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Just like with any investment, it's important to not only understand your initial outlay, but any ongoing costs that can arise. Here are some of the more common costs associated with an investment property.

Purchasing an Investment Property

Aside from the deposit, there are other costs involved when buying a home. Here are some of the most common fees to be aware of:

1. Stamp duty

Stamp duty is a state and territory government tax based on the purchase price of the property. It’s paid to the state or territory the property is in, which means the amount you’ll need to pay will vary depending on where your property is located as well as on the price of the property.

Stamp duty is often a significant cost, so it’s vital you take it into account when working out your costs. Our upfront costs calculator can give you an indication of how much stamp duty you could have to pay as well as other costs to consider when buying.


2. Building and pest inspections

Although these may seem expensive, the price you’ll pay for these reports could be a fraction of the cost (not to mention headache) if you end up with pest infestations or building issues after you’ve bought. In some cases you may be able to combine both the pest and building inspection, which should help to keep costs down.

3. Legal costs

There are several legal steps involved with buying a home, so make sure you engage a solicitor or conveyancer. These include:

  • Completing a property and title search to make sure the seller is legally entitled to sell and that there are no encumbrances on the property.
  • Arranging a strata inspection and checking the strata body corporate records if you’re buying a property that’s part of a strata scheme.  An example of a red flag to watch out for would be a substantial increase in levies. This could signal that something is about to happen that would require more funds).
  • Reviewing and exchanging the contract of sale.
  • Arranging to pay stamp duty.
  • Overseeing the transfer of the title of the property from the seller to you.

4. Mortgage establishment fees

Depending on your lender and your loan type, there may be various fees to establish your mortgage. These could include an application fee as well as valuation and settlement fees.

5. Title transfer fee

The title transfer fee is a state/territory government fee for transferring the property title from the seller to the buyer. The cost can vary significantly depending on what state or territory the property is in – you can find details of the charges on the website of the state/territory revenue office.

6. Mortgage registration fee

This is another state or territory fee. As a property is the security for the mortgage, the state/territory government needs to register the home loan so that any future buyers can check for any prior mortgages on the property.
 

7. Insurance

It’s a really good idea to get cover for both your investment property and contents that you lease out to tenants from loss or damage caused by flood, fire, storm, theft and more. Property investment carries inherent risks - even with finding the right tenant. Landlord Insurance provides cover for a range of events, so you have less to worry about.

Maintaining an Investment Property

Other than regular loan repayments, the most common ongoing costs related to owning an investment property include:

 

Read more

Research your investment

Search a property or suburb for sales histories, market values, expected rent and nearby amenities, with our online full Property Reports.
Explore our investor guide, and the costs involved with investing.

Set your strategy

Decide what you want to achieve before you make an investment. Is your goal to build wealth from capital growth? Will you buy using equity in your current property? Are you interested in rental income or negative gearing?

Start your application online

Learn how much you could borrow.
It should only take around 20 minutes to apply.

A home loan expert will call you once you have submitted your application to talk through next steps.


Important information

This information has been prepared without taking your objectives, needs and overall financial situation into account. For this reason, you should consider the appropriateness of the information and, if necessary, seek appropriate professional advice. Read the terms and conditions before making a decision if the product is right for you.

Landlord Insurance is issued by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFSL 234708 (Allianz). St.George - a Division of Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141 AFSL 233714 (the Bank) arranges the insurance under a distribution agreement with Allianz Insurance, but does not guarantee the insurance. This information does not take into account your personal circumstances. Before making a decision, please consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. For more information call 13 33 30. 

If you take out Landlord Insurance with Allianz the Bank will receive a commission of up to 12% of the premium (exclusive of GST).

A target market determination has been made for this product. Please visit https://www.stgeorge.com.au/tmd for the target market determination.