St George discharge form: how to discharge your St George mortgage

A discharge authority tells St George to release its mortgage over your property. You may need one when selling, refinancing or paying the loan off yourself. Paying the balance down to zero does not automatically remove the mortgage from the property title.

Your settlement can be delayed if St George has not received the completed authority. An agreed date or approved new loan does not replace that step.

Refinancing: call 1300 302 302 or request a callback. St George sends the Property and Security Request form. All account holders and any guarantors must sign; return it to mortgagesecurityvariations@stgeorge.com.au.

Selling or paying off the loan: use the online Property and Security Request form. Allow about 20 minutes; you cannot save it and return later. Follow its signing and return instructions. For a paid-off loan, St George also accepts the form at a branch or by post.

A full discharge removes all the property security covered by the request. A partial discharge releases one property while another stays as security. A substitution swaps the security property; ask the bank about approval before choosing it.

If a parent guaranteed your loan, the property you want released may be theirs rather than yours. The request goes through the lender’s discharge or security-release process.

Ask the lender which discharge or security variation request covers the guarantee. Releasing a guarantor needs the bank’s approval; submitting the form does not make the release automatic.

The bank will assess the remaining security and loan. A loan-to-value ratio of 80% means owing $80 for every $100 of property value. It can be a useful starting point, but it does not guarantee release. Our guide to removing a guarantor explains what to check.

The lender’s valuation of the property you keep as security matters. Different lenders can arrive at different values, so one valuation does not settle every option. A broker can help check the remaining loan and security before you apply to release the guarantee.

Allow around 3 to 4 weeks as a planning buffer, then confirm the time needed with St George. This is not a lender turnaround promise.

Missing signatures, account numbers or contact details can delay the request. Ask the lender to confirm it has everything it needs.

Allow extra time if another party holds the title, a valuation is needed or only part of the security is being released. Tell your conveyancer or incoming lender about the settlement deadline and check the lender can meet it.

St George says to expect a confirmation letter about 10 days after it receives everything needed. That is a confirmation timeframe, not a promised settlement date.

Expect a discharge or settlement administration fee from St George, plus a state government fee to register the discharge on the title. If any part of your loan is on a fixed rate, break costs can apply as well, and those are calculated by the lender rather than set by a schedule.

Ask for all of it in writing before you lock a settlement date. Break costs in particular move with the market, so an earlier quote may differ from the final amount.

A discharge usually runs alongside a sale or a new loan, and the timing needs to match. If the new loan is ready but the outgoing lender is not ready to release its mortgage, settlement can be held up. If the new loan is not ready, sending the discharge request does not solve that gap.

This is where we can help with a refinance or your next purchase: work through the new loan and its timing, while your lender and settlement representatives confirm the discharge arrangements. Keep making required repayments until the old lender confirms the loan is closed. How refinancing works, step by step shows where the discharge fits.

You authorise the discharge and follow your lender’s return instructions. We do not offer a standalone discharge lodgement service.

If you are refinancing or buying again, we can help with the new loan and its timing. There is generally no fee for our service on a standard residential home loan. We are usually paid by the lender if the loan settles, and we disclose that in writing.

Tell us your current lender, why you are moving and any settlement date. Call 1300 088 065 or book a free assessment so we can help line up the new loan.

General information only. It does not consider your circumstances and is not credit, legal or tax advice. Lender processes, fees and timeframes change without notice, so confirm the current requirements directly with St George Bank before you act. Hunter Galloway, Credit Representative 476903 of Australian Credit Licence 389328.