Do Interest Only Home Loans Still Make Sense?

Six months ago interest only loans made a lot of sense for property investors. Today, the story is very different.

18 years ago I was living out of a tent, in a little village named Balibo, on the top of a mountain in East Timor when Matt, a mate of mine, said something that’s stuck with me ever since. What did he say? “No one ever went broke making a profit” Why is that important? Because for eons, people’s innate aversion to pay the taxman has led to a string of poor financial decisions, which have been slowly bleeding them dry. One of those poor decisions (not in every case of course) is interest only loans. 10 years ago interest only loans made a lot of sense. The interest rates on interest-only loans were basically on par with principal and interest loans. It made perfect sense to go down that path to free up cash flow and maximise the tax-deductible portion of outgoings (the interest part of your home loan repayment). Today, the story is very different. Price pressures from industry regulators have increased the costs of interest-only loans so much that for most property investors, choosing an interest-only loan could be costing them thousands. The problem with this is, hardly anyone has changed their tune in terms of the type of loans they recommend to investors. Why? Well, they’re either lazy, they haven’t figured it out yet (pretty much the same as lazy) or they don’t have the smarts to articulate the risk vs reward. So to bust this lazy myth wide open we’ve developed a new calculator.

How can it help you?

This calculator will help you work out which loan type provides you the most benefit. We calculate the results by taking into consideration:

  • The interest cost of the investment loan compared to the tax savings of negative gearing
  • The amount you’ll be owing compared to your repayments

What do your results mean?

If your result is a positive figure (green coloured), you could be better off choosing a principal and interest loan. If your result is negative, you could be better off choosing an interest-only loan. Transparency is the cornerstone of everything we do at UNO. It’s why we get out of bed everyday. We couldn’t care less if you choose an interest only loan or a principal and interest loan. What we care deeply about is that it’s the right loan, for your specific situation, right now. To find out what works for you, use the calculator right here: And if you want to take it one step further than the calculator, you can book a call with our customer care team today. Book a call in with UNO

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Try Plans by UNO

Mortgage calculators completely reimagined
Get Started
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Orange square icon with a black network-like symbol and the words 'Good' in green twice and 'Bad' in red in the bottom right corner on a white background.ANZ logo next to the words 'Possibly' in orange and 'Good' twice in green on a white background.White rectangular shape with rounded, scalloped corners on a transparent background.Logo with blue and purple geometric shield shape on left and three green words 'Good' arranged in a triangular layout on right.A dark blue letter Q with a red and turquoise diagonal arrow inside it, followed by the word 'Possibly' in orange, and the word 'Good' twice in green font on the right side.White rectangular shape with rounded, scalloped corners on a transparent background.Macquarie Bank logo on the left with the word 'Possibly' in orange and 'Good' written twice in green on the right.Suncorp Bank logo with the word Good repeated three times in green text on a white background.Yellow diamond shape with a black folded corner followed by the word 'Good' repeated three times in green text on a white background.

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Sapeti Mumaleaute Tufuga
August 26, 2026
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We couldn’t be happier with the service we received from our broker Jessica Southerwood . From the very beginning, she was professional, knowledgeable, responsive and genuinely committed to helping us secure the right loan. She made the whole process straightforward and stress-free, explained everything clearly, kept us updated throughout and went above and beyond to make sure everything was taken care of. We felt completely supported from start to finish and would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending them to anyone looking for a reliable, trustworthy and dedicated broker. Thank you so much for making what can normally be a stressful process such a smooth and positive experience! 🙏
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August 18, 2026
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UNO Home Loans is "ridiculously good" at what they do, if there is such a phrase. Very well versed in mortgages, and their level of professionalism, care and overall service is truly outstanding. They kept us well informed during all phases of our mortgage finance journey although they seemed to always be one step ahead! Nick Sharma and the crew, achieved the incredible task of getting us financed when no one else could, and what surprised me most, was at a very, very competitive market rate in comparison to other mortgage specialist or brokers. UNO went above and beyond, and exceeded all of our expectations. I could not have been happier with our outcome, thanks again UNO!
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Paul was awesome to deal with. Explained the process and took us through the options. Found us a great deal. Super available for my multitude of questions. He comes highly recommended.
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riley
August 6, 2026
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A massive thank you to Nathalie and her team. I've dealt with many brokers who will quickly throw their hands up and walk away if they think even a small issue will impact a deal. Not Nathalie! Not only will share compare different loans, she'll actually dig into the exact lending criteria and will do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. She saved us literally thousands per month on our refinance! Thank you again guys, truly are the best!
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Thomas Hughes
August 3, 2026
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Mike provided excellent end to end assistance and advice with my home loan enabling me to purchase my apartment and went above and beyond. I thoroughly recommend him as home home loan broker
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July 22, 2026
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Working with Paul was a fantastic experience from start to finish. He made the entire mortgage process seamless, clear, and stress-free. His expertise and responsiveness were second to none. I highly recommend Paul to anyone looking for a reliable and top-notch mortgage broker
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July 22, 2026
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Scott was an absolute weapon, the communication was clear and anytime of the day. If you want the property he’ll get you it, no messing around with him.
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July 16, 2026
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Just wanted to take a moment to recommend Tim Lesina for anyone contemplating reverse mortgages. For many of us in our retirement years financial independence is uncharted territory, not to mention downright confusing. I contacted Tim just to enquire how this might work should I go down this path. Tim was so patient and understanding of both my limited understanding and my initial fears. He went above and beyond in factoring out different scenarios, with nothing being too much trouble. Moving forward with my reverse mortgage needs I will definitely be using Tim and cannot recommend him highly enough.
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Mike Vincent
June 29, 2026
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Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a serious property investor, Jake will get your approval sorted. Even if others have told you no, Jake will find a way. Thanks mate. All the best to any prospective clients looking to take the leap — Jake is your guy!
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Jess Ashby
June 26, 2026
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Paul and Jiedem were an integral part of us being able to secure our first home. I could not recommend their services enough! They were clear and direct about the process, and thorough when we had any questions.
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June 24, 2026
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Thank you Paul for getting us across the line and into our first home. Paul was professional, approachable and efficient. Couldn't recommend him more, especially if you are a NZer trying to get into the Australian housing market.
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