Home loans, without the runaround
Work out what you can afford, what your bond will really cost and how the banks compare — with free calculators, plain-English guides and verified, dated rate and cost data. No sign-up and no phone calls.
Free · No obligation · No spam calls.
Want a bank’s in-principle answer first? See how bond pre-approval works.
Estimates run on the page from the details you enter. Banks make the final lending decision.
3-minute answer
Instant affordability estimate, any time of day. No callbacks, no business hours.
Sourced and dated
Every rate, fee and threshold names its primary source and the date we checked it. What a lender doesn't publish, we don't guess.
Plain-English guides
Straight answers to what South African buyers actually ask — deposits, transfer duty, approval timelines and every bank's fine print.
Know your numbers before you apply
Three steps to walk into any bank — or any bond originator — knowing what you can afford and what it will cost.
Check what you can afford
Get an affordability estimate instantly — on screen, from the details you enter. No contact details needed to see the number.
Work out the full cost
Add transfer duty, bond registration and attorney fees with our cost calculators, so the deposit and upfront cash add up before you make an offer.
Compare, then apply your way
Read the bank reviews and rate guide, get your documents ready, then apply to the banks of your choice — directly or through a bond originator.
Signing an offer to purchase before your bond is approved? Make sure the deal is subject to bond approval so a slow bank decision cannot cost you your deposit.
Getting your paperwork together? Work through our checklist of documents required for a home loan — by applicant type and bank.
Plain-English home loan guides
Straight answers to the questions South African buyers actually ask.
The full South African buying journey, deposits vs 100% bonds, costs, documents and approval timelines — with a free Readiness Pack.
How First Home Finance (formerly FLISP) works, who qualifies, and how the subsidy can reduce the bond you need.
Why the same buyer gets different quotes from different banks, and how to find your actual rate range.
Your options when your credit record is impaired, what lenders look for, and steps to improve your chances.
Behind on your bond? The section 129 process, real repossession timelines, your right to catch up — in plain language.
How banks turn your salary into a loan amount: the instalment rule, gross vs net income, deposit and term.
How your deposit moves the rate
Banks price every applicant individually, and the deposit is one of the biggest levers. Here is the typical pattern, by deposit band.
| Deposit band | Indicative rate |
|---|---|
| No deposit (100% bond) | prime + 0.50% |
| 1–9% deposit | prime + 0.25% |
| 10–19% deposit | prime |
| 20%+ deposit | prime − 0.25% |
Methodology, honestly: these bands are indicative, drawn from published South African market averages. They are not offers and not bond.co.za deal data — your own rate depends on your credit profile, income and deposit, and each bank decides it. See today’s South African prime interest rate.
What would the repayment be?
Drag the sliders. The rate slider is the argument for comparing offers.
Nervous about where rates go next? See what a 1% rate increase costs on your bond — or what a 1% cut would save you.
Why not just go to your bank?
You can — and your bank will happily quote you a rate with no competing offer on the table. Industry data has shown for years that borrowers who take a single quote typically pay meaningfully more, and that applying through multiple banks materially raises both your approval odds and your negotiating position. The incumbent originators publish these numbers themselves.
You can approach several banks yourself, or use a bond originator to submit one application to several banks for you — bond originator vs going direct sets out the trade-offs. If your own bank really has the best offer, take it. Either way, you’ll know, instead of hoping.
We deliberately don’t invent precise percentages here. Where we quote a figure anywhere on bond.co.za, we name the source and the date we checked it.
Sourced, dated and independent
Every guide and calculator is written and maintained by Neil B from primary sources — the banks’ own published terms, SARS, the Deeds Office, the South African Reserve Bank — and every figure carries the date we checked it. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
- Primary sources only. Rates, fees and thresholds come from the institution that sets them.
- Dated, not timeless. Each figure shows when it was last verified, and rate pages are updated when the Reserve Bank moves the repo rate.
- Not published means not published. If a lender doesn’t disclose something, we say so instead of estimating it.
- Corrections. Email hello@bond.co.za — we correct errors and update the page date.
Independent and educational. We don't provide credit or origination — just guides, calculators and verified data.
POPIA first. The tools need no contact details. If you ask us to email you something, we use your details for that — never sold, never passed to call centres.
Sources you can check. Every rate, fee and threshold names its primary source and the date it was verified.
Real people behind it. Questions and corrections go to our editorial team at hello@bond.co.za.
Straight answers
Is a bond originator free?
Bond originators are usually paid by the bank whose offer you accept, not by you — the bank pays because the originator sources and completes the application. How that commission works, and what it costs you, is covered in our guide to how bond originators get paid. bond.co.za itself is an independent educational resource: we publish guides, calculators and verified cost data, and we do not act as a bond originator.
Will you phone me?
No. bond.co.za does not make sales calls. The affordability check and calculators run on the page and need no contact details. If you ask for a checklist or report by email, we use your details to send it. Questions or corrections go to hello@bond.co.za.
Can I get a 100% bond?
Yes — most major South African banks offer 100% bonds (no deposit), especially to first-time buyers, subject to affordability and credit checks. Expect a slightly higher interest rate than with a deposit; comparing quotes from more than one bank shows you what that difference is for you.
How long does home loan approval take?
Our affordability estimate is instant. Once a bank has your full application and documents, an in-principle decision typically takes a few working days, and full approval longer — our guide to how long bond approval takes breaks it down stage by stage, with sources.
What's the difference between a bond and a home loan?
Nothing — in South Africa "bond" and "home loan" mean the same thing: a loan secured against the property you are buying. "Bond" comes from the mortgage bond registered at the Deeds Office in the bank’s favour.
I'm self-employed — can I still apply?
Yes. Self-employed buyers need more paperwork (typically 6–12 months of bank statements, financials and proof of income). Our home-loan documents checklist sets out what each type of applicant needs, so you can have everything ready before you apply.
Know your numbers before you apply.
Three minutes to your affordability estimate — no contact details required to see the number.