anything."
Years in mortgage lending
Lenders in the network
Mortgage Funded
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Toronto & the GTA — virtual across Ontario & Canada
In-person & virtual meetings, 7 days a week
FSRA #10557 — Dominion Lending Centres
—– START HERE
Because commercial lending carries more risk for a lender than a conventional residential purchase, qualifying looks different too, and rates and fees generally sit higher than what a bank would offer on a house. Before anything else, a lender needs to know which category the property falls into, since that classification determines the underwriting rules, the appraisal requirements, and which lenders will even consider the file. Broadly, Ontario commercial property is grouped into a handful of categories: pure residential investment property with one to four units, residential buildings with five or more units, and mixed residential-commercial property that combines living space with retail or office use.
The property's classification decides everything downstream — the lender pool, the appraisal type, the rate, and how quickly the file can move.
spanning major banks, credit unions, B-lenders and private capital — can shop one file across the institutions most likely to say yes, using a single credit check instead of five separate applications that each leave a mark on your file. Guides, product knowledge and an understanding of how different lenders price risk are what turn a declined application at one bank into an approved one somewhere else in the network, often within the same week.
—– PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION
Every commercial file starts with an honest read of the property. These are the categories most commonly financed across the network.
Ground-floor retail or office space with residential units above is one of the most common mixed-use structures across Toronto's older commercial strips, and it is financed as commercial once the non-residential portion makes up a meaningful share of the building.
Apartment buildings and purpose-built rental properties move into commercial underwriting once they reach five self-contained units, even though the building itself is entirely residential in use.
Freestanding retail buildings, strip plazas and single-tenant storefronts are financed against the lease income and covenant strength of the tenants occupying the space.
Small office buildings, warehouses and light industrial units are underwritten with particular attention to zoning, environmental history and the durability of tenant income.
Raw land, development sites and ground-up construction are financed through draw-based structures, with funds released in stages as the project reaches agreed milestones.
Medical and dental offices, self-storage facilities and other niche commercial real estate are financed under specialized programs that reflect how that property type performs over time.
—– PROPERTY CLASSIFICATION
A general reference only — every quote in this network is priced against the specific property, its income, and the borrower’s file.
—– WHERE YOU FIT
The right lane depends less on your preference and more on the property, the income it produces, and how quickly you need to close. In practice, most commercial borrowers fit cleanly into one of the three.
Stabilized, income-producing property with a strong covenant and time to spare
Lowest available, roughly 5.5% – 7%
4 – 8 weeks
Full financials, appraisal, environmental review, little flexibility
Softer financials, shorter operating history, or a harder-to-document income stream
Roughly 7% – 9%
2 – 4 weeks
More flexible, still wants real documentation
Time-sensitive closings, transitional property, or an unconventional ownership structure
Roughly 8% – 13%+, equity-driven
Days to about two weeks
Equity and exit plan matter more than covenant strength
—– FROM CALL TO CLOSING
Five steps, start to finish. Most files move through the first three within a matter of days once documents are complete.
A short, no-obligation conversation covering why a bank may have hesitated, a realistic loan-to-value and rate range for the property, and a rough timeline before you commit to anything.
Financial statements, rent roll or lease summaries, property details and corporate documentation are gathered once, so the file can be shopped across multiple lenders without repeating the request.
The file is placed with the lenders in the 230+ network most likely to approve it, using a single credit check rather than several separate applications.
Term sheets are compared side by side, a commitment letter is issued, and an appraisal — along with any required environmental report — is ordered to satisfy the lender's conditions.
Legal review is completed, funds are released to close on schedule, and support continues toward the eventual exit — whether that means a sale, a refinance, or a move to a lower-rate lender down the road.
—– WHO YOU ARE WORKING WITH
Faizal has more than fifteen years of experience in the mortgage industry and works with more than 230 lenders to place commercial, private and alternative financing across Toronto and Ontario. On commercial files specifically, that network matters: it is the difference between a single bank's answer and a comparison across banks, B-lenders and private capital, all sourced through one application and one credit check.
Beyond arranging the mortgage itself, Faizal works directly with clients on the broader picture — how a piece of commercial property fits into a longer-term plan for wealth-building, cash flow and eventual refinance — rather than treating the transaction as a one-time close.
—– COMMON QUESTIONS
In Ontario, a property is generally treated as commercial once it moves past a straightforward one-to-four-unit residential purchase. That includes mixed-use buildings with retail or office space on the ground floor and residential units above, apartment buildings with five or more self-contained units, standalone retail and office buildings, industrial and warehouse space, raw land, and special-use property such as medical clinics or self-storage facilities. Lenders classify the property first, because the category determines which underwriting rules and which lenders apply.
Most bank and B-lender commercial mortgages max out around 75 percent loan-to-value, meaning you generally need at least 25 percent equity or down payment. Private commercial lenders can sometimes flex closer to that ceiling depending on the property type, the income it produces, and your exit strategy, though pricing moves accordingly. There is no single number that fits every deal, which is why a property-specific quote matters more than a rule of thumb.
Yes. A significant share of commercial mortgages in Ontario close in the name of a numbered company, a holding corporation, or a partnership formed specifically to hold the property. Lenders will usually want a personal guarantee from the principals behind a newer corporation, along with standard corporate documents, but a short operating history is not automatically disqualifying the way it might be for an unsecured business loan.
A conditional approval or term sheet can often be arranged within a few days to two weeks once your documents are complete, and private commercial financing can move even faster when the timeline demands it. Full funding typically takes longer, generally two to six weeks, once an appraisal, an environmental report where required, and legal review are finished. Bank financing sits at the slower end of that range; private financing sits at the faster end.
The dividing line in Ontario is generally the number of self-contained units. A property with one to four units, even if it is a rental, is usually financed under residential lending rules and the mortgage stress test. Once a property reaches five or more units, or combines residential space with retail or office use, it is underwritten as commercial, which relies more heavily on the property's own income and the borrower's covenant than on personal income alone.
Most private commercial lenders will still review credit as part of the file, but it plays a smaller role than it does with a bank. The property's equity position, the income it generates or is expected to generate, and a clear exit strategy typically carry more weight than a credit score, which is why private commercial financing is often workable for borrowers a bank has already declined.
Yes. Construction and major renovation projects are typically financed through draw-based commercial mortgages, where funds are released in stages as work is completed and inspected, rather than as a single lump sum at closing. This structure applies to ground-up construction, additions, and substantial repositioning of an existing commercial or mixed-use property.
— GET IN TOUCH
Toronto & the GTA — virtual across Ontario & Canada
In-person & virtual meetings, 7 days a week
FSRA #10557 — Dominion Lending Centres