Home Loan Experts strives to be industry leaders in service, knowledge and professionalism.
We are well known amongst our peers for our intensive in-house training program, selective hiring process and efficient systems.
Our goal is to break the traditional mould of poor service which has become the norm for many companies in the finance industry.
Better Business Awards 2024
At Home Loan Experts, our dedication to community engagement isn’t just a side project – it’s a cornerstone of our values. That’s why winning the Community Engagement Program Award at the 2024 Better Business Awards means so much to us.
Spearheaded through Alaya Cares, we’ve strived to create a space where everyone has access to opportunities, where equality reigns, and where environmental sustainability is prioritised. Alaya Cares operates on these principles, aiming to empower communities through various initiatives.
ISO 27001 Certification
The accreditation is proof that we have a standard for effectively identifying and managing risks associated with the security of confidential data. By adhering to ISO 27001 standards, we ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data. We have enhanced our data protection measures to demonstrate our commitment to information security.
Australian Broking Awards 2023
We won Major Independent Brokerage of the Year in the 2023 Australian Broking Awards. We stood out as credit experts who prioritise quality service and education, and being a broker for life for our customers.
We were also a finalist in the following categories:
- Independent Office of the Year
- Community Engagement Program of the Year
Better Business Awards 2023
Home Loan Experts has once again emerged victorious at the Better Business Awards 2023, winning two awards: Best Customer Service (Office) and Best Large Independent Office.
We are proud to be recognized for our dedication to providing exceptional customer service and for our success as a top-performing independent office.
For their outstanding contributions and achievements in the mortgage industry, our team members received nominations in the following categories:
- Mentor of the Year – Astha Shrestha
- New Broker of the Year – Rojan Paudel
Best Mortgage Brokers In Sydney 2022
Home Loan Experts was ranked the #3 mortgage broker in all of Sydney by independent reviewer Top Experts.
Top Experts has a strict evaluation process. It reviewed 138 Sydney mortgage brokers, using the following criteria:
- Licensing Check
- Reputation Check
- Mystery Shopper
Better Business Awards 2022
It was a double victory for Home Loan Experts.
We were recognised as the Best Independent Office (more than 5 brokers) and Best Customer Service (Office) for NSW in the Better Business Awards 2022.
This is Home Loan Experts’ third consecutive win for Best Independent Office (more than five brokers).
We are honoured and proud of our team’s dedication and support, which allowed us to achieve these wins.
Home Loan Experts was also nominated in the following categories:
- Best Community Engagement Program – Home Loan Experts
- Best Customer Service (Individual) – Romy Dhungana
- Best Customer Service (Individual) – Vivienne Than
- Best Loan Administrator – Anisha Kunwar
- Best Loan Administrator – Nihit Bhakta Mulmi
Australian Mortgage Awards 2021
The Australian Mortgage Awards is the leading independent award for the mortgage industry recognising excellence and the best in broking.
At the 2021 AMA, we won two coveted awards:
- Commonwealth Bank Brokerage of the Year (greater than 20 staff)
- Liberty Australian Brokerage of the Year It goes to show the exceptional effort from our amazing Home Loan Experts team, who continuously aspire to ensure the best possible customer outcome. Moreover, we were also nominated as a final list for:
- Broker of the Year – Productivity: Mohit Lal Pradhan
- Broker of the Year – Productivity: Prakash Rai We’ll continue to build upon our foundations that refuse compromises, and keep serving our customers with the excellence that they deserve.
- Best Customer Service (Office)
- Rising Star, Mohit Lal Pradhan
- Best Residential Broker, Mohit Lal Pradhan
- Best Customer Service (Individual), Prakash Rai
- Best Loan Administrator, Rushmi Shrestha
- Office of the Year – Non-Franchise
- Innovator of the Year
- Customer Service of the year – Individual, Vivienne Than
- Rising Star, Mohit Lal Pradhan
- Best Customer Service (Office)
- Rising Star, Mohit Lal Pradhan
- Brokerage of the Year (greater than 20 staff)
- Australian Brokerage Of The Year
- Best Customer Service from an Individual Office
- Best Industry Service: Alaya (formally HLE Nepal Pvt. Ltd)
- Broker of the Year – Specialist Lending: Jonathan Preston
- Broker of the Year – Productivity: Trong Vivienne Than
- Young Gun of the Year – Independent: Mohit Lal Pradhan
- Customer Service Of The Year – Office (More Than 5 Brokers)
- Major Brokerage Of The Year – Non-Franchise
- Social And Community Program Of The Year
- Training And Education Program Of The Year
- ‘Major Brokerage of the Year – Non-Franchise’
- ‘Office of the Year – Non-Franchise (more than 5 brokers)’
- ‘Training and Education Program of the Year’
- Setting customer service benchmarks so we constantly evaluate the quality of our service and exceed expectations.
- New customer education programs designed to guide potential borrowers on how to qualify for a home loan, negotiate at auction and choose growth suburbs to invest in.
- Implementation of a customer care team to service our existing clients even after their home loan has been settled.
- Best Independent Office
- Best Customer Service – Individual
- Best Loan Administrator
- Best Community Engagement Programme
- Commonwealth Bank: We are a ‘Diamond Broker’ with CBA, which is the highest possible segment that they have. Only 2% of CBA’s brokers are in their ‘Diamond’ program. As a ‘Diamond Broker’ we have access to an experienced credit team and our loans are given priority service.
- St. George Bank: We are a ‘Flame Broker’ with St. George, which is the highest possible segment that they have. Only 70 mortgage brokers Australia wide are in their ‘Flame’ program. As a ‘Flame Broker’ we have access to an experienced credit team, our loans are given priority service and we have the ability to request special pricing for larger loans.
- Westpac Bank: We are an ‘Advantage Plus Broker’ with Westpac, which is the highest possible segment that they have. As an ‘Advantage Plus Broker’ our loans are given priority service and we have access to a specialist support team who help us to ensure our customers loans are processed efficiently by the bank.
- NAB / Homeside: We are a ‘Four Star’ broker with NAB Broker, which is the highest possible segment that they have. As a ‘Four Star’ broker we are able to order valuations prior to submitting loans, we can submit high loan-to-value (LVR) applications that are not accepted by other brokers and we also receive priority service from the bank.
Better Business Awards 2021
We were recognised as the Best Independent Office (more than 5 brokers) for NSW in the Better Business Awards 2021 for the 2nd consecutive time.
We are truly honoured and immensely proud of our team’s dedication which helped us achieve this prestigious award.
Moreover, we were also nominated in the following categories:
Mortgage Professional Australia 2021
We were recognised as one of the Top Mortgage Employers 2021 in Mortgage Professional Australia’s 100-500 staff category.
This award recognises our impeccable team culture that strives on trust, loyalty and growth — for our team and our clients.
ProductReview Award 2020
We won ProductReview’s Best Customer Service 2020 annual award in the Home Loan category.
This award is a testament to our commitment to serving our customers and the broader community with integrity, positively impacting their lives.
Australian Broking Awards 2020
We won the title: Major Brokerage of the Year – Non-Franchise in the Australian Broking Awards, 2020.
It is a tremendous honour for our business, and we are thankful to our committed team who helped in achieving this prestigious award.
In the year 2020, we have focused systems and processes to provide value and exceptional service to the customers.
We were also finalists in the following ABA 2020 categories:
Better Business Awards 2020
We were the winners of the Best Independent Office (more than 5 brokers) for NSW in the 2020 Better Business Awards.
This award recognizes the most successful office in terms of loan settlement and loan book performance.
However, for us, success is not only about settlements. It’s about helping good people in tough situations find a home loan.
Furthermore, we were also nominated in the following categories:
Progressing ahead, we endeavour to deliver a high level of service that our clients expect from us.
Australian Mortgage Awards 2019
The Australian Mortgage Awards is the leading independent awards for the mortgage industry recognising excellence and the best in broking.
At the 2019 AMA, we won the two most coveted awards:
It just goes to show that what we’re doing is exceptional, far ahead of our competitors, and is recognition for our continued effort in ensuring the best possible customer outcome.
Moreover, we were also nominated as a final list in five other award categories, namely:
Moving forward, we will continue to strive to deliver the high level of service our clients have come to expect from us.
Australian Broking Awards 2019
The Australian Broking Awards is one of the most sought-after awards for Australia’s brokers, brokerages, aggregators and mortgage industry leaders.
We won the coveted title of Australia’s Top Mortgage Broking Office (More than 5 brokers) this year amidst such fierce competition.
For our continuous team effort in delivering exceptional customer outcomes and being an example for the rest of the industry to follow, we also made the final list in four other award categories:
MPA Young Guns 2019
Mortgage Professional Australia‘s ‘Young Guns’ of 2019 recognises the top 30 brokers under the age of 35.
These brokers made their mark on the industry through their professionalism, home loan approval rates and overall customer service.
We had a total of four mortgage brokers make the list, more “young guns” than any other brokerage in Australia:
Australian Broking Awards 2018
For our continuing work to improve educational and health outcomes for the people of Nepal, our office won ‘Social and Community Service Program of the Year’ at the 2018 ABAs.
We were also named a finalist in ‘Customer Service of the Year – Office (more than 5 brokers)’ as well as three other categories:
Better Business Awards 2018
We were named a finalist for ‘Best Customer Service (Office)’ this time around following on from our win in 2016.
In addition to this, we were named a finalist in the ‘Best Independent Office (5 or more brokers)’ category for the second year in a row.
Australian Broking Awards 2016
Home Loan Experts was proud to take out the coveted ‘Customer Service of the Year (Office)’ award in the 2016 Australian Broking Awards.
This is the first time we’ve won the award at the ABAs, although we currently sit as a two-time customer service winner with the Better Business Awards!
Our other major achievement was being named the winner of the ‘Social and Community Service Program of the Year’ category.
These awards reflect our going commitment to making a positive impact to the lives of our customers and the wider community.
Top 25 Brokerage 2016
For the third time, Home Loan Experts was named as a finalist in The Adviser‘s ‘Top 25 Brokerage’ awards.
Based on the volume of loans we settle, the productivity per mortgage broker and the combined outstanding balance of all of our customer’s loans, we ranked 19th in Australia.
As a larger mortgage broker, this puts us in a very strong position when we negotiate with the banks on behalf of our clients in order to obtain special pricing or to approve loans that are outside of normal lending policy.
Better Business Awards 2016
For the second year in a row, Home Loan Experts has won the ‘Best Customer Service – Office’ category in the 2016 The Adviser/NAB Broker Better Business Awards, a recognition of the quality customer care we provided over 2015.
As a mortgage broker that aims to delight its customers, we’ve seen huge increases in repeat and referral business and all of this has been due to our hard-working broking team.
In the past year, we’ve made a number of changes to our strategy to improve and ensure customer satisfaction, including:
Apart from ‘Best Customer Service – Office’, Home Loan Experts was amazed to be nominated for the following categories as well:
Australian Mortgage Awards 2015
After five years of falling short of victory, the sixth year was the charm.
As one of our proudest achievements as a company that strives to operate ethically for the benefit of society, we were ecstatic to be named the winner of the ‘Best Community Engagement’ category in the 2015 Australian Mortgage Awards (AMAs).
The AMA judging panel are well-known and respected figures in the mortgage broking industry and the nominations are submitted by lender representatives and our mortgage broker peers.
The award recognises the brokerage that has gone above and beyond, over a sustained period of time to make a significant impact on community.
We can proudly say that our social initiative, HLE Cares, has been doing just that in the local communities of Nepal, a country in which we have an office set up and a team of dedicated administration and support staff.
As part of the vision of HLE Cares, we aim to provide better educational experiences for local students and sponsor the education of children whose parents can’t afford the costs.
Apart from winning ‘Best Community Engagement’, Home Loan Experts was named a finalist in the prestigious ‘Brokerage of the Year – Independent’, ‘Broker of the year – Non Conforming’ and ‘Best Customer Service from an Individual Office’ categories.
Australian Broking Awards 2015
In 2015, Home Loan Experts took out not only one but two awards in The Adviser ‘Australian Broking Awards 2015’. We were also named as a finalist in three other categories.
After being named as a finalist in this category last year, we were ecstatic to win the coveted 2015 ‘Major Broker of the Year – Non-Franchise’ for our efforts in evolving and growing the mortgage broking profession.
Since being founded in 2006, we’ve continually kept this focus in mind with strong systems and processes that provide direct value to customers with reduced loan turnaround times and an overall high level of customer service.
More importantly, our main driver for why we do what we do is to help Australians build the life they want. That means it’s not just about home loan solutions but providing free tools, resources and information nights that help people achieve their goals.
The other category we took out was for ‘Best Innovator’, a prestigious award that recognises the mortgage broking office that has benefited from forward thinking and unique concepts.
For the past few years, this has included automating as many broking functions as possible to ensure quality and consistent customer service in the shortest amount of time possible.
To top off these amazing wins, we were proud to also be named a finalist in the ‘Best Training And Education’, ‘Best Ethical/Social Responsibility Program’ and ‘Best Customer Service’ ategories.
HRD Employer of Choice 2015
Home Loan Experts was named HRD Employer of Choice 2015 and secured wins in three other categories in the annual HR survey conducted by Human Resources Director (HRD) magazine.
By securing wins in the categories of Training & Development, Quality of Work and Trust & Empowerment, we have proven that our award winning treatment of our clients starts first with our own employees.
Home Loan Experts managing director Otto Dargan said that most people want to do the right thing and that it is the leader’s job to enable them to do so.
“Get out of their way and give them the resources they need and they won’t let you down.”
Better Business Awards 2015
Home Loan Experts won the ‘Best Customer Service – Office’ category in the 2015 The Adviser/NAB Broker Better Business Awards, a recognition of the quality customer care we provided over the 2014 year.
The judging panel focused specifically on the growth of new, repeat and referred clients over the past year and our continued success supports our dedication to customer care.
With more than $340 million worth of home loans settled in the year ending 2014, nearly $44 million was attributable to repeat business and around $70 million to referrals.
This was the first year that Home Loan Experts won a Better Business Award after being nominated in both the best customer service and best independent office categories in 2014.
MPA’s Top 10 Independent Brokerages 2014
Home Loan Experts was named ninth in Mortgage Professional Australia‘s ‘Top 10 Independent Brokerages’ in October 2014, the first time our business has made the list.
As a non-franchise and non bank-owned brokerage, we were selected based on our total loan book value, settlements for the 2013 year, average broker per volume and our conversion rate.
Home Loan Experts managing director Otto Dargan said that although the goal was to make it into the top five brokerages in Australia, being number one was not.
“First and foremost we are specialists in getting good people in unique situations approved for a home loan at a great interest rate and that will always be our focus.”
You can read the full ‘Top 10 Independent Brokerages’ article and interview with Otto on the MPA website.
Australian Mortgage Awards 2014
For the fifth year in a row, Home Loan Experts was named a finalist in the Australia Mortgage Awards (AMAs). It’s also the fourth time our office has been named a finalist in the larger business category of the Brokerage of the Year category.
Judges in the 14th annual AMAs are key figures in the industry and nominations are made by lender representatives and our mortgage broker peers. Finalists are selected based on key criteria including loan volumes, percentage growth over the past 12 months and customer service proposition so it is once again an honour to be recognised by our industry for our efforts over the past year.
It really is a testament to our team’s professionalism and dedication in helping people in tough situations to get a home loan.
Top 25 Brokerage 2014
For the second year in a row, Home Loan Experts was named as one of The Adviser‘s ‘Top 25 Brokerage’ finalists.
Based on the volume of loans we settle, the productivity per mortgage broker and the combined outstanding balance of all of our customer’s loans, we ranked 18 in Australia.
As a larger mortgage broker, this puts us in a very strong position when we negotiate with the banks on behalf of our clients in order to obtain special pricing or to approve loans that are outside of normal lending policy.
Australian Broking Awards 2014
In June 2014, Home Loan Experts was proud to be named as a finalist in both the ‘Best Training and Education’ and ‘Best Office – Non-Franchine’ categories in ‘The Adviser Australian Broking Awards 2014′.
The ‘Best Training and Education’ category recognises businesses that are providing its mortgage brokers with the most effective and diverse training programs relevant to the important role that a broker plays.
The ‘Best Office – Non-Franchise’ acknowledges individual offices that have most effectively driven business growth over the previous 12 months across all product sectors. This award is based on such business metrics as loan volumes, book size and growth, broker effectiveness and support mechanisms.
Better Business Awards 2014
Home Loan Experts was named a finalist in two categories in the Better Business Awards 2014, an initiative between The Adviser and NAB Broker.
The Best Customer Service/Satisfaction category recognises brokers that have produced significant increases in new, repeat and referred business over the past year. Only businesses that delivered exceptional customer service in 2013 were chosen.
Home Loan Experts was also a finalist in the Best Independent Office category for firms with 5 or more brokers. Judges took into account loan settlement, loan book performance, submission quality and the customer servicing capabilities of both individual brokers and the brokerage as a whole when assessing finalists in this prestigious category.
Australian Mortgage Awards 2013
In 2013, Home Loan Experts was once again announced as a finalist for the Australian Mortgage Awards for the fourth year in a row. This year we have been nominated for the prestigious Brokerage of the Year Award in the larger business category.
The Australian Mortgage Awards has been held annually for over a decade and is considered the most eminent mortgage awards event in Australia.
Unlike other awards, the judges are key figures in the industry and nominations are made by lender representatives and our mortgage broker peers. Only nine finalists were chosen out of more than 10,000 mortgage broking companies in Australia!
The awards recognise the accomplishments of leading companies and individuals in the mortgage industry. The robust nomination and judging processes of the awards ensure that only the most exceptional Australian brokerages are invited to take part.
It’s a privilege to be recognised by our industry for our success and dedication to helping people who are in a tough situation.
Top 25 Brokerage 2013
We were officially recognised as one of the top 25 brokerages in Australia in 2013.
This is based on the volume of loans we settle, the productivity per mortgage broker and the combined outstanding balance of all of our customer’s loans.
As a larger mortgage broker this puts us in a very strong position when we negotiate with the banks on behalf of our client to obtain special pricing or to approve loans that are outside of normal lending policy.
Telstra Australian Business Awards 2012
In 2012, Home Loan Experts was announced as one of six New South Wales finalists for the Telstra Business Awards in the ‘Small Business’ category.
The Telstra Business Awards is well established and renowned for its painstaking judging process and impeccable standards. Only the most outstanding small-to-medium sized businesses are nominated for these awards so to be recognised is an honour.
From our modest beginnings, we have grown exponentially and it warms us to be acknowledged by business professionals from outside of the mortgage industry.
Australia’s Brightest Broker 2011 & 2012
Home Loan Experts managing director Otto Dargan is a two-time BrokerIQ ‘Australia’s Brightest Broker’ winner, a competition run by St. George Bank and The Adviser.
Each year over, 1,000 mortgage brokers enter the contest, with only six making it through to the final round.Each contestant is given a buzzer and the group is asked a range of questions relating to the mortgage industry.
Not only did Otto win the competition, but in 2011, he actually doubled the score of the broker that came second! In 2012, he returned and successfully defended his title of Australia’s Brightest Broker.
Australian Mortgage Awards 2012
In 2012, Home Loan Experts was announced as a finalist in the Australian Mortgage Awards for the third year in a row, this time in the prestigious ‘Brokerage of the Year’ award in the larger business category.
The Australian Mortgage Awards has been held annually for over a decade and is considered the most eminent mortgage awards event in Australia.
Unlike other awards, the judges are key figures in the industry and nominations are made by lender representatives and our mortgage broker peers. Out of over 10,000 mortgage broking companies in Australia there are less than ten finalists who make the cut.
The awards recognise the accomplishments of leading companies and individuals in the mortgage industry. The robust nomination and judging processes of the awards ensure that only the most exceptional are invited to take part.
Australian Mortgage Awards 2011
Home Loan Experts was nominated as a finalist for Brokerage of the Year in the larger business category in the 2011 Australian Mortgage Awards.
This event is held by the industry on an annual basis to recognise and reward people and companies who have excelled in their field. To be nominated in the larger business category is an exceptional achievement that we are very proud of.
Australian Mortgage Awards 2010
Home Loan Experts was a finalist for Brokerage of the Year in the small business category in the 2010 Australian Mortgage Awards.
This is an annual event held by the industry to recognise and reward people and companies who have been outstanding in their field.
This was the first time that we were selected for an award at the AMAs. It was a huge step up for our company, and we didn’t expect that we would continue to make regular appearances at the AMAs in the future.
Connective Volume Award 2010
In October 2010, Home Loan Experts was recognised by Connective OSN for achieving the milestone of $100,000,000 worth of mortgages in our loan book. This is a reflection on the number of Australians we have helped to buy a home or get approval when their bank has let them down.
Few mortgage brokers have managed to achieve a loan book of this size in their entire career yet we are now regularly achieve over $50,000,000 in mortgage approvals each month!
Since winning this award we have grown our loan book to over $600,000,000 and we are still growing. We aim to eventually have a loan book of over $1,000,000,000 which can only be achieved by helping as many Australians as we can to buy their own home.
Certificate of Recognition from St. George Bank 2012
In May 2012, Home Loan Experts were presented with another accolade from St. George Bank. This certificate recognises our astounding success in reaching $100 million in settlements with St. George Bank in only eight months!
We have a very high standing with major banks and lenders across Australia, and have been recognised as a leader in our industry. We not only get tough loans approved but we see them right through to settlement and the future management of your mortgage.
Lender segmentation
Did you know that lenders categorise mortgage brokers based on the quality and volume of loans that they submit? Because our mortgage brokers all have experience working in a major lender as the officer responsible for deciding whether to approve or decline a home loan application, we have achieved the highest level of segmentation with several lenders:
Our reputation with the major banks enables us to offer you a higher level of service than you can’t get through other mortgage brokers or from the banks directly
FBAA, AFCA and Connective OSN
We are full members of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA) as well as the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). This ensures professional and ethical lending practices.
We are also an associate member of Connective OSN, one of Australia’s leading aggregation services for mortgage brokers.
They provide us with software, training and compliance support that is essential to us in our business.
Connective is one of the largest group of mortgage brokers in Australia but you probably haven’t heard of them because the mortgage brokers that have partnered with them use their own brand.
Australian Credit License
In 2010, it became mandatory for all mortgage brokers in Australia to apply for an Australian Credit License (ACL) with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) or to be nominated as an authorised credit representative under another company’s license.
The licensing process involves ASIC assessing the way a company does business, its procedures, the background of the management staff and confirming that sufficient professional indemnity insurance is in place to protect the customers of that firm. Our company was one of the first to be granted an ACL.
