For many Australians, buying with a parent is one of the most practical ways to get a foot in the door of the property market. Whether you are a first home buyer who needs a deposit boost, or a parent who wants to help your child get started, there are several ways families can work together to make homeownership happen. At FinancePath, we help Melbourne families understand their options and put the right structure in place from the very beginning.
Understanding Your Options
When it comes to a joint purchase with a parent, there is no single approach that suits everyone. Some families choose to become co-borrowers, combining incomes on a joint application to increase borrowing capacity. Others prefer a parent guarantee arrangement, where a parent uses the equity in their own home to support their child's loan without becoming a co-owner of the new property. There are also situations where a parent contribution or deposit gift from parents covers part or all of the deposit, allowing the purchase to go ahead without the parent taking on ongoing loan obligations. Each of these structures has different implications for tax, ownership, and long-term financial planning, which is why getting the right advice early matters so much.
Guarantor Loans and Family Guarantees
One of the most popular ways parents help their children buy is through a guarantor home loan. In this arrangement, the parent acts as a guarantor, using their home equity to secure part of the loan. This can help the buyer avoid paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance and may allow them to borrow with a smaller deposit. It is important to understand that as a guarantor, the parent takes on real financial responsibility. If repayments are not met, the lender can make a claim against the guarantor's property. That is why understanding guarantor obligations before signing anything is essential. The good news is that a guarantor release can often be arranged once the borrower has built up enough equity in their property, removing the parent's liability over time.
Joint Ownership Structures
Some families go further and choose joint ownership with a parent, where both parties are listed on the title. This can be structured as joint tenants, where both parties share equal ownership and the property automatically passes to the survivor, or as tenants in common, where each party holds a defined share that can be passed on through a will. A parent and child co-ownership arrangement like this can work well, but it does require careful thought about what happens if circumstances change. At FinancePath, we can walk you through how each structure works so you can make an informed decision alongside your legal and financial advisers.
Using Parent Equity and Combined Income
For parents who have built up significant equity in their own home over the years, that equity can be a powerful tool. Using parent home equity as security for a child's purchase is a well-established approach that many Melbourne lenders support. Alternatively, some families opt for a joint application where the combined income of parent and child is used to meet the lender's serviceability requirements. This can open up borrowing options that would not be available on a single income alone. If you are curious about what you could borrow together, our borrowing capacity calculator is a great place to start.
Getting the Structure Right
Buying with a parent is not just about getting the loan approved. It is about making sure the arrangement works for everyone involved, now and into the future. That means thinking about how repayments will be shared, what happens if one party wants to sell, and how the arrangement might affect each person's ability to borrow independently later on. The bank of mum and dad is one of the most generous sources of support available to first home buyers in Australia, but without the right structure in place, well-meaning arrangements can create complications down the track.
At FinancePath, our mortgage brokers take the time to understand your family's situation before recommending any approach. We work with a wide panel of lenders and can compare options to find a loan that suits both the parent and the child. If you are ready to explore what buying with a parent could look like for your family, you can read more in our First Home Buyer's Guide or our dedicated ebook on helping your child buy a home. You can also explore first home buyer home loans to understand what other support may be available to you.
When you are ready to take the next step, book an appointment with one of our Melbourne mortgage brokers and let us help your family move forward with confidence.
We begin by gaining a deep understanding of you - your goals, your lifestyle, your current position, and where you want to be in the future.
At this stage, we focus on asking the questions that matter to you, not just the questions lenders require. This allows us to build a strategy that supports your life today and your longterm plans, not just a transaction.
During this stage, we:
This first step ensures we're aligned and preparing a lending plan that's tailored specifically to your needs - not a one size fits all approach. It's all about setting the right foundation so the rest of the journey feels simple, informed, and stress free.
Next, we design a personalised lending solution around your unique circumstances and guide you through every part of the approval journey.
After analysing your position and reviewing the broader lending market, we provide you with a clear, personalised borrowing capacity and a lending structure that aligns with both your immediate needs and future goals.
In this stage, we:
You'll always know where things stand, what's coming next, and what actions (if any) you need to take. We remove the complexity from this step so you can move forward with confidence, clarity, and peace of mind.
Once approved, we support you through settlement and continue to work with you well beyond your loan being put in place.
Settlement is not the end of the journey - it's the beginning of an ongoing relationship designed to ensure your lending continues to support your life as it evolves.
Here's what this includes:
We proactively reach out to ensure your lending remains aligned with your goals - now and into the future - giving you the confidence and peace of mind that we have your back.
Your lending journey doesn't end at settlement, and neither does our support. Our ongoing approach ensures you're always well positioned to make the most of your financial opportunities.
















































Chris and his team have been a pleasure to deal with during the whole process. Very informative and got us a great result with our remortgage.
Nick Little
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John Denier
Jake was amazing, so personable and an excellent broker!
kath brundell
Hands down the best broker experience we have ever had. Mark, his team and network of property professionals made our experience 10/10. Have already told all my family and friends, can’t recommend FinancePath more!
Brayden King
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We envision a world where financial stress is a thing of the past. Where everyone has a trusted partner guiding them through life’s biggest financial decisions—24/7.
We’re here to help you seize opportunities, avoid pitfalls, and live your best life. Not just for you, but for your family, friends, and future generations.
Book AppointmentMany brokers focus on how much you can borrow. We focus on how much you should borrow — and, just as importantly, why.
Rather than producing a generic borrowing capacity figure, our role is to ask the right questions upfront so your lending strategy actually fits your life. We take the time to understand your income structure, expenses, lifestyle priorities, future plans, and risk tolerance before discussing numbers. This ensures your lending position supports where you’re heading, not just what a calculator says is possible.
From there, we help you shape a personalised lending strategy — considering cash flow, tax implications, flexibility, and future opportunities — so your finance decisions remain sustainable and intentional over time. Our focus is on clarity and confidence, not maximising debt.
We also stay involved beyond settlement. That means helping you understand how your loan works day‑to‑day, keeping an eye on whether it still suits your circumstances, and checking in as your goals or situation evolve.
Unlike many brokers, we hold an Australian Credit Licence (ACL), which means we are required to meet strict compliance standards, maintain professional indemnity insurance, manage dispute resolution processes, and demonstrate adequate resources and systems. This provides reassurance that you’re working with a licensed professional held to high regulatory and ethical standards.
In short, we don’t just arrange loans — we help you make lending decisions that still feel right years down the track.
Instead, we’re paid through commissions by the fund provider when a loan settles and, in some cases, while the loan remains in place. This payment structure does not change our legal obligations to you.
As licensed mortgage brokers, we are required to act in your best interests and comply with responsible lending obligations under Australian law. That means we must take reasonable steps to ensure any loan we recommend is suitable for your circumstances, aligns with your objectives, and does not place you in financial hardship. Our duty is to you — not the lender.
Banks, by contrast, are only required to ensure a loan is not unsuitable for their customer. They are not held to the same best‑interests obligation and are limited to offering products from their own range.
Our process is designed around these higher standards. We focus on understanding your full financial position, asking the right questions, and recommending lending solutions that are sustainable over the long term — not simply what you might qualify for today.
This approach gives you confidence that your lending decisions are being made carefully, responsibly, and with your interests at the centre — both now and into the future.
Not at all. Whatever stage of life you are in or financial position you find yourself in, we can help bring clarity to your money matters. We may identify loan products with better rates, or help you build a smarter end-to-end money management strategy. It all starts with a free smart money management consultation. Whether you are looking to reduce debt, grow wealth, or simply get a clearer picture of your finances, our team is ready to help you take the next step. There are no obligations and no pressure, just straightforward, honest guidance tailored to your situation. Give us a call on 1300 780 440 to get started.
Interest rate movements are one of the most common concerns we hear from borrowers — and understandably so. Even small changes can affect repayments and your longer‑term financial position.
At FinancePath, you’re not left to navigate these changes on your own. Our role is to help you understand how rate movements may affect your loan and to be available when it makes sense to review your options. When you’re considering a change — whether that’s reviewing your rate, restructuring your loan, or exploring refinancing — we’ll walk you through the implications clearly so you can make an informed decision.
We also focus heavily on getting the structure right from the outset. That includes discussing fixed versus variable rates, split loan options, and flexibility features, so your loan is aligned with your goals and risk tolerance from day one — not just current market conditions.
Our approach is about long‑term suitability, not constant switching. As your circumstances or the lending environment change, we’re here to help you assess what still makes sense, so your loan continues to support your broader financial plans over time.
Missing out on a great property because your bank is buried in paperwork is frustrating — and avoidable. We work closely with a wide range of Australian lenders, including specialist lending teams that don’t deal directly with the public. This allows us to assess your situation efficiently and guide your application through the process without unnecessary delays.
Whether you’re seeking pre‑approval or need a fast turnaround on a purchase, we focus on momentum so you’re always ready to act. No sitting on hold. No waiting weeks for updates. When the right opportunity comes along, you’ll be in a strong position to move forward with confidence.
While every situation is different, most applications move from initial submission through to settlement within two to six weeks. Your first financial assessment and loan recommendation can typically happen within days of providing your details. From there, formal application and lender assessment generally takes one to two weeks, though complexity, document readiness, and the lender's current workload can all influence the timeline. Property valuations and legal checks can also add time depending on the circumstances. Pre-approval can often be obtained faster, sometimes within just a few days. At FinancePath, we work to keep things moving efficiently at every stage and will keep you informed throughout so there are never any surprises. The goal is always to get you to settlement as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Most people approach a bank only after finding a property they want. By that point, time pressure is working against you, and any gaps in your application become urgent problems.
We take the opposite approach. Getting your lending position clear before you need it means we can ask the right questions, gather the correct documents, and present your application accurately, without the rush. Approval timeframes ultimately depend on the lender and loan type, but our role is to remove every delay on your side, avoiding back-and-forth, last-minute surprises, and unnecessary bottlenecks.
The result is that when the right property comes along, you're already organised, informed, and ready to act. Not scrambling to catch up.
Being self-employed or running your own business should never be a barrier to building your property portfolio or securing the finance you need. Traditional lenders often apply a one-size-fits-all approach that puts self-employed applicants at an unfair disadvantage. At FinancePath, we work with self-employed borrowers and business owners every day. We know which lenders genuinely understand variable income, what documentation they require, and how to present your application in the strongest possible way. Whether you are using business financials, tax returns, or business activity statements, we help you put your best foot forward. Some lenders actively specialise in self-employed borrowers and offer more flexible criteria, and our job is to connect you with the right one while making sure you are getting a competitive deal.