Family Home Guarantee

The Family Home Guarantee (FHG) is an initiative from the Australian Government that aims to support eligible single parents or single legal guardians with at least one dependent child in purchasing a home. It is administered by Housing Australia under the Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS).

5,000 Family Home Guarantees will made available each financial year (up to 30 June 2025). Eligible borrowers can use the FHG in conjunction with other government programs like the First Home Super Save Scheme, and relevant state and territory first home owner grants and stamp duty exemptions (find out more about those here).

How does the FHG work?

If you’re eligible for the Family Home Guarantee you can buy or build a home with a deposit as low as 2%, without paying Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI), regardless of whether you are a first home buyer or a previous home buyer.

Usually, homebuyers with less than a 20% deposit need to pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance. Through the Scheme, Housing Australia will “guarantee” the difference in deposit for the lender, which means Lenders Mortgage Insurance is not required.

How do I apply for the Family Home Guarantee

Check your eligibility

The section titled "Eligibility Criteria" below details the main eligibility criteria. You can find out more at the Housing Australia website to check your eligibility.

Get in touch with us

Book an appointment online, by calling 133 462, or at your local IMB branch.

Submit your home loan application

Once you’ve received conditional approval from IMB, we will collect the documents required for eligibility and reserve your Guarantee place.

Buy your home

You now have 90 days to purchase your new home after you’re approved for the Family Home Guarantee.

Eligibility criteria

To apply for the Family Home Guarantee, you will be subject to the following eligibility criteria. You need to be able to provide documentation of your eligibility to secure your Guarantee. Head to Housing Australia for more eligibility details.

Eligibility criteria includes:

• Australian citizens and permanent residents who are at least 18 years of age.
• Must be a single parent or legal guardian – i.e. not married or in a de facto relationship – with at least one dependent child. Please note that a person who is separated but not divorced is not single.
• The single parent or legal guardian must be able to demonstrate that they are the natural or adoptive parent of a dependent child, or a child who receives a disability pension and lives with them.
• Must have a taxable income of up to $125,000 per annum (as shown on the Notice of Assessment issued by the Australian Taxation Office). For all FHG applications made from 01 July 2023 to 30 June 2024, the relevant financial year assessed will be 2022-23.
• Must have a deposit between 2% and 20% of the property.
• Applicants must intend to be owner-occupiers of the purchased property. Investment properties are not supported by the Family Home Guarantee.
• Applicants do not need to be first home buyers but must not own a property at the time of entering the loan.
• Your purchased property must be an acceptable property type and within the property price threshold for the suburb and postcode. Find out the price cap for your area on the Housing Australia website.

What type of home can I buy?

For a property to be eligible it must be a residential property. Eligible residential properties generally include:

• An existing house, townhouse or apartment
• A house and land package
• Land and separate contract to build a home
• An off-the-plan apartment or townhouse

Property price thresholds also apply, based on where you buy. Search the property price threshold for a suburb or post code at Housing Australia

Fact sheets and information guides

For complete information on eligibility, property types and more from Housing Australia, click on the information guide links below or head to Housing Australia website.

• 2023/24 HA Family Home Guarantee Fact Sheet
• 2023/24 HA Family Home Guarantee Information Guide