Investment LoansMakeMyLoan brokers compare dozens of lenders and owe you a Best Interests Duty — your bank doesn't.
Investment loan applications carry more paperwork than a simple owner-occupier purchase, for a simple reason: there are more moving parts to verify. The lender is assessing you, the property you are buying, any properties you already own, and where the deposit is coming from — and each of those needs evidence. Applications that sail through assessment are almost always the ones where the file was complete on day one. Here is the checklist, and the gaps that most often cost people weeks.
Every applicant starts with the same base layer:
So far this mirrors any home loan — our general documents checklist covers the base layer in more detail. Everything below is where investment applications differ.
If you hold other property — your home or existing investments — the lender needs to see each one clearly:
Investors with several properties should expect to document all of them, even the ones not involved in this transaction. A clear portfolio summary — property, value, loan, lender, rent — prepared upfront makes an assessor's job easier and your file faster.
The lender must verify where your contribution comes from:
Free, instant, and no details required — see roughly what lenders could approve for you.
In practice, a handful of missing pieces cause most of the delays on investment applications:
A week of preparation routinely saves a month of back-and-forth:
Requirements differ between lenders — some want more history, some accept alternatives — which is one of the quiet advantages of applying through a broker: the checklist you complete is the right one for the lender you are actually using.
We deal with lender document requirements every day, and we will give you a precise checklist for your situation and the lender that fits it — before anything is lodged. Start an application and we will tell you exactly what to gather, or get in touch with any questions first.
This article is general information only and does not consider your personal circumstances. It is not financial, credit or tax advice.
For a property you already own: a current lease agreement, recent rental statements from your property manager, or bank statements showing rent being received. For a property you are buying: a rental appraisal from a local agent, or the valuer's estimate of market rent. Lenders shade whatever figure is evidenced — typically to around 75 to 80 per cent — and give no credit for rent they cannot verify.
A rental appraisal is a short letter from a real estate agent or property manager estimating the weekly market rent a property would achieve. Local agents typically provide them quickly and at no charge. Lenders use it to count expected rent from a property that is not yet tenanted, so getting one early keeps your application moving.
Generally yes. Most lenders want one to two years of personal and business tax returns, notices of assessment and business financials, and they check that these reconcile with each other. Some lenders offer alternative documentation policies with different evidence requirements. Complete, consistent financials are the single biggest factor in how smoothly a self-employed application runs.
Most lenders apply shelf lives — commonly 30 to 90 days depending on the document type and the lender's policy. Payslips and bank statements age fastest. If an application drags on, you may be asked to refresh documents you already supplied, which is a good reason to lodge a complete file rather than a partial one.
Expect to provide loan statements and a rates notice for the property you are borrowing against, plus a clear statement of what the released funds are for. If the equity release is with a different lender, evidence of its approval and the available funds. Documenting the purpose cleanly matters for the lender's assessment and can matter at tax time, so keep it unambiguous.
This article is general information only and doesn't consider your personal objectives, financial situation or needs — it isn't personal credit advice, and lending criteria, rates, fees and government schemes change. Before acting, speak with a licensed MakeMyLoan broker or credit representative who will assess your circumstances and provide a credit guide before any credit assistance is given.
