The current housing market is booming! House prices have increased by over 5% over the year to April 20211. The knock on effect is that many first home buyers are struggling to save the deposit amount required to secure a loan. To combat this situation, some first home buyers turn to family members (often mum and dad) for help through a loan guarantor arrangement.
A guarantor is someone who guarantees a loan for another person. However, the guarantor does not have the right to own the property or items bought with the money from the loan.
Guarantors may be used when the loan applicant does not have the full deposit or when the loan provider has concerns about the applicant’s ability to meet the loan repayments. In some instances, for greater assurance, a loan provider may ask the guarantor to put up an asset as security.
As a guarantor, if the lender defaults on their loan, you become legally responsible for the portion you guaranteed and if you put an asset up as security, then the loan provider may sell the asset to pay the outstanding debt.
So before you agree to be a guarantor, it’s important to understand the loan contract and know the risks. These could include:
Here are some tips to get you started:
If you’d like to make an appointment with an EISS Super financial planner to discuss your options, call 1300 369 901 (option 2) or visit eisuper.com.au/appointment.
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