Every document, before anyone asks
Most application delays are document delays. This is the checklist we run on real files, organised by situation, with the reason each item is requested, because paperwork you understand arrives faster.
Everyone, every application
- Identity: passport or driver licence, and a second document where asked. Lenders must verify who they lend to.
- Income: two recent payslips and your latest income summary, this establishes what you earn and how.
- Accounts: around three months of statements for transaction and savings accounts, showing salary in, spending patterns and the deposit building.
- Debts: statements or limits for every loan, card and buy-now-pay-later account, unlisted debts found later stall approvals.
First home buyers
- Deposit evidence across every account it lives in, the genuine savings story matters
- Scheme paperwork where the 5% deposit pathway applies
- Rental ledger where rent history supports the file
- Gift letter where family money is involved
Gifted deposits
- A signed gift letter stating the amount and that it is not repayable
- The transfer trail from the giver's account to yours
- Time held, where genuine savings rules apply, our gifted deposit guide covers the wording
Self-employed applicants
- Personal and business tax returns, commonly two years, one at some lenders
- Notices of assessment
- Financial statements for companies and trusts, plus the trust deed where one exists
- Lodged BAS and business bank statements for alt doc pathways
- Accountant's details, lenders often verify directly
Guarantor loans
- Guarantors' identity documents and a current statement for their home loan, if any
- Their rates notice, it evidences the security property
- Independent legal advice certificate, required by most lenders, protective for everyone
Refinances
- Six months of statements for the loan being refinanced, conduct is the story
- A recent rates notice for the property
- Payout details for any debts being consolidated
Investment loans
- Lease agreement or rental appraisal for the property
- Statements for existing investment lending
- Depreciation schedule where one exists, it helps the servicing picture at some lenders
Want this list matched to your exact situation?
Twenty minutes with Charles produces your personal checklist, only what your file actually needs, nothing extra.
Document questions
Why do lenders want so many bank statements?
Statements verify three things at once: that your income actually arrives, what your living expenses genuinely run at, and where your deposit came from. Assessors read them closely, which is why unexplained transfers and undisclosed commitments cause more trouble than the numbers themselves.
How recent do documents need to be?
Payslips commonly within about 30 to 60 days, statements within about 90, and lenders can re-verify anything before settlement. Requirements differ by lender, part of preparing a file is refreshing whatever has aged.
Can I just give my bank login instead?
Many lenders offer secure statement-retrieval services that fetch statements read-only with your consent, faster and safer than screenshots. Never share actual banking passwords with anyone, including a broker.
What if some documents are missing or late?
Tell your broker early rather than lodging around the gap. Sometimes a different lender needs less; sometimes there is an accepted substitute; sometimes the file genuinely waits a fortnight for the accountant. All three beat an assessor discovering the hole.
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General information only. Document requirements vary by lender and situation and can change; your personal list is confirmed in assessment.
Paperwork sorted before it slows you down.
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