What documents will a lender ask for?
The list, why each one exists, and how to have it ready before it is requested.
Biscayne Lending 2 min read
Lenders decline more files for missing paperwork than for bad numbers. The list is knowable in advance, so there is no reason to be assembling it under time pressure.
The entity, if you are borrowing in one
| Document | What it proves |
|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | The company exists |
| Operating agreement | Who owns it and who may sign |
| EIN letter | Its tax identification number |
| Certificate of good standing | The state considers it active |
| Signing resolution | This person may sign this loan |
Check the good standing first. Owners forget annual reports, the state marks the company inactive, and a closing stops dead. It is a two-minute check on your state's business search and it is the single most avoidable delay in this list.
About you
- Photo identification.
- A credit authorization, signed. Nothing moves until credit is pulled.
- Two months of bank statements — every page, including the blank ones. A missing page 4 of 4 is the most common reason a file comes back.
- A personal financial statement on larger or commercial deals: what you own, what you owe, and the difference.
About the property
- The purchase contract, with all addenda
- For a renovation: a line-by-line budget, not a round number
- Insurance — a quote first, then a bound policy naming the lender
- For a rental: the lease, or evidence of market rent
- For commercial: the rent roll and twelve months of operating figures
About the plan
- Your track record — properties done before, with addresses
- Proof of funds for the cash you are putting in
- The exit: sell by when, or refinance into what
Explain things before you are asked
Two habits shorten a file by a week each:
- Large deposits. Any unusual sum in your statements will be questioned. A one-line note — "$9,000 on 12 March: sale of vehicle, bill of sale attached" — turns a condition into a footnote.
- Anything on your credit. A late payment, a judgment, a past bankruptcy. Underwriters have seen everything; what they dislike is discovering it themselves.
Send it all at once
A complete file gets opened first and answered in days. An incomplete one goes to the bottom of the pile and gets remembered as trouble. It is the same underwriter, the same deal — only the order changes, and the order is decided by you.
The rule of thumb
If a document proves the property exists, that you are who you say, that the money is where you say, or that the plan is plausible — it will be asked for. Gather those four categories before you apply and you will be ahead of most applicants.
Working with a broker means somebody tells you the specific list for the specific lender before it costs you time. Start here.
What next
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General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Loan terms come only from a lender, in writing, after underwriting. Licensing and compliance rules differ by loan type and state.