Your mortgage history, salary and credit record in the UK count for less than you might expect when you first apply for an Australian home loan. Lenders look closely at your visa, where your income comes from and how long you have been in your job, and the answers can change how much you can borrow and how big a deposit you need. This article covers what Australian lenders assess, the visa questions that come first, and how to get your paperwork in order.

Your visa comes before everything else

For lenders, the first dividing line is residency status. Australian citizens and permanent residents are generally assessed on the same terms. If you hold a permanent visa, most mainstream lenders will treat you much like a local borrower, subject to the usual checks.

Temporary visa holders are in a different position. Many lenders either do not lend to them or apply tighter rules, such as larger deposits and lower maximum loan sizes. There are also government restrictions on what foreign persons can buy. Temporary residents usually need approval through the Foreign Investment Review Board, and a temporary ban introduced from April 2025 generally prevents foreign persons, including most temporary residents, from buying established homes for a set period, with limited exceptions. These rules change, so check the current position before you start looking at properties.

If you are not sure exactly what your visa allows, confirm your status and conditions with the Department of Home Affairs. Lenders will ask for evidence of your visa, so have the grant letter to hand.

Why your UK credit history doesn’t follow you

Australian credit reporting bodies do not generally hold your UK credit file, so you arrive with little or no local history. A thin file is not necessarily a problem, as lenders understand that new arrivals have not had time to build one, but it means they will look harder at other evidence.

Some practical steps help:

• Open an Australian bank account soon after arrival and have your salary paid into it.
• Consider a modest credit card with a low limit, paid in full each month, to start building a record.
• Keep UK statements, mortgage statements and references in case a lender will consider them.
• Avoid applying to lots of lenders at once, as each formal application can show up as an enquiry.

Income, employment and deposits

Lenders like stable, local income. If you have arrived with a job offer in Australia, they will want your employment contract, recent payslips and sometimes a letter from your employer. Some lenders are cautious if you are still in a probation period, while others will accept it for certain professions or with a stronger application.

Income earned in pounds is often treated differently from Australian dollar income. Lenders may only count part of it, apply a currency buffer or decline to use it altogether. Rental income from a property you have kept in the UK may also be discounted.

Deposits follow the same logic. Borrowing more than about 80 per cent of a property’s value usually means paying lenders mortgage insurance, which protects the lender rather than you. Funds coming from overseas may need a clear paper trail showing where the money came from, so keep records of transfers and the sale of any UK home.

Getting a loan in place: the usual sequence

1. Confirm your eligibility. Check your visa conditions and whether foreign investment rules apply to you.
2. Gather documents. Passport, visa, payslips, employment contract, bank statements and evidence of your deposit, including where it came from.
3. Speak to a lender or broker. Mortgage brokers in Australia are licensed and compare products across a panel of lenders. Some focus on clients who have recently migrated.
4. Seek pre-approval. Conditional approval gives you a borrowing limit to shop with, though it is not a guarantee of final approval.
5. Budget for buying costs. Transfer duty, legal or conveyancing fees, inspections and lender fees all need to be paid on top of the deposit.

Budgeting for duty and other costs

Transfer duty, still widely called stamp duty, is charged by each state and territory and can be a significant amount. Rates, concessions for first home buyers and surcharges for foreign buyers all vary across Australia. In Queensland, for example, the Queensland Revenue Office’s transfer duty information explains how duty is calculated, what concessions exist and when additional foreign acquirer duty applies. For a comparison with the system you know from home, see our piece on stamp duty in Australia versus SDLT.

Do not assume you qualify for a first home buyer concession or grant just because you have never owned property in Australia. Many schemes count property owned anywhere in the world, and some depend on citizenship or residency. Check the rules in your state before you build them into your budget.

Questions readers ask

Can I get a mortgage on a temporary skilled visa?

Some lenders do lend to temporary visa holders, usually with tighter conditions. You will also need to check foreign investment rules, which currently restrict buying established homes.

Will an Australian lender use my UK salary?

Some may consider overseas income, but many discount it or exclude it. A local salary paid into an Australian account generally makes an application much simpler.

Is a mortgage broker worth using as a new arrival?

A broker can be helpful because lender policies on visas and overseas income differ widely. Check that they hold an Australian credit licence or act as an authorised credit representative.

Stamp duty in Australia is not one tax but eight, because each state and territory sets its own rates, thresholds and concessions. British buyers who are used to a single Stamp Duty Land Tax table for England and Northern Ireland are often surprised by how much the bill changes from one side of a state border to the other. This piece explains how the Australian system works, how it compares with SDLT, and the points that catch new arrivals out.

Same idea, different structure

The principle will feel familiar. When you buy property, you pay a one-off tax calculated on the purchase price or market value, whichever is higher, and the rate rises in bands as the price goes up. In the UK, SDLT is set by HM Revenue and Customs, while Scotland and Wales run their own versions, Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Land Transaction Tax. Australia takes that devolution much further. New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory each run their own duty regime through a state revenue office.

The names vary too. New South Wales and Queensland call it transfer duty, Victoria refers to land transfer duty, and most people simply say stamp duty. The ACT has been gradually reducing duty and shifting towards annual rates, which makes it the odd one out.

The amounts can be substantial. On a typical house in Sydney or Melbourne, duty commonly runs to tens of thousands of dollars, and it usually has to be paid in cash rather than added to the mortgage unless your lender agrees to lend for it. The New South Wales revenue office sets out its transfer duty rates and calculator, and the State Revenue Office in Victoria publishes its own guide to land transfer duty, including the concessions available. Both are worth reading before you set a budget.

Concessions for first home buyers

Most states offer exemptions or reduced rates for first home buyers below certain price limits, and some also have grants for buying or building a new home. The limits and conditions change regularly as state governments adjust them in their budgets, so check the current figures with the relevant revenue office rather than relying on an old article or a forum thread.

The detail that matters for British arrivals is eligibility. First home concessions usually require at least one buyer to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and the buyer normally has to live in the property for a set period. Owning a home in the UK, now or in the past, can also affect whether you count as a first home buyer in the eyes of a state revenue office, so do not assume you qualify simply because this is your first purchase in Australia.

Foreign purchaser surcharges

This is the part that causes the biggest surprises. Most states charge an additional duty surcharge when the buyer is classed as a foreign person, which usually means someone who is not an Australian citizen or permanent resident. A Briton on a temporary work visa can fall into this category, and the surcharge adds several percentage points to the bill. Some states also charge an annual land tax surcharge on foreign owners.

Separately from state duty, foreign persons generally need approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board before buying residential property, and the federal government introduced a temporary ban on foreign persons buying established homes from April 2025. The rules have exceptions and are subject to change, so check the current position before signing anything. If you are applying for permanent residency, the timing of a purchase relative to your visa grant can make a real difference, and that is a conversation to have with a migration agent or lawyer.

Your visa status also affects borrowing, and our guide to getting a home loan as a new arrival from the UK covers how lenders treat temporary and permanent residents.

When and how it is paid

In the UK your solicitor or conveyancer files the SDLT return and pays the tax, usually around completion. Australia works in a similar way, with your conveyancer or solicitor arranging payment, often through the electronic settlement system. The deadline varies by state and may run from the date of the contract or from settlement, so confirm it early. Late payment can attract interest and penalties.

A few other differences are worth knowing:

• Duty may also apply to off-the-plan purchases, transfers between family members and some changes of ownership share, with specific concessions in some states.
• There is no UK-style surcharge on additional homes across the board, but investment properties attract annual land tax in most states.
• Duty paid in one state does not count towards anything in another, so moving states and buying again means paying again.

Questions readers ask

Can I add stamp duty to my mortgage?

Sometimes, if your lender is willing and your deposit and borrowing capacity allow. Many buyers pay it from savings, so include it in your deposit planning from the start.

Do I count as a first home buyer if I owned a house in the UK?

Often not, as many states look at property owned anywhere. Check the definitions with the relevant state revenue office before assuming a concession applies.

Is stamp duty cheaper in some states?

Rates and thresholds differ, so the same price can produce different bills. Property prices also vary widely, which usually matters more than the duty rate itself.

An Australian building and pest inspection does roughly the job of a UK Level 2 or Level 3 survey, with one addition that British buyers have never needed: a search for termites and other timber pests. The reports are long, full of disclaimers and often alarming on first reading. This guide explains how they are structured and how to separate the serious findings from the routine ones.

What the inspection covers

Most pre-purchase inspections are carried out against Australian Standards: AS 4349.1 for the building inspection and AS 4349.3 for timber pests. In practice you will usually commission both from one inspector and receive either a combined report or two separate documents.

The building part looks at the visible condition of the structure, roof, subfloor, walls, wet areas and site, including retaining walls, fences, drainage and outbuildings within a set distance of the house. The pest part looks for live termites, evidence of past termite activity, damage, borers and wood decay, and conditions that make an attack more likely. Who can do these inspections differs by state; some require a licence for the building component, and pest inspectors need the relevant pest-management licence. State consumer bodies such as Consumer Affairs Victoria’s housing guidance set out what buyers in that state can expect from the process.

How a typical report is laid out

Formats vary, but most follow a similar pattern. Knowing the order helps you find the parts that matter quickly.

Section	What it tells you	How much weight to give it
Summary or overall condition	The inspector’s view of the property relative to similar homes of its age	High, but read the detail behind it
Major defects	Problems affecting structure, safety or needing significant repair	High; get quotes or specialist advice
Minor defects	Wear, small cracks, maintenance items	Normal for most homes; budget for them
Safety hazards	Issues like loose balustrades or suspected asbestos	High, regardless of cost
Timber pest findings	Live activity, past damage, risk factors	High if activity or damage is found
Limitations and access	Areas the inspector could not see	Often underrated; read carefully

Reading the language

Inspectors write defensively, and much of the wording is designed to limit liability. Phrases such as “further investigation recommended” or “refer to a structural engineer” are not automatically bad news, but they mean the inspector is not prepared to give a view. If it concerns something structural, take the advice seriously before you are committed.

“Conducive conditions” in the pest section refers to things that encourage termites: timber in contact with soil, leaking taps, garden beds built up against the walls, poor subfloor ventilation, or a missing or expired termite management system. These are usually fixable, but they tell you how the house has been looked after. For background on why the risk is taken so seriously, see our guide to termites for UK homeowners.

The limitations section deserves more attention than it usually gets. If the inspector could not get into the roof space or subfloor, or furniture and stored items blocked walls, then the report says nothing about those areas. A clean report on a house with no subfloor access is a weaker document than it first appears.

Items British buyers often misread

Cracking is common in Australian houses, particularly on reactive clay soils, and the report will usually grade cracks by width. Hairline cracks in plaster are typically cosmetic; wider or growing cracks in brickwork or slabs warrant an engineer’s opinion. Rising damp is reported much as it would be in the UK, but mould and water damage in wet areas, from failed waterproofing under tiles, is a frequent and often costly Australian finding.

Unapproved work is another one. Inspectors may note a deck, carport, enclosed verandah or granny flat that appears to lack approval. They cannot confirm it, but your conveyancer can ask the vendor and check council records. The NSW Government’s information on building or renovating a home gives a sense of what typically needs approval in that state; other states have their own equivalents.

Using the report before you buy

Timing matters. In some states inspections are done during a cooling-off period after signing; in others, buyers make the contract subject to a satisfactory inspection. At auction there is usually no cooling-off, so inspections must be done beforehand. The rules differ by state, so confirm the position with your conveyancer or solicitor.

If the report finds serious problems, the options are to renegotiate the price, ask the vendor to fix specific items before settlement, or walk away where the contract allows. Get quotes for significant repairs rather than guessing, and ask the inspector to talk you through anything you do not understand; most are willing to take a phone call.

Questions readers ask

Is a building and pest inspection compulsory?

No, it is the buyer’s choice. Lenders do not usually require one, but skipping it on an older house is a significant risk.

Will the report tell me if there is asbestos?

Inspectors may flag materials that could contain asbestos, but confirming it needs sampling and laboratory testing by a qualified assessor.

Can I rely on a report the vendor provides?

You can read it, but it was commissioned for someone else and you may have no legal recourse if it is wrong. Many buyers commission their own.

Buy a flat, townhouse or unit in Australia and you will almost certainly become part of a strata scheme. For British buyers, the nearest comparison is leasehold with a management company, but the legal structure is different in ways that matter, starting with the fact that you own your unit outright. This article explains how strata works, what the terminology means in each state, and what to check before you sign.

Ownership: freehold, not leasehold

In England and Wales, most flats are sold leasehold. You own a lease for a fixed number of years, a freeholder owns the building, and you pay ground rent and service charges. Lease length, ground rent terms and the behaviour of the freeholder can all affect value.

Australian strata title works differently. Each owner holds a title to their own lot, which is usually the inside of their unit and sometimes a car space or storage cage. The common property, such as the roof, external walls, lifts, gardens, driveways and pool, is owned by all the owners together through a legal entity. There is no separate freeholder, no lease clock running down and no ground rent.

The entity’s name depends on the state. In New South Wales it is the owners corporation, and the system is called strata. In Queensland it is a body corporate, under community titles legislation. Victoria uses owners corporation, and other states have their own variations. People across the country use “strata” and “body corp” loosely to mean the same thing.

Feature	UK leasehold	Australian strata
What you own	A lease for a set term	Title to your lot, plus a share in common property
Who owns the building	A freeholder	All owners collectively
Running costs	Service charge, often ground rent	Levies, usually quarterly
Rules	Lease covenants	By-laws
Who decides	Freeholder or managing agent	Owners at general meetings and an elected committee

Levies, funds and the managing agent

Owners pay levies, usually quarterly, based on their unit’s share of the scheme. That share is set by unit entitlement or lot entitlement, recorded on the strata plan. A larger unit or one with a better view may carry more entitlement and pay more.

Levies are normally split into two pots. An administrative fund covers running costs: insurance for the building, cleaning, gardening, common electricity, management fees and minor repairs. A capital works fund, called a sinking fund in some states, saves for big-ticket items such as a new roof, lift replacement or repainting. Most states require larger schemes to plan these costs over a period of years.

Many schemes employ a strata managing agent to handle the paperwork, collect levies and organise meetings. The agent works for the owners, not the other way round, and can be replaced by a vote. Small schemes, such as a block of three or four units, sometimes self-manage.

When the funds fall short, for example because a building has defects, owners can be asked to pay a special levy. These can be substantial, so understanding the scheme’s finances before buying is essential.

By-laws and day-to-day life

By-laws are the scheme’s house rules. They cover matters such as noise, parking, rubbish, renovations, short-term letting, smoking on balconies, flooring and pets. Some states have limited how far a scheme can go in banning pets outright, but by-laws still vary widely, so read them rather than assuming.

Renovating inside a unit often requires approval from the owners corporation or body corporate, especially for work that touches common property, waterproofing, structure or plumbing. Swapping carpet for hard flooring is a common source of disputes because of noise to the unit below. The NSW Government’s guidance on building or renovating a home is a useful starting point for understanding approvals in that state.

What to check before you buy

Before exchanging contracts, buyers usually order a strata report, also called a strata search or body corporate search. It summarises the scheme’s records and should tell you:

• The current levies and whether any are overdue.
• The balance and forecast of the capital works or sinking fund.
• Recent meeting minutes, including disputes or planned special levies.
• Known building defects, legal action or insurance claims.
• The by-laws in force.

Read the minutes in particular. Discussions about cracking, water ingress, cladding or a failing lift often appear there long before they reach the sales brochure. Pair the strata report with an independent inspection, and our guide to reading a building and pest report explains what to look for in that document.

Disclosure rules and the process for obtaining body corporate records differ by state. In Queensland, sellers must provide specific information to buyers, and the Queensland Government’s guidance on buying and owning a home covers what to expect. Your conveyancer or solicitor should also review the documents for you.

Questions readers ask

Is strata the same as a management company in a UK flat?

Not quite. In the UK a management company may act for a freeholder, whereas an Australian owners corporation or body corporate is made up of the owners themselves, who appoint any agent.

Do houses ever come under strata?

Yes. Townhouses, villa developments and some subdivided blocks of two or more houses are often strata or community titled, so check the title even if the property looks like a standalone house.

Who insures the building?

The owners corporation or body corporate generally insures the building and common property, funded by levies. Owners usually still need their own contents cover, and landlords should consider landlord insurance.

Most British arrivals rent first, and within a few weeks they meet three things that work differently from home: a bond lodged with a state body, a property manager who visits every few months to inspect the place, and a repairs process with its own rules and timeframes. Each state and territory runs its own residential tenancy law, so details vary, but the broad shape is similar across the country. This piece explains how bonds, routine inspections and repairs usually work.

The bond and where it goes

The Australian rental bond is the equivalent of a UK tenancy deposit. In England, deposits must be protected in a government-approved scheme, and Australia takes a similar approach, except that in most states the money goes to a single government authority rather than a choice of schemes. In Queensland it is lodged with the Residential Tenancies Authority, in New South Wales through the state’s rental bond service, and in Victoria with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority.

The amount is commonly capped at around four weeks’ rent for most properties, though higher bonds can sometimes apply to expensive rentals or furnished homes depending on the state. The landlord or agent should give you a receipt and you should get confirmation from the bond authority that it has been lodged. If you do not, follow it up.

At the end of the tenancy, the bond is returned once you and the agent agree on any deductions, or a tribunal decides if you cannot agree. In Queensland, the Residential Tenancies Authority explains the forms, timeframes and dispute process, and the other states have equivalent bodies.

Moving in: protect yourself from day one

The single most useful thing a new tenant can do is document the property properly at the start. A sensible routine looks like this:

1. Read the entry condition report carefully. The agent provides it, often with photos. Note anything missing or wrong rather than signing it as is.
2. Take your own dated photos and video. Cover every room, the inside of cupboards and appliances, the garden and any marks on walls or floors.
3. Return the report within the deadline. States set a period for this, often a few days, so do not let it slide while you unpack.
4. Test everything. Check taps, hot water, air conditioning, smoke alarms, locks and windows, and report faults in writing straight away.
5. Keep copies of everything. Store the lease, condition report, bond receipt and emails somewhere you can find them in a year’s time.

That record is what protects your bond when you leave. Disputes over cleaning and wear and tear are common, and dated evidence settles most of them.

Routine inspections

This is the part that surprises British tenants most. Australian property managers routinely inspect rental homes during a tenancy, typically every few months, to check condition and spot maintenance problems. The law in each state limits how often this can happen and requires written notice in advance, usually around a week. Agents may photograph the property, though some states now restrict photographing tenants’ belongings.

You do not have to be home for an inspection, and many tenants are not. It is reasonable to expect the place to be tidy, but an inspection is not a white-glove test. If you feel inspections are excessive or intrusive, check your state’s rules, as the frequency and conditions are set out in law rather than left to the agent’s discretion.

Repairs: urgent and routine

Australian tenancy laws generally split repairs into urgent and non-urgent categories. Urgent repairs typically include burst pipes, serious roof leaks, gas leaks, dangerous electrical faults, a broken toilet where it is the only one, and failure of essential services such as hot water. Landlords are expected to act on these quickly, and in some states tenants can arrange urgent repairs themselves up to a set amount if the landlord cannot be reached, then seek reimbursement.

Routine repairs, such as a sticking door or a dripping tap, should be reported in writing and fixed within a reasonable time. Do not withhold rent to force a repair, as that can put you in breach of the lease. Instead, keep a written trail and use the state’s dispute process if nothing happens.

Many older rental homes are also poorly insulated and draughty, which is not a repair issue as such, though some states are now introducing minimum standards. Our piece on why Australian houses feel cold in winter explains what to look for at a viewing.

For tenants in New South Wales, the Tenants’ Union of NSW publishes plain-English factsheets on bonds, repairs, rent increases and ending a lease, and each state has a similar tenant advice service.

Questions readers ask

Can a landlord keep my bond for normal wear and tear?

Generally no. Fair wear and tear from ordinary living is not a valid deduction, though damage and inadequate cleaning can be.

Do I need to be at home for a routine inspection?

No. With proper notice, the agent can usually enter while you are out, provided the visit falls within the times the law allows.

Can I have a pet in an Australian rental?

It depends on the state. Some now make it harder for landlords to refuse a pet without good reason, while others leave it to the lease, so check local rules and ask in writing.