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First Home Buyer's Guide

3

Government grants and incentives

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Incentives are typically favored towards new properties because it stimulates economic activity. Grants are State and Federally based and usually come in two forms:

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  1. Cash incentives

  2. Stamp duty discounts

 

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Qualifying criteria can differ between the two, which means you might qualify for one but not the other.

 

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Typically, when it comes to cash incentives, you or a spouse must not have owned a property in Australia before.

 

 

For stamp duty discount, it is typically restricted to having not lived in a property you have owned for any material period of time.

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Qualifying for the Grant

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The eligibility criteria for first home buyers differs slightly between the states and territories but generally, eligibility criteria includes:

  • You must be buying as a natural person, not as a company or trust.

  • At least one applicant must be a permanent resident or Australian citizen.

  • Each applicant must be at least 18 years old.

  • You or your spouse, partner or co-purchaser must not have previously owned an interest in land in Australia which had a residence on it before 1 July 2000.

  • You or your spouse or partner cannot have lived in a residential property which you owned from 1 July 2000.

  • You or your spouse, partner or co-purchaser may not have claimed the grant previously.

  • You must lie in the property as your principal place of residence for a minimum of 6 months and commence this period within 12 months of the purchase or completion of construction of your home.

 

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There are other conditions for each state which you can learn about by following the links in the table above.

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A couple of burning FAQ’s we hear often

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I am buying with a friend. Do we both get the grant?

Sadly not. You can only receive one grant per property purchase. This also means that both of you (and your future spouse) will no longer be eligible to receive another grant in the future.

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Can the grant be used as part of the deposit?

Generally yes. However, many lenders will still require that you have accrued their minimum genuine savings amount.

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Who takes care of the grant?

We do. Most banks are also agents of the process, which means they will under our instruction arrange for payment of the grant.

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