Six terms you need to know to be home loan ready

We asked our team of brokers to break down some of the most common (and misunderstood) terms you’ll hear when applying for a home loan.

1. Liabilities

Liabilities refer to formal ongoing obligations, such as a personal loans and HECS debt, which are separate to day-to-day expenses. Liabilities go on your Veda report (what lenders use to assess your credit application and determine risk) and reduce your credit score which reduces your approval chances.

2. Assessment rates

An Assessment Rate is the interest rate used when the lender is assessing the serviceability of your loan (your borrowing power). It is generally higher than the rate of the product you are applying for. For example, if the product’s interest rate is 5%, they may assess you on your ability to pay off the loan if the rate is at 7% (the higher rate is the assessment rate), which helps manage risk.

3. Fixed and variable rates

A fixed rate is a set interest rate for a determined period of time, usually between 1-5 years. Variable rates refer to loan products that have fluctuating interest rates. Fixed rates typically don’t have as many features attached to them such as offset accounts. When the RBA puts the cash rate up or down, lenders often increase or decrease their variable interest rates in line with the cash rate.

4. Living expenses

One of the big contributing factors in how much a bank will lend you to buy a home, is living expenses. Your broker (and lender) needs to know what you spend each week on groceries, takeaway, coffee, gym memberships and phone bills, for example, so they can subtract that from your earnings and work out how much you can safely afford to pay back.

5. Credit enquiries

A credit enquiry is applying for finance of any sort, e.g. a mortgage, credit card or personal loan. Most lenders do not like to see more than 6 credit enquiries within a 12-month period as each one can reduce your approval chances.

6. LMI

Lenders Mortgage Insurance (LMI) is an upfront charge you pay when borrowing over 80% of a property’s purchase price. It is an insurance policy paid by the borrower which covers the lender. People often hear that they can get a home loan with only a 5% deposit, however they are unaware of LMI which is an added cost that should be taken into account. Are you home loan ready?Book in a quick call with our customer care teamPhoto by Andrew Neel on Unsplash Book a call in with UNO

5 stars for our service reviews from clients

Book Call Now

UNO home loans

Try Plans, by UNO
Mortgage calculators completely reimagined
Get Started
Considering a purchase or refinance?

Try Plans by UNO

Mortgage calculators completely reimagined
Get Started
☎️ 🚫 No cold call promise

Related Articles

TESTIMONIALS

What our customers are saying

Wayne Simmonds
October 22, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
Great service, super responsive and Mike saved us hundreds of dollars by helping us switch to a great new rate. 100% recommend.
Read more
Jonathon Tanner
October 20, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
If only we could leave 10 stars... We've worked with Scott Wilkinson from Uno on the purchase of our principal place of residence, as well as a recently completed investment property. Scott was excellent throughout the entire process. He's got great communication, works incredibly hard and did everything he could to negotiate us the best deal. As business owners, the investment property was particularly complex and tricky to navigate. Scott helped us from start to finish and ensured we could maximise our borrowing capacity as well as secure a competitive rate. We've got nothing but amazing things to say about the guy and would highly recommend him to anyone considering buying property.
Read more
Gabe Windsor
October 18, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
Mike Parsons at UNO is absolutely fantastic to work with. He makes the entire home loan and refinancing process so easy and stress-free. Mike is incredibly responsive, proactive with follow-ups, and always goes the extra mile to make sure everything runs smoothly. He takes on all the heavy lifting and explains things clearly every step of the way. A great communicator who genuinely cares about getting the best outcome for his clients. Mike is my go-to mortgage broker, and I’ll continue to use his services for years to come. Highly recommend!
Read more
Kirstie Jenner
October 9, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
I honestly couldn’t recommend Paul Davey from Uno enough. He went above and beyond to get my pre-approval sorted, even with my tricky circumstances. He guided me through the whole process right through to settlement day and made everything so easy and stress-free. If you need a mortgage broker who actually cares and knows their stuff, he’s the one to call! Epic Service!
Read more
Pensive “Li” Pen
September 9, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
10/10 Stars Fantastic experience with Mike Parsons (and his team). Mike was quick to respond, explained everything clearly, and secured us a great rate with cashback. The whole refinance process was smooth and stress-free. Mike went above and beyond for us and exceeded all my expectations. 10 out of 10 Stars. Highly recommend!
Read more
I B
August 31, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
Great experience buying my first home with Mike Parsons and his team. He made the process simple and stress-free, explained everything in great detail along the way and helped me get a great deal. Highly recommend!
Read more
Eden Harris
August 20, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
Paul was awesome and handled my 1000 questions and follow ups like a pro. Happy with our home and loan :)
Read more
Liam Johnson
August 9, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
Fantastic service and great outcome. I have used Scott Wilkinson twice (initial finance and a subsequent refinance) and have found him to be responsive, reliable and knowledgeable - secured me a circa 1% rate reduction with minimal work involved from my end. Highly recommend.
Read more
Birgit-Katja
August 7, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
What a smooth, hassle free and stress free refinance with Jake. He took a very complicated loan from one bank to the other and not only saved us a lot of money but we basically also didn’t have to lift a finger in the entire process (apart from the basic paperwork needed). I am extremely impressed with Jakes knowledge and how he was able to answer questions and explain complications. Thank you Jake and the entire staff at UNO :)
Read more
Justin Butcher
July 28, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
PROFESSIONALISM PLUS Jake was very helpful in helping us achieve our dream. He is a very professional and informative person who goes out of his way to help his clients through a stressful time whilst making the whole process seamless. On top of this he can also help get better Insurances and is happy to assist where he can. We would absolutely recommend choosing Jake to help you! Thanks for everything it was a pleasure dealing with you.
Read more
Aurora Tang
July 21, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
Had a fantastic experience with Paul. He was knowledgeable, responsive, and made the whole process smooth and stress-free. Highly recommended.
Read more
Just Abby
July 18, 2025
5 stars for our service reviews from clients
My dealings with Scott Wilkinson at UNO, have been nothing short of exemplary. My refinance involved a bunch of moving parts due to a business debt, and Scott didn't stop until we got an excellent result! Great communication, easy online portals for data collection and, from all accounts, a great team working together to get results for their clients. I really can't thank Scott enough, for going the extra mile(s) to make this happen for me. 10/10 would recommend his services to anyone looking at a restructure, and I won't hesitate to reach out again, should I be in the position in the future.
Read more