The HomeStart Grant can be a great way to get more money towards the purchase of your first home. As a professional mortgage broker service in Auckland, it has been seen that many people around New Zealand have used the HomeStart Grant to help with the deposit or purchase of their home.
What is the HomeStart Grant?
The HomeStart Grant is provided to allow a single person up to $10,000 of the purchase of their first home, or $20,000 for two people e.g. a couple buying together. There is criteria to meet around this which is explained on HomeStart Grant’s website.
What are the requirements?
There are many different pieces of requirements, which you need to check on HomeStart Grant’s website. That being said, a few common areas to think about include, but are not limited to:
Income: Your income has to be under a certain amount in order to get the HomeStart Grant.
House Price: The house price cannot be ‘too expensive’. There are house price limits and they usually vary depending on what town or city you are buying in.
First Home: The HomeStart Grant is intended for first home buyers. It may also be possible to get the grant if you have owned a house before but no longer do, and you meet certain strict criteria. This is explained on their website.
How Long You Have Been Contributing to KiwiSaver For: The length of time you have been contributing to KiwiSaver for can affect how much of a HomeStart Grant you will receive.
How to Apply For the HomeStart Grant
There is an application form on HomeStart Grant’s website.
Download your Earning in the Last 12 Months
In order to apply for the HomeStart Grant, you will also need to download your “Earnings in the last 12 months” from the IRD website which is www.ird.govt.nz. This allows the HomeStart assessment team to understand how much you have earnt in the last 12 months.
Download your KiwiSaver Contribution Statement
Your KiwiSaver contribution statement helps understand the payments you have made to your own KiwiSaver. This would help HomeStart Grant’s assessment team to understand how long you have been contributing to KiwiSaver for. This is downloaded form the KiwiSaver menu located within www.ird.govt.nz
More Information
If you have more questions about the HomeStart Grant, consider talking to HomeStart Grant’s team, or if you want to know more about buying your first home and consider the help of an excellent mortgage broker, contact us.