# How much deposit do you need to buy a house in South Africa? October 2026 deposit table - Canonical URL: https://bond.co.za/news/how-much-deposit-do-you-need-to-buy-a-house-october-2026 - Author: Neil B - Published: 2026-10-24 - Last updated: 2026-10-24 Market newsFirst-time buyer The standard deposit South African banks work from is **10% of the purchase price** — R 100 000 on a R 1 000 000 home — though some buyers qualify for 100% bonds with no deposit at all. At 10.75% prime, a 20% deposit on a R 1 000 000 home cuts the repayment by about **R 2 030 a month**. The full deposit table is below. By [Neil B](https://bond.co.za/expert) · Checked against published primary sources · Published 2026-10-24 · Last verified 2026-10-24 depositfirst-time-buyeraffordability100-percent-bondflisp ![Illustration of three rising deposit bars labelled no deposit, 10% and 20% beside a family home, showing the bond size each leaves on a R1 million house, with badges for the monthly and interest savings at 10.75% prime](https://bond.co.za/images/news/how-much-deposit-do-you-need-to-buy-a-house-october-2026.svg) ## Key takeaways - 01The standard deposit South African banks work from is **10% of the purchase price** (ooba Home Loans, checked 24 October 2026) — R 100 000 on a R 1 000 000 home. No law sets a minimum; your profile decides. - 02A deposit shrinks the bond _and_ what you pay for it. On a R 1 000 000 home at **10.75% prime**, a 20% deposit cuts the repayment by about **R 2 030 a month** and total interest by roughly **R 287 310** over 20 years — bond.co.za's calculation. - 03100% bonds (no deposit) are granted to buyers with strong credit profiles — but you borrow more, usually at a higher rate, and transfer and bond costs still need cash. - 04Help exists: the government's First Home Finance (FLISP) subsidy and gifted deposits can close the gap. The next MPC decision is **19 November 2026**. ## How much deposit do you need to buy a house in South Africa? There is no legal minimum deposit in South Africa — but the standard benchmark banks work from is **10% of the purchase price**, per ooba Home Loans. On typical price bands, 10% looks like: - R 500 000 home → a deposit of **R 50 000** - R 1 000 000 home → a deposit of **R 100 000** - R 1 500 000 home → a deposit of **R 150 000** - R 2 000 000 home → a deposit of **R 200 000** In practice the deposit a specific buyer is asked for depends on credit record, income stability, existing debt and the property's value. Strong profiles are granted bonds with no deposit at all; weaker ones may be asked for more. For the full picture — including how deposits interact with transfer costs — see our [home loan deposit guide](https://bond.co.za/guides/home-loan-deposit-south-africa). ## Can you buy a house with no deposit? Yes — **100% home loans** exist, and banks grant them to buyers with strong credit records and stable income, first-time buyers included. The trade-offs are real: you finance a bigger bond at today's 10.75% prime, usually at a higher rate than a deposit-backed loan would earn, and you start ownership with no equity buffer if prices dip. You also still need cash for what the bond does not cover — transfer duty, bond registration costs and moving expenses. Our [100% home loan guide](https://bond.co.za/guides/100-percent-home-loan) covers who qualifies and what it costs. ## What does a deposit actually save you at 10.75% prime? A deposit works twice: it shrinks the bond you borrow, and the smaller, lower-risk bond usually earns a better rate. At 10.75% prime (effective 25 September 2026) over a 20\-year term, here is the same R 1 000 000 house at three deposit levels: Repayment and total interest on a R 1 000 000 home at 10.75% prime, 20\-year term. Computed by bond.co.za — an estimate, not a quote. | Deposit | Bond amount | Monthly repayment | Total interest over term | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | No deposit | R 1 000 000 | R 10 152 | R 1 436 549 | | 10% deposit | R 900 000 | R 9 137 | R 1 292 895 | | 20% deposit | R 800 000 | R 8 122 | R 1 149 240 | Read the ladder from the bottom up: moving from no deposit to **10%** saves about **R 1 015 a month**, and to **20%** about **R 2 030 a month** — roughly **R 287 310** in interest over the 20 years. Run your own price through the [bond repayment calculator](https://bond.co.za/bond-calculator). ## Where does the deposit go when you buy a house? Not to the seller. Once your offer is accepted, the deposit is paid into the **conveyancing attorney's trust account** — a regulated, audited account — where it sits until the transfer registers at the Deeds Office. It is then applied to the purchase price. Never pay a deposit into a personal bank account, and treat any instruction to do so as a red flag. Remember the deposit is not your only cash requirement: transfer duty and bond registration costs come on top, which our [transfer and bond costs guide](https://bond.co.za/guides/transfer-and-bond-costs) breaks down. ## How can you get help with a deposit? Three routes close the gap. First, **First Home Finance (FLISP)**: a government subsidy for qualifying first-time buyers earning within the income band, paid towards the purchase — our [FLISP guide](https://bond.co.za/guides/flisp-first-home-finance) explains eligibility and amounts. Second, a **gifted deposit** from family is accepted by banks when documented properly — see the [gifted deposit guide](https://bond.co.za/guides/gifted-deposit-south-africa). Third, a **100% bond** removes the deposit requirement entirely for buyers who qualify — at the cost of a bigger loan. ## How do you check what you qualify for? Start with the [home loan affordability calculator](https://bond.co.za/home-loan-affordability-calculator) to size the bond your income carries, then test deposit scenarios in the [bond repayment calculator](https://bond.co.za/bond-calculator) at today's prime. When you are ready to buy, [get pre-approved](https://bond.co.za/home-loans/pre-approval): a pre-approval certificate tells you the price band and deposit a bank will actually back you for, and is typically valid for 90 days — which covers the 19 November 2026 decision. Answer the two questions below for a personalised estimate. (Published 24 October 2026. Deposit benchmark per ooba Home Loans, checked 24 October 2026. Prime and repo verified against the SARB September 2026 MPC statement. Repayment and interest figures: 20\-year term at prime with no margin, computed by bond.co.za — your actual rate and approval may differ.) ## Frequently asked questions ### How much deposit do you need to buy a house in South Africa in 2026? There is no legal minimum, but the standard benchmark banks work from is 10% of the purchase price — R 100 000 on a R 1 000 000 home — per ooba Home Loans (checked 24 October 2026). Some buyers qualify for 100% bonds with no deposit at all, while riskier profiles may be asked for more than 10%. Your credit record, income stability and the property's value decide where you land. ### Can I buy a house with no deposit in South Africa? Yes, if you qualify. Banks grant 100% home loans to applicants with strong credit records and stable income, and some first-time buyer programmes lend the full purchase price. The trade-offs: you finance a bigger bond at 10.75% prime, typically pay a higher rate on it, and still need cash for transfer duty, bond registration costs and moving expenses, which the bond does not cover. ### How much deposit do I need for a R300,000 house? At the standard 10%, a deposit of R 30 000; at 20%, R 60 000. With a 10% deposit you would borrow R 270 000, costing about R 2 741 a month at 10.75% prime over 20 years — bond.co.za's calculation, not a quote. With no deposit you finance the full R 300 000 and pay meaningfully more interest over the term. ### Do you pay the deposit to the seller when buying a house? No. In South Africa the purchase deposit is paid into the conveyancing attorney's trust account once the offer is accepted — never directly to the seller or the estate agent. The money sits in the trust account (regulated, audited) until transfer registers, and it is then applied to the purchase price. Never pay a deposit into a personal bank account. ### Does a bigger deposit get you a better interest rate? Usually, yes. A larger deposit means a lower loan-to-value ratio, which is less risk for the bank — and banks price for risk. Across originator-submitted bonds, the average rate granted was 0.67% below prime per ooba Home Loans (as at 3 October 2026); buyers with bigger deposits typically land at the better end of the prime-minus to prime-plus band. On a R 900 000 bond, 0.67% off prime trims roughly R 404 a month. ### Get your free Bond Readiness Report A personalised affordability range, a realistic rate band, estimated total upfront costs and the document checklist for your situation. We’ll open a request in your email client, ready to send. Free to use. bond.co.za is an independent educational resource — we do not provide credit, origination, legal or conveyancing services. [About our independence](https://bond.co.za/how-we-make-money). ## Sources - [ooba Home Loans — How much deposit is needed to buy a house in South Africa?](https://www.ooba.co.za/resources/how-much-deposit-to-buy-house)Source for the standard 10%-of-purchase-price deposit benchmark and the 20-year standard term (checked 24 October 2026). - [Property24 — What you need to know about home deposits before buying (1 September 2026)](https://www.property24.com/articles/what-you-need-to-know-about-home-deposits-before-buying/31287)Deposit planning guidance referenced for the sections on preparing a deposit and where the money is held. - [SARB — Statement of the Monetary Policy Committee, September 2026](https://www.resbank.co.za/en/home/publications/publication-detail-pages/statements/monetary-policy-statements/2026/september)Primary source for prime (10.75%) and repo (7.25%), effective 25 September 2026. - [ooba Home Loans — rate concession reporting](https://www.ooba.co.za/resources/how-to-apply-for-home-loan/)Average rate concession of 0.67% below prime across originator-submitted bonds, as at 3 October 2026. Deposit-table repayment and interest figures computed at page render from the standard annuity formula (20\-year term at prime, no margin), using rates from our central dataset — never hard-coded into the page. ## More market news [ What salary do you need to buy a house in South Africa?The salary-to-bond table behind the 30% affordability rule. ](https://bond.co.za/news/what-salary-do-you-need-to-buy-a-house-october-2026)[ Home loan affordability after the September 2026 rate hikeWhat the hike did to the bond sizes buyers can qualify for. ](https://bond.co.za/news/home-loan-affordability-after-september-2026-rate-hike)[ What is the bond approval rate in South Africa?Who is getting approved, and what moves an application into that group. ](https://bond.co.za/news/bond-approval-rate-south-africa)[ How much can comparing home loan rates save you?What a below-prime rate is worth over the term. ](https://bond.co.za/news/how-much-can-comparing-home-loan-rates-save-you)[ Transfer duty 2026/27: thresholds unchangedThe cash cost above the purchase price your deposit cannot cover. ](https://bond.co.za/news/transfer-duty-2026-27-thresholds-unchanged) ## Informational disclaimer This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, pre-approval or a guaranteed rate. The deposit, repayment and interest figures are bond.co.za's estimates using a 20\-year term and the prime rate with no margin — your actual rate may be prime plus or minus a margin, and your actual approval and required deposit depend on the bank's full affordability and credit assessment under the National Credit Act. The deposit benchmark is drawn from ooba Home Loans reporting, and rate figures from the SARB September 2026 MPC statement, as listed in Sources. Always confirm current rates with the South African Reserve Bank, your lender or a qualified financial adviser before making a financial decision. Prime 10.75%, repo 7.25%, effective 25 September 2026 (SARB September 2026 MPC statement). Deposit benchmark per ooba Home Loans (checked 24 October 2026). Next MPC decision: 19 November 2026. Last updated: 2026-10-24. > This is the Markdown version of [https://bond.co.za/news/how-much-deposit-do-you-need-to-buy-a-house-october-2026](https://bond.co.za/news/how-much-deposit-do-you-need-to-buy-a-house-october-2026); that HTML page is the canonical version of this content.