Financing a home renovation with a personal loan

For the most part, no. Personal loans can be used to finance a number of things, such as holidays, motorcycle purchases and even medical debts. Using a personal loan is a popular choice to fund your small-scale renovations.

If you’re looking to fund larger renovations, refinancing your home loan, or taking out a construction loan might be better options.

When choosing a personal loan to renovate your home, there are some key features you’ll want to look at, such as:

• Competitive interest rate: Your interest rate will play a big part in what your renovation loan repayments will look like. Saving a few bucks a week might not seem like much now, but can add up to thousands of dollars over the life of your loan, so it’s important you snag a great deal.
• Low fees: As with any loan, something you might not expect that can sting you is fees. The types of fees you need to look out for are upfront application fees or set-up fees, ongoing service fees, late payment fees and loan discharge fees. These can add an extra margin onto your debt in addition to your interest, so make sure you’re reading the fine print so you don’t get caught out paying more than you need to.
• Flexible features:. Renovating a home can be a strain on the budget, so it’s important you have flexibility in what your repayment schedule will look like. You can often opt for weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayments so you can better manage your debt. Another handy feature to look out for is the ability to make fee free extra repayments, which will allow you to pay off your loan faster, and a redraw facility in case you’re in a pinch and need access to the extra money you paid.

If you’ve got your eye on a shiny new basin, you’ve got to think beyond just the original quote price and take into consideration loan interest and fees, and the length of time you need the loan for.

You can use Mozo’s renovation loan calculator to figure out what your weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayments might look like and how much you can expect to pay in interest in total. Keep in mind that in order to keep your repayments low, your first step is finding a low rate renovation loan.

Once you’re ready to make your dreams of an amazing outdoor deck area a reality, your next step is to snag a competitive interest rate. Here are some ways you can make sure you’re getting a great deal: 

• Keep your credit in good shape. Keeping your credit score healthy by staying on top of other loan repayments is a great way to catch yourself a good interest rate because many lenders have tiered interest rates based on your credit history. Making sure you always make regular repayments and aren’t building up too much debt will be great for your credit score.
• Ask for a better deal. Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone or go into a branch and simply ask your lender for a better rate. Depending on your situation, your lender might even waive introductory fees, helping you get off on the right foot.
• Compare your options. To make sure you’re getting a great deal, it’s important you look at interest rates from different lenders. Mozo makes it easy for you by putting competitive renovation loan interest rates side-by-side to help you compare renovation loan options.

If you’re stuck on whether to use a credit card to finance your home renovations or whether to take out a loan, know that it’s likely to come down to your borrowing needs. Personal loans offer benefits such as lower interest rates, consistent repayments and a set borrowing amount, which is good for those on a strict budget.

If you opt to use a credit card to fund your renovations, you might be able to save on interest if you’re making smaller, incremental purchases and paying them off before you have the chance to build too much debt. If you’re going to do this, go with a low-interest credit card and shop around for added benefits such as interest-free periods or no annual fees.

For a more in-depth guide on ways to finance your home renovation, check out our home renovation funding guide.

Your options for funding your renovations will differ based on if you’re a first-home buyer or homeowner.

If you’re a first-time home buyer who has just taken out a large debt in the form of a home loan, it might be hard to secure a separate renovation loan. Instead, if your budget allows consider borrowing more from your home loan lender to make your necessary renovations. Keep in mind that by tagging it onto your 30-year mortgage, it will build up significant interest over that period of time, so whenever you can, put extra funds towards your home loan.

If you’re an existing homeowner, you have options at your disposal. For a smaller renovation loan, you can choose to get a secured loan, which will generally have a lower interest rate, but you will need to offer up an asset (i.e. your home) as security in case you default on the loan. Don’t like that idea? You could also opt for an unsecured loan. These generally have higher interest rates but offer flexibility, so if you do have extra funds, you can pay out the loan early without penalties.  

Most Aussies are carrying some form of debt, whether that be with their mortgage, credit card debt or car loans. As long as you’re staying on top of repayments and keeping your credit in top shape, and your budget can easily handle the extra repayments, your chances for renovation loan approval should be high.

To improve your chances of getting approved, here are some steps you can take:

• Start small: The bigger the loan, the bigger the risk, so asking for a smaller loan could be your best bet. Your lender might also place a premium on your interest rate if you’re viewed as risky, so starting small could be a good way to make sure you can actually keep up with repayments and not dig yourself a hole.
• Don’t apply too many times: Multiple applications don’t look promising to your lender, and champagne tastes on a beer budget won’t get you very far - so making sure you’re only applying for a loan amount you can actually afford is the first step to getting approved.
• Prove your reliability: Your lender determines your reliability based on your credit score, so you’ll need to work out a budget and stay on top of repayments on your other debts to prove your steadiness.

Most renovation loan applications can be completed online, making it easier and faster for you to get approved. Your first step in applying for a renovation loan is comparing different personal loan options in the comparison table above to find a deal that suits your needs. Once you’ve done that, click the blue ‘Go to site’ button, which will take you directly to where you need to be on the provider’s website.

A few things you’ll need to have on hand before you start your application are proof of identity such as a current passport or driver's license, proof of income such as your pay slips, and financial documents such as bank statements, assets, debts and liabilities.

For residents of NSW and Victoria's capital cities, it may be worth checking out Sydney personal loans and Melbourne personal loans for some location-specific loan options.