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Can I add my partner to my home loan down the track?
Bayley Clarke · Mortgage broker on the road · Last checked 1 November 2026 · 3 min read
The short answer
Yes, absolutely. If you're in a de facto relationship, or of course you're married, you can bring your partner onto your loan. You don't necessarily need to add them as an owner of the property through the land titles office as well.
As long as you're both in agreement and there's a benefit to doing it that we can explain to the bank, it can be done. Just bear in mind why you're doing it, and what the legal side looks like if you ever separate. That part is a question for a lawyer.
The 60 second version, filmed from the driver's seat. The rest of this page is the detail underneath it.
What adding a partner actually involves
Adding someone to a home loan isn't a form you fill in at the branch. The bank treats it a lot like a new application. Your partner gets credit checked, their income and debts go into the picture, and the bank looks at whether the loan still makes sense with both of you on it. In practice, it's often done as a refinance, either with your current lender or a new one.
That's why there needs to be a reason. Maybe your partner's income helps you borrow more for a renovation, maybe you want the loan to reflect that you're paying it together now, or maybe you're restructuring and want both names on the debt. Whatever it is, we explain it to the bank as part of the application.
The loan and the title are two different things
Being on the loan means you're responsible for the debt. Being on the title means you own the property. They don't always have to match. Some lenders will let a partner join the loan without going on the title, while plenty want everyone on the loan to be on the title as well, or will take a non-owner partner as a guarantor instead. That's a lender-by-lender question.
If you do want your partner on the title too, that's a transfer through the land titles office, and it can come with its own costs, including stamp duty in some cases. Some states have exemptions for transfers between spouses on the family home. Check with your conveyancer and your state revenue office before you assume it's free.
Think about why before you do it
You want to bear in mind why you're doing it. Joining the loan means your partner is responsible for the whole debt, not half of it, and their credit file now carries it. If the main reason is borrowing more, the bank will assess both of you as a household, debts and all.
And think about what happens if you ever separate. How property and debts are split between married or de facto couples is a legal question, and I'm not a lawyer, so that part needs a proper conversation with one. What I can do is work out whether adding your partner helps from the bank's side, and which lender will let you do it the way you want.
The honest bit: it's not always the bank's call to make easy
Some lenders make this simple, some make you go through a full new application, and some won't do it at all without the title changing too. If your current bank says no, it doesn't mean it can't be done, it might just mean a different lender.
Get the legal and stamp duty side checked before anything is signed. Those are the two bits that can turn a simple change into an expensive one.
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Next question
My partner and I earn very different amounts. How does the bank look at us as a household?The bank adds both take-home incomes together, then takes off your debts and living expenses.
Related answers
The full guide: Why is my borrowing power so low? I want to buy with my partner, but we're not married. What happens if we break up? How much could I borrow on my own, without my partner on the loan? Can I refinance my loan later, or am I locked in? Can my parents go on the loan with me instead of being guarantors?Not your question? Book a call and ask it, or call 0437 189 939.