SBA Self Storage Loans

SBA self storage loans minimum requirements:

• 10% down payment (which can be borrowed)
• Good credit (ideally mid 600’s or better)
• Solid “regular” job or consistent source of income
• Some type of experience to give a lender a level of comfort that you have what it takes for self storage ownership
• 10% down on ground up construction, acquisition or expansion

Self Storage Financing via SBA

SBA self storage loans are primarily used by borrowers to get into the self storage business with the smallest down payment possible.

In fact, SBA loans in general are all about leverage.  It is one of the main reasons SBA loans exist and in the case of self storage SBA loans can be a shockingly good value, although like all loans they are not perfect.

SBA Self Storage Loans: Guidelines, Positives & Negatives:

1. Ten percent down whether you are buying or building and this can be borrowed as long as you can prove you can afford the payments on the borrowed down payment from another source of income, including income from a spouse.
2. If building, you can roll into the loan enough working capital to make the payments for the first few years. (This is relatively remarkable if you think about it).
3. For ground up construction , the facility must start making money within 2 years of CO per SBA guidelines.
4. Credit needs to be good – especially recently, but some lenders will make loans to borrowers will old BK’s with the right explanation.
5. You DO NOT need self storage industry experience to get a loan.
6. Gifts are allowed.
7. Funds from investors are allowed as long as you are putting in enough of your own cash.
8. A Personal Guarantee is required for all 20% or more owners.
9. Minimum loan size with most lenders is $350,000.
10. Maximum loan size with just ten percent down is approx $10 million.  (Any projects over $5 million need to be of the stronger variety).
11. Maximum loan size with 15% to 20% down payment is actually over $20 million.
12. 3rd party management companies can be used to manage the facility, but there are a limited number of approved vendors for this.
13. With less than ten percent equity in the project you may or may not have to put up other collateral IF you have addl collateral.
14. SBA Loan Guaranty fees are typically between 2.5 to 2.75 percent, but they are finance-able.
15. A market or feasibility study may be necessary for ground up construction.
16. The 7a program only has a three year prepayment penalty that allows you refinance with just a one percent penalty after two years.
17. Because of the short prepayment penalty, the 7a program can effectively be used a bridge program allowing you to build the facility, get it leased up and then at the end of year 3 you can refinance it without penalty.
18. Twenty year term and amortization is available on some Mobile or Portable storage businesses where you will lease the property if there is enough “long life” equipment.
19. You can finance RV and Boat Storage facilities using all of the same guidelines as SBA self storage loans.  If you are financing outdoor Boat and RV storage, some lenders – whether it is construction or not – are fine with minimal site improvements as long as there is a fenced lot, a small office, lighting, gravel, etc. while others will require some “there” there.  In other words, some lenders want the property to be paved, striped and fenced will some canopies for covered storage.
20. In almost all cases you will need a regular job/regular income, but IF you have a strong transaction AND you have significant cash/assets it may be possible to get a loan regardless of whether you have a “regular” job/another business.
21. Acquisitions with minor or major expansions are possible.
22. Conversions to re-purpose existing buildings are possible.
23. If you have owned the property for 2 years or more you can use the equity in the land towards your equity injection/down payment.
24. Purchase of an under-performing facility is possible IF you will be adding onto it and projections provided by a reputable consultant show that the renovated facility will be profitable within a few years.
25. You can add solar panels to the rooftops or put in a ground mount system and use the SBA Green Loan to get more SBA eligibility.
26. Most 7a loans are going to be “floating rate” loans between Prime + 1 and Prime + 2, but fixed rates are available.  In fact, 25 year fixed rate SBA self storage loans are possible in some cases and 504 loans always have a fixed rate component.  i.e. the 504 first mortgage is usually fixed for at least 5 years and the second is fixed for 20 or 25 years.
27. There can be other buildings or tenants on the property as long as the self storage component is at least 51% of the total square footage and the self storage income is significant enough.
28. Owners or managers can live on the property.
29. Larger commercial storage units are also eligible – in others words the facility does not have to be “mini-storage.”
30. You can use both the 7a and the 504 to refinance a storage facility.
31. In some cases, a facility constructed of shipping containers can be acceptable.
32. It can be also acceptable to cross collateralize other properties in lieu of putting cash down… it just depends on the merits of the deal.
33. The down payment is calculated on the “total project costs.”  Below is an example from a recent transaction for one of our clients to give you an idea of how the down payment is calculated:

Land Cost: $200,000
Construction Costs: $3,300,000
Construction Contingency: (10%) $330,000
Interest Reserve: $180,000
Lease Up Reserve for Payments: $190,000
Additional Working Capital: $50,000
SBA Guaranty Fee: $110,000
3rd Party Closing Costs: $ 55,000

TOTALS $ 4,415,000

Borrower Down Payment/Required Equity: $441,500

The above is not a complete set of SBA self storage loan guidelines, but as you can see, the SBA definitely has it’s place in the storage lending marketplace – especially if you are looking for leverage.  Please get in touch if you would like more information:

1-800-414-5285 or jking (at) green commercial capital (dot) com

Or for more info, visit the self storage page of our main site here