How to refinance your investment loan

You can refinance your investment loan to take advantage of lower rates, better features or even to fund your next investment property.

Key takeaways

  • You can refinance your investment property the same as you would a regular home loan.
  • Refinancing your investment loan means you could save money on a lower rate or get a loan that better suits your investment strategy.
  • You can also refinance in order to access your equity to buy further properties.

Reasons to refinance your investment loan

You can refinance your current investment loan like any other home loan refinance. There are plenty of benefits to doing this.

You could save money by switching to a lower interest rate. Or you could get a loan that better suits your current investment strategy, such as a loan with an offset account or interest-only repayments.

You could also use the equity you have in your existing investment property to borrow more money for your next property purchase.

How to refinance your investment loan

  1. Compare loans. Look for an investment loan with a low interest rate. But it's not just about the rate. Make sure it has the features you need and doesn't overcharge on fees.
  2. Speak to your existing lender. Sometimes your current lender can negotiate a better deal. If you're hoping to draw down on your equity for another property find out how much you can use.
  3. Crunch the numbers. How much will it cost to switch to the new loan? Consider your old loan's discharge fees and check if the new loan has any upfront fees.
  4. Apply. Submit an application for the new loan. Make sure you have the information your lender needs, such as evidence of your income, spending habits, debts and assets.
  5. Exit the old loan. Once the new loan is approved you just need to discharge the old one.
Value of investor refinancing
In the first 3 months of 2025, investors refinanced $25.4billion worth of home loans.
$18.5billion was refinanced with a new lender, but $6.9b was refinanced with the existing lender.
Source: ABS Lending Indicators

How can I refinance to access equity for my next property?

You can refinance your existing loan using the equity you've built in your property to borrow a higher amount.

Equity is the value that you own in your home. It's the property value, minus the deposit you've paid and the amount of loan you've repaid.

If you bought your home for $800,000 and you've still got $500,000 left to pay on the loan, you've got $300,000 in equity.

When you refinance you can apply to borrow up to 80% of your property value again. With the numbers above that means increasing your loan by up to $240,000 for use as a deposit.

Pros and cons of refinancing to buy your next property

Pros

  • Using your equity is a fairly easy and accessible way to get extra cash.
  • Accessing your equity is flexible so you can use a portion of the funds for a deposit and the rest for renovations or other costs.
  • By refinancing your home loan for equity, you're keeping the costs in one loan.

Cons

  • You're losing your equity in the home.
  • Your loan repayments will go up.
  • Refinancing your loan can come with hefty costs like discharge fees and new application fees.
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Expert insight: How investing with equity helps

"There are very few 'free rides' when it comes to money, but investing with equity is as close as you can get. This strategy allows you to use the bank's money to invest, accelerating your progress further and faster than what you can do with just your savings alone. Any time you borrow, it's crucial you manage your risk, and this is why effectively planning is so important - but when this is done the right way you WILL get ahead faster. "

Financial adviser & founder, Pivot Wealth

Refinancing an owner occupier home loan to fund an investment property

Let's say you want to fund an investment property while still paying off your own home. If you have some equity in your home, you may be able to refinance your own home loan to fund the investment purchase.

Here's a quick explanation for how it works:

  1. You refinance your home loan and pull out some of your equity.
  2. You use this equity as a deposit on an investment property.
  3. You get an investment loan to cover the rest.
  4. You now have to pay off your newly refinanced home loan, plus the investment loan.
  5. If you rent out the investment property, you can cover much (or all) of the investment mortgage.

It's obviously a slightly complicated strategy. It involves getting a separate investment loan while also refinancing the loan on your own home and making that debt bigger.

The reason it can work is because the investment property will generate rental income and over time, hopefully, capital growth.

Here's a more detailed hypothetical.

Example: Brad wants access to his equity

Brad owns a home worth $500,000 and owes $200,000 on the mortgage. This means he has $300,000 in equity and a loan-to-value ratio (LVR) of 40%. After doing some research and speaking with his mortgage broker, Brad decides to buy an investment property. He refinances his existing mortgage with a new lender to get access the $200,000 of equity, which brings his LVR up to 80%.

Brad could've refinanced up to as much as a 90% LVR, giving him more to invest, but he decides not to as this would mean he'd have to pay a lender's mortgage insurance (LMI) premium.

With his $200,000, Brad buys an investment property and uses a combination of rental income and his salary to gradually pay it off.

Alternatives to refinancing to buy an investment property

  • Line of credit: Borrow against your equity to draw down cash funds for use as a deposit.
  • Home loan top-up: You can request to extend your existing loan limit further.
  • Reverse mortgage: If you're aged 60 or over you can borrow from your equity using a reverse mortgage. Interest is charged on what you borrow but you don't need to repay the debt until you sell the property or die.

Frequently asked questions

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Marc Terrano is a lead publisher and growth marketer at Finder. He has previously worked at Finder as a publisher for frequent flyer points and home loans, and as a writer, podcast host and content marketer. Marc has a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) from the University of Technology Sydney. He’s passionate about creating honest and simple reviews and comparisons to help everyone get value for money. See full bio

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Personal finance expert + media spokesperson

With over 20 years of experience in property, finance and investment journalism, Sarah is a trusted expert whose insights regularly appear across television, radio, and print media, including Sunrise, ABC News, and Yahoo! Finance. She has previously served as managing editor for Your Investment Property and Australian Broker, and her expert advice has been shared over 2,500 times in 2023-2024 alone. Sarah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Tier 1 Generic Knowledge certification, which complies with ASIC standards. See full bio

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2 Responses

    Default Gravatar
    TyronneFebruary 23, 2015

    I was wondering if you can transfer your equity from an investment property to your place of residence. E.g. I have a home valued at $265,000 and owe $130,000 then i have an investment rental property valued at $250,000 and a loan of $160,000

    can i refinance the rental so that i owe $200,000 and put the $40,000 onto my home loan so i only owe $90,000 on my house maximising the tax deductibility of my rental whilst minimising my current house loan?

      Shirley Liu's headshotFinder
      ShirleyFebruary 23, 2015Finder

      Hi Tyronne,

      Thanks for your question.

      Accessing your equity to put the funds into your main residence is definitely possible. If you find that none of these loans are suitable for your situation, there is always the option of speaking to a home loan broker. A broker can help you understand your financial position and they can leverage their panel of networks to find a lender that is more inclined to review your application.

      Regarding tax-deductibility, you will need to confirm this aspect with your trusted accountant.

      Cheers,
      Shirley

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