# Home Loan Affordability & Credit Guides - Canonical URL: https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit 1. [Home](https://bond.co.za/) 3. [Guides](https://bond.co.za/guides) 5. Affordability & credit How much you can borrow depends on your income, existing debt, credit record and deposit — not just the property's price. These guides show how South African banks calculate your affordability cap, what a weak credit score does to your options, and how joint applications and guarantors change what you qualify for. [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [How much home loan can I get?](https://bond.co.za/guides/how-much-home-loan-can-i-get) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Minimum salary for a home loan](https://bond.co.za/guides/minimum-salary-home-loan) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Credit score for a home loan](https://bond.co.za/guides/credit-score-home-loan-south-africa) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Bad credit home loan options](https://bond.co.za/guides/bad-credit-home-loan-south-africa) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Joint home loans](https://bond.co.za/guides/joint-home-loan-south-africa) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Using a home loan guarantor](https://bond.co.za/guides/home-loan-guarantor-south-africa) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Home loan for pensioners](https://bond.co.za/guides/home-loan-pensioners-south-africa) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Home loan affordability rules in South Africa](https://bond.co.za/guides/home-loan-affordability-rules) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Home loan while under debt review](https://bond.co.za/guides/home-loan-debt-review-south-africa) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Home loan qualifying criteria in South Africa](https://bond.co.za/guides/home-loan-qualifying-criteria) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Home loan declined? What to do next](https://bond.co.za/guides/home-loan-declined) 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 [Affordability & credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit) [Sectional title levies South Africa](https://bond.co.za/guides/sectional-title-levy-south-africa) 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 > This is the Markdown version of [https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit](https://bond.co.za/guides/affordability-and-credit); that HTML page is the canonical version of this content.