Understand the home loan application process

Applying for a home loan can feel overwhelming. Our home loan application guide shows you where to start, takes you through the process and tells you what’s required when applying for an ANZ home loan.

1. Decide how you’d like to engage with us

There’s a range of ways to apply for a home loan with ANZ, depending on your preferred mode of contact. Whatever you decide, we’re here to support you on your home loan journey and you can contact us anytime you need help.

“I want to get started online”

Try our Quick Start application. You’ll just need to fill out some basic details online to get your application started. It only takes 5 minutes, is easy enough to fill out on-the-go, and there’s no need for supporting information or a calculator at this stage. We’ll call you back within 48 hours to progress your application with you, at which point you will be asked to gather the supporting information listed in step 2.

“Call me”

You can always speak with one of our Home Loan Specialists over the phone Monday to Friday 8.00am to 8.00pm (AEST) to get your application started from wherever suits you. 

“I want some face time”

If you prefer to meet face to face, we suggest contacting a mobile lender, visiting one of our branches or ANZ Home Centres or speaking with an ANZ accredited broker.

2. Prepare your information

ANZ has an obligation to lend responsibly, which means we have to conduct an assessment to determine whether the loan is suitable for you. To make that call, we need to know a lot about your finances and you’ll need to show evidence with the right documentation.

Here’s a brief overview of the information you might be asked to provide on your home loan application.

Identification

We need to make sure that you are who you say you are.

Evidence of your income

You’ll need to provide proof of what you earn. Depending on whether you work for an employer, are self-employed or if you receive income from other sources such as rental property, you’ll be asked to provide different documents to show your income. This could include recent payslips, bank statements showing salary credit, rental income statements and other proof of income.

Expenses and assets

In addition to how much you earn, we’ll need to know what you own and how much you spend, in order to make an assessment about how much you might be able to borrow. Use our expenses calculator to get a better understanding of your expenses.

Existing liabilities

We'll ask about any loans, credit cards, store cards, leases or other personal debts that you may have (and which you are required to make repayments on). 

When to submit your information 

If you choose to do a Quick Start application, you won’t need to provide this information upfront but you will be asked to do so later. 

If you’re speaking to a Home Loans Specialist, mobile lender or broker, they’ll let you know when they will need this information from you.

Whichever way you choose, it’s a good idea to start gathering your documents. Use our checklist to make sure you’ve got everything you need.

3. Apply for home loan pre-approval

Did you know that you can submit your home loan application before you find the right property? It’s called pre-approval, also known as approval in principle or conditional approval. Pre-approval gives you an idea of how much you could afford to borrow and the total property price you can afford to pay. 

You can apply for pre-approval as soon as you’re ready to start your property search, using any of the ways we’ve explained in Step 1. If your circumstances don’t change, pre-approval generally lasts for three months. If any of your circumstances change – such as your income, expenses, or type of employment – let us know as this may affect how much we can lend you. 

If your pre-approval expires before you have signed a contract to buy a home and you want to keep a pre-approval in place, you will have to re-apply for another pre-approval – an ANZ Home Loan Specialist can help you with this. 

It’s important to understand that pre-approval gives you an indication of how much you may be able to borrow but it is not a guarantee that you will be approved for a home loan. Also, ANZ will do a credit check and this will be noted on your credit history. There might be another credit check when you approach full approval of your home loan, but this will depend on your individual circumstances. 

Why it’s helpful to have pre-approval

Having pre-approval makes it easier to budget, gives you the confidence to make an offer on a property and signals to real estate agents that you are a serious buyer.

Also, applying for pre-approval will mean you will submit a lot of the necessary information for your loan application to your lender earlier on, which should mean less work required when you find a property and are ready to move towards full approval.  

Applying for pre-approval with ANZ is free and can help to make your property search more focused and you can be ready to make an offer when you find the perfect property.

4. Find the right property

With pre-approval and a good idea of your borrowing power, you can focus on finding the right property that meets your needs and your budget. Consider doing a building and pest inspection before making an offer.

When your offer on a property has been accepted, you can move towards full approval on your home loan application. If you didn’t apply for pre-approval at step 3, you can begin the full application process at this stage.

5. Move towards full approval

Full approval or unconditional approval is when ANZ confirms that we’re willing to lend you the money to buy a specific property.

To reach full approval, we’ll need to assess the property you’re buying. We’ll arrange to conduct a valuation of the property to find out what the property is worth. The property valuation will determine the loan amount you could borrow.

We’ll also need to understand if there are any changes to your financial situation. Be prepared that we might ask you to provide additional documents or information at this stage. ANZ might do a credit check at this point, depending on your individual circumstances. 

6. Approval and settlement

If your home loan application is approved, we’ll send you a Letter of Offer and your loan documents (including the terms and conditions associated with your loan). You’ll need to read through all of the documents carefully and ensure that you understand your rights and responsibilities under the loan contract before you sign them. 

After you accept the loan, we’ll work with your solicitor or conveyancer to finalise the transfer of the property to you. From then, it shouldn’t be long before you’ll have the keys to your new property.

Learn more about what happens after your home loan is approved.

7. Manage your home loan

Now you’ll need to settle into making your regular home loan repayments. You have several convenient options for making your repayments, including adding your home loan to ANZ Internet Banking or the ANZ App and setting up regular repayments so you don’t miss any.

Depending on the type of loan you have, you might have different options when it comes to how often you have to make a repayment, whether you can make extra repayments to your loan, and whether you can access funds in a redraw (if you're ahead on repayments). Find out more about how to manage your loan.

It’s a good idea to check in every year to make sure you’re getting the most out of your home loan.

We’re here to help

If you have questions or need some support with any of the steps outlined above, our Home Loan Specialists can help. See the ways you can get in touch.