Start with a complete, continuous 12-month record of your existing home loan. It can help a broker review repayment conduct and explore whether a streamlined refinance may be available. Statements alone do not establish eligibility or guarantee approval.

If you’re a self-employed plumber, electrician, carpenter or other tradie, your home loan may have started with a non-bank lender when a low-doc option suited your circumstances. A year of good repayments is a reason to review the loan, rather than assume you have to keep paying the same rate.

What should I gather before the first review?

• Complete home-loan statements covering the latest 12 months, with no missing date ranges.

• Statements for every split of the loan you want reviewed.

• Your current balance, interest rate, repayment amount and remaining loan term.

• Whether the loan is principal and interest or interest-only, fixed or variable.

• Your estimated property value and whether it is your home or an investment.

• A short explanation of what you want to change: rate, repayment, features or lender.

If your statements do not show the current rate or term, note that separately. Start with the review before paying for a valuation or collecting documents a lender may not need.

How to download a useful statement pack

1. Open your lender’s statement or document section in internet banking.

2. Download the available PDF statements covering the full review period. A six-monthly statement cycle may require more than one PDF.

3. Check that the dates connect without gaps and the account belongs to the borrower being assessed.

4. Include all pages. Keep the originals rather than combining cropped screenshots.

Do not post statements or identification in social-media comments. Contact Matthew first to arrange a suitable way to provide documents.

What can a broker learn from the statements?

Statements help show the loan balance and repayment transactions over time. They can flag questions about missed payments, arrears, changes to the loan or unexplained gaps. Depending on the lender, further repayment evidence or credit-report information may be needed.

A payment visible on a statement does not by itself prove the account met every scheduled payment obligation. The review must consider the loan’s terms and the lender’s records, rather than just count deposits.

What statements do not prove

They do not replace every check in a loan assessment. A lender may still review your credit history, living expenses, other debts, business circumstances, income or declarations, property security and equity. Cash-out, changed borrowers, a longer term or a different loan purpose may affect the pathway available.

“Easy Refi” describes a potentially simpler assessment route for eligible borrowers. It does not mean every self-employed person can refinance without any further evidence.

Hypothetical example: a missing loan split

Alex is a self-employed electrician with a home loan split between a variable account and a fixed account. He downloads 12 months of statements for the variable split only. Before comparing lenders, Matthew asks for the second split, the fixed-rate expiry and a current estimate of any break cost. Looking at the whole loan avoids an incomplete repayment review and a misleading savings estimate. This is an illustration, not a client result.

What happens after the review?

I’ll explain whether a streamlined option appears worth exploring, what further information may be needed and which costs or features need closer attention. If that pathway does not suit you, we can discuss other ways to assess the loan. An initial review is not a lender approval or a binding rate quote.

For the overview and plumber example, read Easy Refi for self-employed borrowers. Before deciding to switch, read the refinance costs and break-even guide.

Frequently asked questions

Do 12 months of clean repayments guarantee approval?

No. Repayment history is a starting point. Credit conduct, property, equity, affordability and the chosen lender’s rules still matter.

Do screenshots count as loan statements?

Download the lender’s complete PDF statements where possible. Screenshots may miss transactions, account details or parts of the review period. The lender decides what evidence is acceptable.

Will I need tax returns or business financials?

Some eligible borrowers may have a streamlined option. Others will need alternative income evidence or a full document assessment. The requirements depend on the lender and your situation.

Ask Matthew to review my options

Explore Easy Refi, call Matthew on 0423 237 242 or email Matthew. Start with your current lender, approximate balance and rate, then arrange a suitable way to provide statements.

General information only. Eligibility, documentation, rates and lending criteria vary. Fees and loan terms affect the overall benefit. Any refinance is subject to lender assessment and approval. Examples are hypothetical and are not a recommendation to refinance.