Refinancing: Unlock the power of your home loan

There is no set timeframe you need to wait until you can refinance your home loan, however certain lenders may have some restrictions and you should consider the following when evaluating if it’s the right time to refinance:

• Why do you want to refinance? Is there a product you’ve seen that you think might better suit your situation, or have interest rates drastically changed? Has your financial situation changed? What fees might you need to outlay to refinance, and do they outweigh the benefits?  
• Read the terms of your current loans carefully (including break costs, interest rates, comparison rates, etc.) and weigh these up against the features of any refinance options you’re considering, including the loan term. Will your objectives be met?

If you're looking to refinance, you may be wondering if it will affect your credit score. It’s possible that your credit score may drop down initially after refinancing, but this may just last for a short period of time. In fact, your credit score has a chance to rebound and even improve in the longer term, especially if you pay your new monthly repayments on time.

There are several factors that can impact your credit score, including when a credit provider obtains a copy of your report during your credit application. Whilst each of the Australian credit reporting bodies calculate credit scores differently, making multiple applications within a short space of time can negatively affect your credit score. Find out more in our quick guide to understanding your credit report.

If you have a below-average credit score, then refinancing could still be an option for you. However, you may need to look to alternative lenders that take a holistic view of your financial situation. Non-bank lenders like us at Pepper Money specialise in providing loan options for people with credit history issues, and we can help you explore your options.

Even if you have a bad credit rating or a limited credit history, we may be able to help you reduce your interest rate and combine all your existing debts together into one easy to manage payment. It’s important to understand what factors have impacted your credit score in the past and ensure that you have a plan in-place to sort these issues out. Check out our tips on understanding your credit score.

To know the full costs, you need to look at the terms and conditions of each product – then you can compare them. So, the loan you currently have, compared to the one you’re considering refinancing to. Make sure you understand the fees and charges to both discharge an existing loan and to get a new mortgage, as they will differ from lender to lender and product to product. It’s important to also understand the terms and conditions, including any fees, applicable where you’re considering refinancing with your current lender to a different product. Before making any decisions, read the fine print to make sure your refinancing benefit isn’t being eaten up by fees or break costs. If unsure, you can also speak to a professional adviser who can help give you qualified financial advice.

Break costs or exit fees are additional costs that can be charged to a borrower when they switch home loans to a different lender or refinance with their existing lender. These fees are there to make sure that lenders are financially protected and can cover any costs if a loan is refinanced or switched to another lender during a fixed interest rate period. Different lenders may use different methods to calculate break costs, however it usually depends on how much of a locked-in rate period is remaining, how much of the loan amount has been paid off and the difference in cost of funds.

At Pepper Money, our fixed rate offering comes with no break costs, meaning you can gain the certainty of locking in your repayments for a set period of time, and should rates decrease in the future, you can refinance, or ‘break’ the loan during the fixed rate period without any penalties. 

Refinancing your home loan is the process of getting a new loan to replace an existing mortgage – this could be with the same lender through moving to a new product, or switching to a new mortgage with a different lender. While some may refinance their home loan to take advantage of a lower interest rate, others do so to consolidate their debts. Home loan refinancing could also help you access any equity built up in a property.

If interest rates have increased since you first took out your loan, refinancing to a lower interest rate could be a way to help reduce your monthly repayments. A lower interest rate could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.                                      
Keen to learn more? Read our Simple Guide to Refinancing.

To apply for a home loan, you’ll need to provide documents to verify your identity, financial position, and employment status.

1. Proof of identity:
To confirm your identity, it’s best to provide both your current driver’s licence and passport (Australian passport is acceptable if it expired within the past two years). If you don’t have access to both, just let us know - we’ll work with you to find suitable alternatives.

2. Proof of income:

For PAYG applicants
You’ll need to provide one of the following combinations of documents to verify your income.

Option 1: Your most recent payslip and 3 months of bank statements (showing proof of salary)

Option 2: Either your most recent payslip or 3 months of bank statements (showing proof of salary) plus one of the following:

• Letter of Employment
• Notice of Assessment
• Latest PAYG Payment Summary
  

For Self-Employed applicants

There are two types of income documentation options available: full documentation (Full Doc) or alternative documentation (Alt Doc).

For Full Doc:

• Last one or two years’ tax returns and notice of assessments, or
• Last one or two years’ financial statements executed by a registered tax agent or accountant
  

For Alt Doc:

• Evidence of GST and ABN registration for at least 6 months, and  
• Declaration of financial position plus one of the following: 
  • 6 months of business bank statements, or 
  • 6 months of lodged Business Activity Statements (BAS), or  
  • Pepper Money accountant’s letter (eligibility criteria apply).  

Please note: the exact documentation required will be dependent on a full review of your situation.

Proof of deposit:

If you’re borrowing over 90% of the purchase price - you’ll be required to provide evidence of genuine savings (i.e. at least 5% of the purchase price). To prove your genuine savings, you’ll need to provide the following (depending on where the funds originated from):

• 3 months’ bank statements demonstrating genuine savings
• Share certificate or dividend statement for any public listed company
• Gift letters for non-repayable gifts from family
• Contract of sale or settlement statement for proceeds of a sale of another property
• Clear rental conduct for 3 months

Check out our home loan application checklist to help you feel confident and prepared.

When refinancing your home loan with us, we can finance up to 90% of the property’s value. This means you’ll need to maintain at least 10% equity or contribute an equivalent deposit to your loan.

Remember, you’ll also need funds to be able to cover any loan fees, as well as government and legal fees. These can’t be added to your home loan balance.

The interest rate offered, and fees and charges will depend on our assessment of a number of factors at the time of application including:

• The amount of your deposit or existing equity (if refinancing)
• Nature of the security property (or the property you have equity in if refinancing)
• Loan to value ratio (LVR)
• Your income
• Credit history
• Any assets you own
• Any liabilities or credit obligations
• Chosen repayment type – paying off interest-only, or principal and interest
• The purpose of the loan – if it’s for an owner-occupier or investment property

Find out your indicative interest rate and estimated repayments^˅, or even apply online if eligible, all in just a few easy steps.

You can consolidate a number of debts into your home loan – so long as the consolidation puts you in a better financial position. We can look to consolidate different types of debt into your new home loan, including credit cards, personal loans, car loans, private finance, tax and other personal or business debts. Before you get carried away consolidating all outstanding debts into your loan, check the features and limits of the loan product you’re looking at – as some competitive interest rate products may have limits on the number of debts that can be consolidated.

Debt consolidation involves taking out a single loan to consolidate multiple debts, such as credit card debts, student loans, and other outstanding loans. It’s an option that could help you better manage your debts. By consolidating multiple debts into one loan, you may benefit from lower monthly payments, reduced, or eliminated late fees, and the convenience of having just one loan to manage. 

Consolidation loans are available from both banks and non-bank lenders, each will have different terms and conditions. Deciding the right lender for the right borrower will depend on their individual circumstances. It’s important to compare the costs and benefits of each loan provider and choose one that meets your needs.

Debt consolidation works by bringing all your existing debts together and rolling them into a single loan account, often with lower monthly repayments. But when considering debt consolidation, it’s important to understand the details of how it will work out for you and your situation.   

Consolidating your debts can lead to a lower interest rate than your existing individual debts, resulting in savings over the life of the loan. Ideally the debt consolidation loan will have lower monthly repayments than the amount being paid on the total debts currently owed. 

If you have equity in your home loan, you might be able to leverage it to consolidate other debts into your loan.  

One benefit of consolidating non-property debt into a home loan is that you can often get a lower interest rate. Because you will be putting your home up as collateral, lenders will usually offer lower interest rates than they would on other types of loans.

If you are looking to refinance your loan in Australia, you may need to pay stamp duty. This is generally a one-off fee charged by a State or Territory government on certain types of transactions. It is important to check with the relevant State or Territory Stamp Duty Office if stamp duty applies in your particular situation.