Saving a home loan deposit can be challenging enough. Then, lenders often will put another hurdle in your way by asking for proof of ‘genuine savings’. Here’s all you need to know about clearing that obstacle.
Lenders use the term ‘genuine savings’ to describe any funds you’ve saved over a period of time.
Basically, it’s their way of confirming that you’re in this for the long haul – that you’re committed to being financially responsible with your money.
For example, if you’ve received a gift from your parents to help cover the cost of your home deposit, some lenders may still want you to verify that you’re putting an allocated amount of money aside in a savings account on a regular basis.
What many home buyers don’t realise though is that there are several different ways you can verify that your savings are genuine.
Here are some types of savings lenders may consider genuine savings
– Regular deposits into a savings account over 6 months
– Term deposit savings accounts held for at least 3 months
– Shares or managed funds held for at least 3 months
– Rental history for the past 6 months
– Salary sacrificing through the First Home Super Saver scheme
– Additional repayments into a car loan or personal loan
– Deposit paid to a real estate agent, builder or developer that was originally in your savings account prior to being paid (i.e. not borrowed from somewhere else)
Keep in mind that different lenders will have different policies around what they will and won’t accept as genuine savings.
As an example, showing some banks your rental payment history may not be enough without also showing them savings account bank statements that prove you’re depositing money regularly.
What doesn’t count as genuine savings?
Having plenty of cash sitting in your savings account often isn’t enough for some lenders. They may still want to see you’re able to save money over a period of time as well.
Here are some examples of funds that won’t count as genuine savings with the banks:
– Gift from parents or family
– First Home Owner’s Grant (FHOG)
– Borrowed funds (for example money taken from a personal loan)
– Selling assets (for example selling a car or furniture to raise cash)
– Tax refund
– Inheritance
A few final pointers
Keep in mind that some banks may consider using the FHOG towards your overall deposit amount in some circumstances.
Likewise, there are situations where a gift from a family member could be large enough to avoid the need to prove genuine savings at all.
The key to improving your chances of getting your home loan approved is to structure your genuine savings history so that it appeals to the right lender.
If you’d like help setting this up, speak to us to today about the best ways to verify your savings. That way you’ll have a much better chance of getting your mortgage application approved.