How to get your home loan approved faster

Every home loan application is unique, so the time between your first contact with your broker and approval can never be predetermined. 

If an application is not completed correctly, you risk delays in approval, or even being declined by potential lenders. There are, however, some things you can do to help the process move quicker.

The most common reason for a delay is a lender’s turnaround time to assessment, especially when some lenders have competitive offerings and experience larger application volumes, but a lack of preparation can cause this delay to snowball. 

Be prepared

In order for a lender to assess your capacity to service loan repayments, every financial detail must be taken into account. 

Other than the obvious documentation that needs to accompany an application – satisfactory identification and evidence of income by way of pay slips – many lenders will expect to see a reference from your employer, group certificates or tax returns, and records of any investments or shares that you might have.

If you are self-employed, you will need to organise alternative documentation to prove income, such as financial statements relating to the profit and loss of your business going back two years. 

Lenders will also want to see bank statements going back a few months in order to track your spending and savings history. Most importantly, you will need to provide the details of your debts. 

By having all your documents organised and a savings and repayment plan documented, as well as evidence that you can commit to the plan, you will increase your chances of receiving the loan you are after.

Disclose all information 

Lenders want to see proof that you are capable of managing the responsibility of the loan, through steady employment, a good credit history and a debt-free approach to your financials. 

To avoid back and forth requests, which can delay your application, ensure your lender has a thorough understanding of you as an applicant including appropriate identification of all borrowers. 

Provide all the supporting and necessary documents upfront to your broker, have good, current information on your financial position and convey as much detail as possible in relation to your requirements and objectives as possible. 

Your broker will not only need to have your full financial details, they’ll also need to take reasonable steps to verify them.

Skip the valuation queue

Not all applications require a valuation, depending on the property and lending institution and forgoing this step can save a considerable amount of time. You can also save time by having a valuation completed prior to your application, if it’s accepted by your chosen lender, but check with your broker first.