Borrow
More first home buyers to benefit from 5% deposits
The federal government has announced the extension of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, opening up 10,000 new places to aid in post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
More first home buyers to benefit from 5% deposits
The federal government has announced the extension of the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme, opening up 10,000 new places to aid in post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
A statement from Treasurer Josh Frydenberg outlined that the additional places would be available from today, 6 October 2020, to support the purchase of a new home or a newly built home.
The First Home Loan Deposit Scheme (FHLDS) allows eligible applicants to purchase a home (within certain price restrictions based on location) with a deposit of just 5 per cent, without paying lender’s mortgage insurance.
Originally, 10,000 places were made available in the FHLDS for the 2020-21 financial year, with all 5,000 non-major lender quota places filled within the first three months of the financial year.
The opening up of new places in the scheme does have a tighter set of requirements than the initial scheme, restricted to the building of a new home or purchase of a newly built home, which was not a requirement of the original scheme.

Mr Frydenberg said the additional guarantees will be available until 30 June 2021 “and will drive more construction and support jobs as part of our Economic Recovery Plan”.
The FHLDS can be used in conjunction with the First Home Super Saver Scheme and HomeBuilder grants, as well as relevant state and territory grants and concessions.
About the author
About the author
Loans
First-home buyer grants are blowing up prices and risk while savvy investors make their move
A new white paper argues first‑home buyer incentives are being capitalised into higher prices and larger loans—echoing long‑running warnings from the Reserve Bank and market economistsRead more
Loans
Low-deposit loans signal a high-value gap: how brokers and non-banks can turn constraint into competitive edge
An emerging wave of low-deposit approvals from non-bank players points to a structural gap in Australia’s mortgage market: strong borrowers blocked by savings friction, not serviceabilityRead more
Loans
The low‑deposit mortgage opportunity: A broker‑led growth case for Australia
Fresh loan performance data from non‑bank challenger Skip has surfaced a quiet truth: low‑deposit borrowers are materially underserved — and that’s a commercial opportunity hiding in plain sight for ...Read more
Loans
First-home buyers shrug off rate rises: A lender–developer playbook to capture resilient demand
Against conventional wisdom, Australia’s first-home buyers are proving rate-resilient. Government guarantees, tight rental markets and shifting lender tactics are fuelling a surge in activity even as ...Read more
Loans
Investor refinancing hits record highs: inside Australia’s race for mobile mortgage capital
Refinancing by property investors has surged to record levels in Australia as borrowers chase sharper rates and lenders fight to defend margins. Average loan sizes have pushed to new highs even as ...Read more
Loans
Australia’s mortgage stress is back: the 2026 playbook for banks, brokers and boards
Mortgage stress has re‑accelerated after the Reserve Bank’s February move, with fresh data indicating 24.5% of owner‑occupier borrowers are under pressure. Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania are ...Read more
Loans
First-home buyers are back: what the 26% surge means for lenders, builders and boards
A record fourth-quarter rise in first-home buyer activity has reset the mortgage market’s centre of gravity. With aggregator data showing a 26% jump in first-home buyer lodgements in Q4 2025 and ...Read more
Loans
Viking’s entry rewrites Australia’s mortgage aggregation playbook: win on software, not just scale
A new residential aggregator entering Australia after a decade-plus hiatus is more than a competitive curiosity—it’s a test of whether software, data and compliance-by-design can overcome entrenched ...Read more
Loans
First-home buyer grants are blowing up prices and risk while savvy investors make their move
A new white paper argues first‑home buyer incentives are being capitalised into higher prices and larger loans—echoing long‑running warnings from the Reserve Bank and market economistsRead more
Loans
Low-deposit loans signal a high-value gap: how brokers and non-banks can turn constraint into competitive edge
An emerging wave of low-deposit approvals from non-bank players points to a structural gap in Australia’s mortgage market: strong borrowers blocked by savings friction, not serviceabilityRead more
Loans
The low‑deposit mortgage opportunity: A broker‑led growth case for Australia
Fresh loan performance data from non‑bank challenger Skip has surfaced a quiet truth: low‑deposit borrowers are materially underserved — and that’s a commercial opportunity hiding in plain sight for ...Read more
Loans
First-home buyers shrug off rate rises: A lender–developer playbook to capture resilient demand
Against conventional wisdom, Australia’s first-home buyers are proving rate-resilient. Government guarantees, tight rental markets and shifting lender tactics are fuelling a surge in activity even as ...Read more
Loans
Investor refinancing hits record highs: inside Australia’s race for mobile mortgage capital
Refinancing by property investors has surged to record levels in Australia as borrowers chase sharper rates and lenders fight to defend margins. Average loan sizes have pushed to new highs even as ...Read more
Loans
Australia’s mortgage stress is back: the 2026 playbook for banks, brokers and boards
Mortgage stress has re‑accelerated after the Reserve Bank’s February move, with fresh data indicating 24.5% of owner‑occupier borrowers are under pressure. Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania are ...Read more
Loans
First-home buyers are back: what the 26% surge means for lenders, builders and boards
A record fourth-quarter rise in first-home buyer activity has reset the mortgage market’s centre of gravity. With aggregator data showing a 26% jump in first-home buyer lodgements in Q4 2025 and ...Read more
Loans
Viking’s entry rewrites Australia’s mortgage aggregation playbook: win on software, not just scale
A new residential aggregator entering Australia after a decade-plus hiatus is more than a competitive curiosity—it’s a test of whether software, data and compliance-by-design can overcome entrenched ...Read more
