Home loan guides

On a R 30 000 gross salary the 30% rule allows a R 9 000 instalment — about R 886 500 at 10.75% prime over 20 years. Salary tables from R20 000 to R100 000, gross vs net, deposit and term.

Updated 17 Oct 20269 min read

No legal minimum salary exists for a South African home loan — banks cap your bond instalment at about 30% of gross income. Here is the salary each bond amount needs at the current prime rate.

Updated 12 Sept 20267 min read

No SA bank publishes a minimum credit score; the NCA requires an affordability check instead. TransUnion score bands, the dated floors ooba, MortgageMarket and SA Home Loans cite, and what a higher rate margin costs per month.

Updated 26 Oct 20269 min read

How to get bond pre-approval in South Africa: where to apply (bank direct or originator), how long it takes, what it costs, the documents to have ready and how long the certificate lasts.

Updated 21 Oct 20267 min read

Pre-qualification is an estimate from the figures you declare, usually with no credit check; pre-approval is a bank’s in-principle decision on verified documents and a credit check, typically valid about 90 days. Neither binds the bank.

Updated 17 Oct 20267 min read

What home loan pre-qualification is in South Africa, how the free online check works, what it can and cannot tell you, and when to upgrade to full pre-approval.

Updated 12 Oct 20265 min read

How long home loan pre-approval stays valid in South Africa — the typical certificate window, why it expires, what happens when it lapses, and how to renew it before you make an offer.

Updated 13 Oct 20265 min read

When to apply for bond pre-approval in South Africa: the timing that fits a 90-day certificate, what to have ready before you apply, and what pre-approval does — and does not — mean.

Updated 17 Oct 20266 min read

Verify a buyer’s bond pre-approval in South Africa: what a genuine certificate shows, the red flags of a weak letter, and how to confirm it with the issuing bank or originator.

Updated 19 Oct 20266 min read

A pre-approved bond means a bank has credit-checked you and indicated in principle how much it will lend — typically valid for 90 days, but not a final home-loan approval.

Updated 26 Oct 20266 min read

The full South African buying journey, deposits vs 100% bonds, transfer costs, FLISP, documents and approval timelines.

Updated 29 Sept 20269 min read

How much deposit you need for a home loan in South Africa, when 100% bonds are available, and how a deposit affects your rate and upfront cash.

Updated 20 Oct 20268 min read

A 100% home loan borrows the full purchase price with no deposit — granted case-by-case, never guaranteed. Here is who tends to qualify, what a 100% bond really costs at the current prime rate, and when to avoid one.

Updated 22 Sept 20267 min read

Bank approval typically takes 5–10 working days after a complete application, pre-approval 2–5 working days, and signed offer to registration 8–12 weeks — durations by stage and buyer type, with sources.

Updated 17 Oct 20266 min read

A step-by-step timeline from pre-qualification to registration, with typical timeframes and a checklist.

Updated 19 Oct 20267 min read

The full South African application sequence: check qualification, gather your documents, choose bank or originator, submit your application, and compare any offers.

Updated 10 Sept 20268 min read

The eight-step buying journey: costs, qualification, offer to purchase, bond application and registration.

Updated 20 Sept 20268 min read

Why banks require it, what it covers, and how to use your own policy instead of the bank’s product.

Updated 15 Aug 20267 min read

Yes, sometimes: SA lenders must still check your credit under the NCA, but weigh it with income, deposit and debt. A worked deposit-versus-rate-margin example, the routes, how long listings stay, and blacklisting and debt review answers.

Updated 20 Oct 202610 min read

How First Home Finance (formerly FLISP) works, who qualifies, and how the subsidy can reduce the bond you need.

Updated 23 Sept 20266 min read

How building loans work in South Africa: progress payments, interest-only draws, NHBRC-registered builders, approved plans and the extra documents banks need.

Updated 09 Oct 20267 min read

How freelancers, contractors and business owners qualify without a payslip: documents, income assessment, and preparation.

Updated 04 Sept 20267 min read

What buying through a trust really involves: asset protection and estate planning, the tax and lending downsides, and what it means for your bond.

Updated 04 Sept 20267 min read

Transfer duty, bond registration, attorney fees and the other cash costs buyers forget to budget for.

Updated 29 Sept 20268 min read

Applying with a partner or co-buyer: combined income, joint and several liability, break-ups, death and the documents you both need.

Updated 19 Oct 20266 min read

What signing surety really means for the guarantor’s finances and credit record, what banks ask for, and the alternatives.

Updated 04 Sept 20266 min read

What the OTP means for your bond application: the bond clause, suspensive conditions, validity dates and the clauses to read before you sign.

Updated 04 Sept 20267 min read

Can your pension or provident fund help you buy a house? How section 19(5) loans work, who qualifies, and the risks.

Updated 04 Sept 20267 min read

What happens to your deposit if your bond is declined: when you get it back, when you do not, and the clause that protects you.

Updated 04 Sept 20266 min read

Using money from family for your deposit: the gift letter banks require, what it means for the giver, and gift vs loan.

Updated 04 Sept 20266 min read

How switching your bond to a new lender works, what it costs, and when the saving is actually worth it.

Updated 02 Sept 20267 min read

Can you get a South African home loan while living abroad: how banks assess foreign income, deposits, documents and exchange control for expat buyers.

Updated 23 Oct 20267 min read

How non-residents, work-permit holders and SA expats get a bond: deposit expectations, foreign income, documents and exchange control.

Updated 08 Sept 20267 min read

An access bond lets you withdraw extra you paid into your home loan above the instalment; while it stays in, it cuts your interest. Worked examples at prime, fees, and access bond vs re-advance vs further loan.

Updated 17 Oct 20268 min read

What actually happens when you fall behind on your bond: the NCA section 129 notice, real repossession timelines, your right to catch up, and where to get help.

Updated 09 Sept 20267 min read

Typically your ID, proof of address under 3 months old, 1–3 payslips, 3 months’ bank statements and the signed OTP; self-employed add 6 months’ statements and 2 years’ financials — by applicant type and bank.

Updated 17 Oct 20269 min read

What an extra payment does to your interest, term and instalment: how the bank recalculates, which option to ask for, and the early-settlement fee to check.

Updated 09 Sept 20267 min read

Whether you can settle your home loan in full, what the early-settlement charge can be, how much you save, and when settling early is the wrong move.

Updated 26 Oct 20268 min read

What a bond originator actually does between application and grant, how the bank-paid commission model works, and when going direct to your own bank is genuinely fine.

Updated 07 Oct 20266 min read

What 800+ Hellopeter reviewers say about ooba Home Loans, how its free-to-buyer, bank-paid commission model works, and how to tell customer reviews apart from employee and insurance reviews.

Updated 05 Oct 20267 min read

A sourced comparison of ooba and BetterBond — cost to you, bank panels, turnaround claims and reviews — why neither is reliably better, and when a third route (your own bank’s written offer) belongs in the mix.

Updated 15 Oct 20267 min read

What it really costs to cancel a bond in 2026 — the LSSA guideline fee, Deeds Office schedule, early-settlement charge, and why you pay an attorney you never appointed.

Updated 19 Oct 20267 min read

The exact sequence for cancelling a bond in 2026 — the selling-vs-settling fork, the 90-day notice that avoids the early-termination charge, and every step from settlement figure to Deeds Office registration.

Updated 15 Oct 20267 min read

Occupational rent is paid by a buyer who moves in before transfer — or a seller who stays on after — at a rate agreed in the OTP, typically a rule-of-thumb 0.55%–1.0% of the purchase price per month or the property's market rental. How the amount is set and what happens in a dispute.

Updated 19 Oct 20268 min read

Two attorneys charge on the 2026 LSSA tariff scale when you buy — the conveyancer the seller appoints and the bond attorney the bank appoints. Who pays which, and the dated fee table.

Updated 09 Sept 20267 min read

Yes — you can sell a house while you still owe on the bond. The proceeds settle the bond on transfer, cancellation costs come off first, and the order of payouts decides what lands in your account.

Updated 09 Sept 20268 min read

Will interest rates go down in South Africa in 2026? Published SARB and bank-economist forecasts after the September 2026 hike, each attributed and dated, plus what a cut or hike does to your bond.

Updated 17 Oct 20269 min read

How to decide whether refinancing your bond is worth it: the switching costs, the break-even formula, and a free calculator that estimates your monthly saving and break-even point.

Updated 13 Sept 20269 min read

How to refinance a home loan in South Africa: the application steps, the switching costs, a worked break-even example at current prime, and when refinancing is worth it.

Updated 16 Oct 20268 min read

What a second bond means in South Africa — a bond over a second property (typically a 10%–20% deposit) or raising money against your current home via access facility, re-advance or further bond — what each costs at today’s prime and how to qualify.

Updated 25 Oct 20269 min read

Yes — but only on the margin, and only if the bank sees lower risk. Here is what actually moves your quoted rate in South Africa, what does not, and how to put yourself in the strongest position before you apply.

Updated 13 Sept 20267 min read

The SARB repo rate is 7.25% per annum, effective 2026-09-25, putting the prime lending rate at 10.75% — prime moves with repo, so each 25 basis point MPC hike adds about R170 a month to a R1 000 000 variable bond over 20 years.

Updated 09 Oct 20268 min read

South Africa's prime lending rate is 10.75% per annum, effective 2026-09-25 — the repo rate plus a 3.5-point spread. Banks actually price home loans from prime −1.0% to prime +2.0%, and each 25 basis point move adds about R170 a month per R1 000 000 borrowed.

Updated 18 Oct 20267 min read

What happens after your bank grants your bond: attorney appointment, signing, Deeds Office lodgement and registration — and when the seller gets paid.

Updated 15 Sept 20267 min read

What bond registration actually costs — the bond attorney fee, Deeds Office bond fee and bank initiation fee — with a cost table by bond size and when each one is due.

Updated 17 Sept 20267 min read

The seven stages that move a South African property from seller to buyer — offer to purchase, conveyancer appointment, FICA and clearance certificates, transfer duty, lodgement and registration — with who does what and how long each stage takes.

Updated 18 Sept 20268 min read

What transfer costs actually are — SARS transfer duty, the conveyancing attorney fee and the Deeds Office transfer fee — with a dated cost table by purchase price and who pays.

Updated 29 Sept 20268 min read

What SARS transfer duty is, the 2026/27 bracket table with the R1,210,000 threshold, how the tax is calculated, who pays it, and how long you have to pay.

Updated 21 Sept 20268 min read

How pension and annuity income is assessed, why loan terms shift with age, and how it differs from a pension-backed loan.

Updated 23 Sept 20266 min read

The buyer pays transfer duty, the conveyancing fee and Deeds Office fees; the seller pays agent commission and cancels their old bond. Item-by-item, with 2026 figures.

Updated 19 Oct 20267 min read

The five rules South African banks apply under the National Credit Act before approving a home loan, plus worked income and repayment examples.

Updated 28 Sept 20267 min read

No new credit agreement, including a home loan, can be granted while you are under debt review — Section 88(1) of the National Credit Act blocks it. Here is what changes once you have a clearance certificate, and what to do before you reapply.

Updated 29 Sept 20268 min read

How home equity release actually works in South Africa, who offers it today, the compounding risk to your estate, and the alternatives worth ruling out first.

Updated 30 Sept 20268 min read

A bond protection plan settles your outstanding home loan and shrinks as you repay it; life cover pays your beneficiaries a fixed sum. You can usually choose either.

Updated 30 Sept 20268 min read

How rent-to-own (instalment sale) contracts work in South Africa, the Deeds Office registration that protects you, the informal-market risks, and when a normal bond is the cheaper route.

Updated 01 Oct 20269 min read

The seven criteria South African banks check before approving a home loan — age, residency, affordability, credit record, income proof, deposit and the property itself.

Updated 01 Oct 20267 min read

What a low bank valuation actually means for your loan amount, whether you can dispute it, and the realistic options — second valuation, bigger deposit, or renegotiating price — when you can’t.

Updated 02 Oct 20267 min read

The four-stage, finance-first checklist for South African first-time buyers: credit score and pre-approval, house-hunting, offer and bond application, then transfer and registration.

Updated 03 Oct 20268 min read

BetterBond’s homepage claims 4.79/5 from 2,108 Hellopeter reviews; Hellopeter’s own profile shows 4.5/5. We show both, plus what reviewers praise, flag, and what to check before choosing.

Updated 05 Oct 20267 min read

SA Home Loans holds a 2.9/5 Hellopeter rating (112 reviews, checked Oct 2026). See what reviewers actually say, what SA Home Loans is, and the questions to ask before you sign.

Updated 09 Oct 20267 min read

What the NCA actually requires when a bank assesses commission income, what each major South African bank publishes, and why no bank publishes its commission-averaging formula.

Updated 09 Oct 20268 min read

The real reasons South African banks decline a home loan, how to fix each one, and when it is safe to reapply — plus what to do in the first 48 hours.

Updated 19 Oct 20268 min read

Capitec originates your application, but SA Home Loans assesses, approves and manages the loan. Rates are variable and risk-priced; loans run to R5m (R3.9m self-employed) over up to 30 years. Checked 6 Oct 2026.

Updated 06 Oct 20269 min read

Voetstoots means the property is sold "as is", defects included. Learn what the clause covers, when a seller loses its protection, and how hidden defects can lower the bank valuation your bond is based on.

Updated 06 Oct 20268 min read

The tips that actually strengthen a South African home loan application: what to avoid, when to apply, and where the full detail on documents, credit and timing lives.

Updated 09 Oct 20267 min read

Applying for First Home Finance is free — the red flags of an application-fee scam, and the numbers to report it.

Updated 14 Oct 20265 min read

R38,911–R169,264 once-off for first-time buyers earning R3,501–R22,000 a month — amounts, qualifying rules and how to apply free.

Updated 14 Oct 20268 min read

How sectional title levies are calculated, the CSOS levy formula, what happens if you don’t pay — and how banks net levies off your home loan affordability.

Updated 15 Oct 20269 min read

Capped at R6,037.50 incl. VAT by the NCA — the formula, when you pay it, and what capitalising it adds to your monthly repayment.

Updated 15 Oct 20267 min read

Selling a house? The first R3 000 000 of a primary-residence gain is excluded (2027 year of assessment). Current CGT rates, exclusions and worked examples, verified 15 October 2026.

Updated 15 Oct 20269 min read

The same offer to purchase, conveyancer and bank process as an agency sale — what actually changes when there is no agent, who takes over each of the agent’s jobs, and the traps to close before you sign.

Updated 19 Oct 20268 min read

South African bonds require two kinds of cover: homeowners insurance for the building and credit life as a bank condition — with premiums capped by regulation and your right to use your own insurer.

Updated 20 Oct 20267 min read

The levers that decide a South African home loan approval: your credit score, the 30% affordability rule, your deposit, a complete document set and pre-approval timing.

Updated 22 Oct 20268 min read

Should you fix your home loan rate or stay variable: what each option costs at today’s prime, how the fixed-rate premium works, and the trade-off between certainty and flexibility.

Updated 24 Oct 20267 min read

How home loan interest works in South Africa: the chain from the SARB MPC to your instalment at today’s prime of 10.75%, how daily accrual makes the first instalment mostly interest, and the levers that actually reduce what you pay.

Updated 26 Oct 20269 min read

A standard South African bond covers the purchase price only — but the bank initiation fee can be added to the loan, some lenders lend above 100% to absorb upfront costs, and transfer duty can never be financed.

Updated 27 Oct 20266 min read

Repossessed houses are sold by the sheriff at a sale in execution or directly by the bank — market-related prices, voetstoots and as-is, financed like any other bond.

Updated 28 Oct 20267 min read

A divorce order does not end a joint home loan — both spouses stay jointly liable until one refinances alone via a bond substitution, the house is sold, or the bond is settled in full.

Updated 29 Oct 20267 min read

The bond does not disappear when the owner dies — it becomes a debt of the deceased estate. Instalments stay due while the estate is reported to the Master of the High Court, credit life insurance may settle the balance, and an heir can take over the bond or the estate can sell the property.

Updated 30 Oct 20267 min read

Yes — a bonded house may be let out, and you stay liable for the instalment. Tell your bank and insurer first, sign a written lease under the Rental Housing Act, make sure the rent clears the instalment, and declare the rental income to SARS with the bond interest deducted.

Updated 31 Oct 20267 min read

Publishes its 2026 fees (R6 037.50 initiation, R69 a month), up to 108% for first-time buyers on loans to R3 million and a prime minus 0.25% switch offer. Sentiment is mixed: competitive first offers, weaker after-service.

Updated 17 Oct 20268 min read

Publishes its fees (R6 037.50 initiation, R69 a month for individuals), up to 0.25% off for main-banked clients and up to R30 000 in Home Rewards, but no maximum loan-to-value for ordinary purchases. Sentiment is mixed.

Updated 17 Oct 20268 min read

Up to 110% for first-time buyers on homes to R3.6 million (another Absa page says 108%), rate discounts for Absa account holders and a switch offer running to 31 Jul 2027. No monthly service fee is published.

Updated 17 Oct 20268 min read

Up to 109% for first-time buyers, up to 0.75% off for Nedbank clients, published fees (R6 037 initiation, R69 a month) and cash back of up to R20 000 until 31 Oct 2026. Weakest big-four HelloPeter score.

Updated 17 Oct 20268 min read

A private-bank lender: up to 100% with fees capitalised, and 100% plus transfer costs for under-30 professionals earning R600 000+ a year. No rand fees, rate margin or non-resident policy published (as at 9 Sep 2026).

Updated 17 Oct 20267 min read