Foreign property buyers hoping to snap up homes in Australia may find it increasing harder to secure home loans from Australian banks. The major Australian banks such as Commonwealth Bank, the National Australian Bank (NAB) and Westpac have further tightened loan restrictions to non-residents.
In June this year, foreigners buying properties in New South Wales (NSW) have to now pay a 4 per cent stamp duty surcharge. In the state of Victoria, stamp duties have been raised this month to 7 per cent from the 3 per cent which commenced last year. Queensland may soon implement a 3 per cent foreign property surcharge as well, with a projected commencement date of October this year.
Foreign property buyers have come under the hammer of late, with citizens raising concerns about rising home prices, especially in popular cities such as Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. Mainland Chinese buyers were the largest investors, spending A$24 billion in the property market last year, doubling that of A$12 billion in 2014.
The National Australian Bank (NAB) and Westpac are however still 
helping Singaporean investors secure loans via their Singapore offices, though they are careful to alert clients to the total debt servicing ration (TDSR) framework which still applies. There are also other sources of home financing, including private lenders though additional information and documents, such as bank statements and income slips, will be required.
