From 1 July, 40,000 new places under the federal government’s Home Guarantee Scheme have become available to help Australians buy their own home.
More places have become available under the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme.
The scheme currently comprises the First Home Guarantee (FHBG) – previously known as the First Home Loan Deposit Scheme – and the Family Home Guarantee (FHG).
It allows eligible first home buyers to buy a property with a deposit as small as 5 percent (and eligible single parents with a deposit as small as 2 percent), while the government guarantees the remaining amount to mitigate the need for borrowers to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI).
The federal government is now making available 35,000 places each financial year to support first home buyers to purchase a home with a deposit of as little as five percent (the First Home Guarantee); and 5,000 places each financial year to support single parents with dependents to purchase a home with a deposit of as little as two percent (the Family Home Guarantee).
This year, there are updated property price caps, which have risen to reflect recent increases in property prices and to make more properties available for purchase using the scheme. They are as follows:
| Area | Home Guarantee Scheme | |
|---|---|---|
| Existing property price cap (First Home Loan Deposit Scheme and Family Home Guarantee) | Updated property price cap (First Home Guarantee and Family Home Guarantee), from 1 July 2022 | |
| New South Wales – capital city and regional centre | $800,000 | $900,000 |
| New South Wales – other | $600,000 | $750,000 |
| Victoria – capital city and regional centre | $700,000 | $800,000 |
| Victoria – other | $500,000 | $650,000 |
| Queensland – capital city and regional centre | $600,000 | $700,000 |
| Queensland – other | $450,000 | $550,000 |
| Western Australia – capital city | $500,000 | $600,000 |
| Western Australia – other | $400,000 | $450,000 |
| South Australia – capital city | $500,000 | $600,000 |
| South Australia – other | $350,000 | $450,000 |
| Tasmania – capital city | $500,000 | $600,000 |
| Tasmania – other | $400,000 | $450,000 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $500,000 | $750,000 |
| Northern Territory | $500,000 | $600,000 |
| Jervis Bay Territory and Norfolk Island | $550,000 | $550,000 |
| Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands | $400,000 | $400,000 |
The Home Guarantee Scheme is administered by the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation (NHFIC), whose CEO welcomed the newly expanded regime opening.
He said: “As an organisation, we support Australians across the housing spectrum from those renting in community housing, through to Australians with the goal of homeownership. We expect many more Australians to be able to bring forward buying a home under the expanded scheme.”
Speaking on Friday (1 July), the Minister for Housing, Minister Homelessness and Minister for Small Business, Julie Collins MP, commented that the Labor government was “committed to introducing a suite of policies that will make it easier for Australians to buy a home, and deliver more social and affordable housing.”
She confirmed that the Albanese Government would soon be announcing further details of the “targeted support to Australians living in regional areas though a new Regional First Home Buyer Support Scheme“.
“This new scheme will join the Home Guarantee Scheme and deliver on a commitment the Albanese Government made before the election,” she said.
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