Welcome Home Loans
Owning your own home will be easier than you think
If you’re like most Kiwis, you’d love to own your own home rather than rent someone else's.
The hard part is that sometimes it is easier dreamed than done.A Welcome Home Loan could make your dream come true.
There are some standard eligibility criteria to make sure that Welcome Home Loans go to the right people.
Maximum Income:
- For 1 or 2 borrowers you can have a maximum household income of $85,000 per annum.
- For 3 or more borrowers you can have a maximum household income of $120,000 per annum.
Deposit:
- No deposit will be needed to buy a house up to $200,000.
- For houses from $200,000 to $280,000, you will need a deposit of 15% of the amount above $200,000. For example, on a loan of $250,000, you will need a deposit equal to 15% of $50,000, which is $7,500. The deposit can be gifted.
Maximum amount of a Welcome Home Loan:
$280,000
The maximum loan amount that can be borrowed under the Welcome Home Loan, will rise from $280,000 to $350,000 in high priced areas such as Auckland and Wellington from November.
There are standard eligibility criteria for Welcome Home Loans:
- The Welcome Home Loan is for owner-occupied properties only. It is not for rental properties.
- Borrowers must not own any other property.
- Currently you cannot use a Welcome Home Loan to build a home.
- Applicants need to either be a New Zealand citizen, or have permanent residency with a Indefinite Returning Residents Visa
- Be able to afford the repayments of the home loan plus any other debts they may have.
- Have a good credit record.
- Meet any other criteria that the lender may apply.
Borrowers may need to pay fees such as an application fee and a Lenders Mortgage Insurance premium fee of 1% of the loan amount. But in most cases these can be built into the home loan.
