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Re: How do banks calculate my living expenses?

Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 5:06 pm
by Otto Dargan
Hi KHATREE,

All banks view your living expenses while assessing your home loan application apart from other factors such as savings, income and employment. They will take all of your basic living expenses into consideration such as child care, personal care, insurance, utilities, connections and transport expenses.

Banks calculate your borrowing capacity and see if you can make regular repayments on your home loan.

Before 2012, lenders used the Henderson Poverty Index (HPI) but then most switched to the Household Expenditure Method (HEM) for calculating your living expenses, which offers a more realistic figure for living expenses.

Usually, banks have up to 13 categories they require you to provide accurate expense details for. All the big 4 banks - Westpac, ANZ, CBA and NAB - are very much reliant on the HEM when appraising living expenses.

Nowadays, banks not only rely on the HEM. They ask for additional information and supporting documents to give an “accurate view” of your expenditure. If you apply with a broker, you are required to have a discussion with your mortgage broker to make sure you correctly complete this section of the lender’s fact-finding.

Please discuss it directly with one of our experienced mortgage brokers on 1300 889 743 if you're worried about the impact of living expenses on your borrowing power.

Cheers,

Re: How do banks calculate my living expenses?

Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2018 6:57 pm
by Otto Dargan
Hi KHATREE,

The HEM is the benchmark that banks use for living expense allowances based on the size of your household, whether you’re a single applicant, a couple or you have dependents.

Additionally, banks will cross-check this with whether you’re living in a metro area versus a non-metro area for each state.

For example, some lenders will consider the average living expenses for a couple earning $59,382 to $71,258 living in metro Queensland to be $2,317 per month. This may jump to $2,496 per month when you add one dependent and $3017 when you add two.

However, they’ll take the highest of the two between HEM and your own declaration.

So, if your expenses averages around $3,000 then it’s highly likely that banks will consider the highest of the two while calculating your borrowing power.

Call us on 1300 889 743 or complete our free assessment form to talk to one of our mortgage brokers.

Cheers,