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Guarantor Home Loan

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO GUARANTOR HOME LOANS

Welcome to your ultimate 2024 guide to guarantor home loans in Australia.

We’re diving into the latest insights and strategies that are transforming the home buying journey for first-time buyers.

Ready to unlock the secrets of borrowing up to 105% of your property’s value and bypassing hefty fees?

Let’s get started!

Watch the Video: Comprehensive Guide to Guarantor Home Loans

Table of Contents

Real-Life Benefits of Guarantor Home Loans: Zhara's Story

Before we dive into the details of guarantor home loans, let’s dive into a real-life success story.

zhara guarantor home loan brisbane
We helped Zhara borrow 105% for her first home in Brisbane.

Meet Zhara

Zhara, a first-time home buyer from Brisbane, was facing a common challenge. Like many young Australians, she was finding it tough to save for a deposit while also paying rent.

Despite her eagerness to step onto the property ladder, the escalating property prices in her city seemed to push her dream further away.

Discovering Guarantor Home Loans

Then, Zhara discovered guarantor home loans. With her parents acting as guarantors, she was able to secure a loan for 105% of the property value. This opened the door to homeownership for her, without the need for a large deposit.

The Immediate Benefits

The advantages for Zhara were instant and significant:

– No More Rent: She could stop paying rent and start investing in her own property.

– Beating the Market: She managed to buy her apartment before prices escalated further.

– Saving on Insurance: She saved thousands of dollars by avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance.

Zhara’s story is a shining example of how a guarantor home loan can make homeownership accessible and affordable for first-time buyers. Now, let’s delve into the specifics of who can be a guarantor and how it works. 

Understanding Guarantor Loan Requirements

When considering a guarantor home loan, it’s important to understand who can act as a guarantor and what the requirements are.

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Example of a typical guarantor home loan structure

Who Can Be a Guarantor?

Typically, a guarantor is a close family member, such as a parent or sibling. Here are some key requirements:

– Immediate Family: The guarantor usually needs to be an immediate family member.

– Property Ownership: The guarantor should own property in Australia.

– Sufficient Equity: The guarantor must have enough equity in their home.

– Employment Status: The guarantor should be currently working.

Who Can't Be a Guarantor?

While many people can act as a guarantor, there are some exceptions:

– Friends or Distant Relatives: These individuals typically can’t act as guarantors.

– Retirees: Unless they have a solid source of income, retirees may not be accepted as guarantors.

Showing Savings with Guarantor Loans

Even with a guarantor, some lenders may require you to show that you have been saving money, usually at least 5% of the purchase price.

This is known as genuine savings demonstrates to the lender that you can manage your finances and make regular loan repayments.

Understanding these requirements can help you determine if a guarantor home loan is the right choice for you. If you’d like to know more, contact us for a free assessment

Maximising Your Borrowing Power with Guarantor Loans

One of the key advantages of a guarantor home loan is the potential to increase your borrowing power. 

But what does this mean, and how does it work? Let’s break it down.

borrowing power guarantor home loans (1)
Borrowing Power is also called servicability by the banks, and it assesses how much you can afford to repay.

What is Borrowing Power?

Borrowing power refers to the maximum amount that a lender is willing to loan you. 

It’s calculated based on several factors, including your income, expenses, existing debts, and the number of dependents you have.

Broadly speaking, the banks will lend between 5 to 6 times your income. So if you are earning $50,000 you might be able to borrow up to $300,000.

For a more specific example, we have shown how much a single person could borrow if they were earning $75,000 per year and had no credit cards, AfterPay or personal loans.

borrowing capacity with guarantor loan

To find out what your borrowing power is, get in touch with our team or call on 1300 088 065 and we can let you know.

How Can a Guarantor Increase Your Borrowing Power?

A guarantor can significantly boost your borrowing power in the following ways:

– Larger Loan Amounts: With a guarantor, you can potentially borrow up to 105% of the property’s value. This can give you more options when house hunting and cover additional costs like stamp duty and conveyancing fees.

– Avoiding LMI: Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) is typically required when you borrow more than 80% of the property’s value. However, with a guarantor, you can avoid this cost, which can add up to thousands of dollars.

– Better Interest Rates: Some lenders offer discounted interest rates for loans with a guarantor, which can save you a significant amount over the life of your loan.

Guarantor Loan Calculator

To understand how much you can borrow with a guarantor home loan, you can use a guarantor loan calculator. This tool takes into account your income, expenses, and the value of the guarantor’s property to give you an estimate of your borrowing power.

In the next section, we’ll delve into the responsibilities and potential risks of becoming a guarantor. It’s important to understand these aspects before entering into a guarantor home loan agreement.

guarantor home loan calculator

The Responsibilities and Risks of Becoming a Guarantor

Becoming a guarantor is a significant commitment. It’s crucial to understand the responsibilities and potential risks involved before agreeing to this role.

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Responsibilities of a Guarantor

As a guarantor, you’re essentially providing a safety net for the lender. Here are the key responsibilities:

– Loan Repayments: If the borrower can’t make their loan repayments, you as the guarantor will be required to step in and cover the costs.

– Legal Obligations: You’ll need to sign a contract, agreeing to the terms and conditions of the guarantor home loan. It’s essential to read and understand this document before signing.

Potential Risks for Guarantors

While being a guarantor can help a loved one secure a home loan, there are potential risks involved:

– Financial Risk: If the borrower defaults on their loan, you could be responsible for repaying a large amount of money.

– Credit Score Impact: If the borrower defaults and you’re unable to cover the repayments, this could negatively impact your credit score.

– Property Risk: In some cases, if the borrower defaults, the lender could potentially sell your property to recover the loan amount.

Potential Fees for Guarantors

While not common, there may be some fees involved for guarantors, such as legal fees for the preparation of loan documents. It’s important to discuss this with the lender before agreeing to be a guarantor.

Becoming a guarantor is a significant decision that should not be taken lightly. It’s important to seek independent legal and financial advice before agreeing to this role. In the next section, we’ll discuss how and when a guarantor can be removed from a home loan.

Removing the Guarantor from the Home Loan

While becoming a guarantor is a significant commitment, it’s not necessarily a lifelong one. There are circumstances where a guarantor can be removed from a home loan. Here’s what you need to know.

When Can a Guarantor Be Removed?

A guarantor can typically be removed from a home loan under the following conditions:

– Increased Property Value: If the value of the property has increased, this could provide enough equity to remove the guarantor. This often depends on market conditions and the location of the property.

– Reduced Loan Amount: If the borrower has been making regular repayments and has significantly reduced the loan amount, the lender may agree to remove the guarantor.

– Improved Financial Circumstances: If the borrower’s financial circumstances have improved – for example, they’ve received a promotion or paid off other debts – the lender may agree to remove the guarantor.

How to Remove a Guarantor

The process for removing a guarantor typically involves the following steps:

– Property Valuation: The lender will need to conduct a valuation of the property to determine its current market value.

– Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) Assessment: The lender will calculate the Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) – the amount of the loan compared to the value of the property. If the LVR is 80% or less, the lender may agree to remove the guarantor.

– Borrower Assessment: The lender will assess the borrower’s financial circumstances to ensure they can manage the loan repayments without the guarantor.

Removing a guarantor from a home loan can provide a sense of relief and independence for both the borrower and the guarantor. However, it’s important to discuss this process with your lender and seek professional advice. In the next section, we’ll explore another real-life case study to illustrate the benefits of guarantor home loans.

Read More: Removing a Guarantor from a mortgage

Case Study: Cherise's Story

To further illustrate the benefits of guarantor home loans, let’s explore another real-life example.

cherise first home buyer (1)
A few simple tips can help you avoid some really common mistakes most home owners make.

Meet Cherise

Cherise, a young professional from Sydney, had been dreaming of owning her own home. However, the high property prices in her city made it difficult for her to save for a deposit.

Discovering Guarantor Home Loans

Upon learning about guarantor home loans, Cherise saw a glimmer of hope. Her parents agreed to act as guarantors, enabling her to secure a loan for 105% of the property value. This meant she could buy a home without a deposit.

The Immediate Benefits

The advantages for Cherise were substantial:

– Quick Home Ownership: With a guarantor home loan, Cherise was able to buy a property much quicker than she would have been able to otherwise.

– Saving on Insurance: By avoiding Lenders Mortgage Insurance, Cherise saved a significant amount of money.

– Extra Funds: With the ability to borrow more than the property’s value, Cherise had extra funds to furnish her new home and even take a well-deserved holiday.

Cherise’s story highlights how a guarantor home loan can not only make homeownership possible but also more enjoyable. With the extra funds, she was able to make her new house feel like a home and celebrate her achievement with a holiday.

Guarantor Home Loan FAQs

A Guarantor Home Loan is a type of loan where a guarantor (usually a family member) offers their own property as security for another person’s home loan. This can allow the borrower to borrow up to 105% of the property value, potentially enabling them to buy a property with no deposit and avoid paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI).

A Guarantor typically needs to be an immediate family member such as parents, siblings, or grandparents. Some banks may also allow de facto partners, or in some cases, uncles or aunts depending on their relationship with the borrower. The guarantor needs to own their own property in Australia and have equity in it. They also need to be currently working, and the borrower needs to be over 18 years old.

The benefits of a Guarantor Home Loan include no deposit requirement, discounted interest rates, no LMI premium, the ability to consolidate minor debts, and the option to limit the size of the guarantee.

If the borrower fails to make their mortgage repayments, the guarantor is required to cover the debt. The amount of the loan the guarantor has agreed on is what they will be responsible for.

The guarantor can be removed from the mortgage once a certain portion of the loan has been paid off, or if the property value increases. The best time to remove the guarantor is when the Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) is under 80% of the property’s value.

A co-applicant is included on the loan and will be responsible for the entire loan until it’s repaid in full. A guarantor, on the other hand, is linked to a loan by a guarantee. This guarantee can be released and the guarantor’s responsibility stopped without the loan being repaid in full.

Yes, spouses can act as guarantors, offering additional security to help you get a loan. However, the borrower must be able to service the entire loan on their income.

Once the guarantee is released, the guarantor’s responsibility stops. This can happen without the loan being repaid in full. The conditions for the release of the guarantee vary and depend on the agreement with the lender.

If you have owned a property before but don’t own any properties at the moment you absolutely do qualify for a guarantor loan. Guarantor home loans are not just designed for first homeowners only but to also get people back into the market or into the market for the first time.

However, if you currently own a property,  a lot of lenders are reluctant to help you; they don’t want to have guarantors for wealth creation. it’s more to help you in the market.

With guarantor home loans,  since your support is in the form of a loan, the debt associated is considered part of the asset division. This arrangement ensures that upon settlement, the debt is resolved without your guarantee being transferred to your child’s ex-partner, offering a clearer financial closure compared to gifted funds.

However, there is a risk when your child borrows 100% of the property’s value. If they do decide to sell, they might not be able to cover the entire debt due to additional costs like real estate agent fees and advertising costs. This is an important factor to consider.

So before any funds are gifted, having the right documentation in place upfront will allow you to specify the outcome in case of a relationship breakdown. 

We Can Help You Get a Guarantor Loan

A mortgage broker at Hunter Galloway
Nathan Vecchio and the team at Hunter Galloway are experts at Guarantor Home Loans.

Guarantor home loans can be a powerful tool for first-time home buyers in Australia. They offer a way to enter the property market sooner, potentially borrow more than the property’s value, and save on costs like Lenders Mortgage Insurance.

At Hunter Galloway, we’re here to help you navigate the home buying process. Our team of mortgage professionals can provide you with personalised advice and guide you through the process of securing a home loan. So, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for any questions or assistance.

If you would like to speak with a mortgage broker please call on 1300 088 065 or enquire online and one of our expert mortgage brokers will give you a call to discuss your situation.

Here’s to making your dream of homeownership a reality!