If my partner has owned property before, can I still get first home buyer benefits?

Buying jointly, generally no. The deposit schemes and most stamp duty concessions are lost when one buyer has owned before, apart from a small concession in some states.

Can I buy in my own name to keep first home buyer benefits?

Sometimes. Some lenders will assess you as a single applicant if your partner is financially independent, so the purchase is in your name only and the benefits stay yours.

Do any states give a partial first home buyer concession for couples?

Some do, reflecting the half of the property going to the buyer who has never owned. A conveyancer can confirm what applies in your state.

What first home buyer benefits do I lose when buying with a previous owner?

Generally the 5% deposit scheme eligibility and the stamp duty waivers, exemptions or concessions.

Is buying in one name a good idea?

It keeps the benefits but means one person owns the home. It suits some couples and not others; talk it through with each other and a solicitor, then check the numbers work on one income.

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My partner owned a house before. Am I still eligible for first home buyer benefits?

Bayley Clarke · Mortgage broker on the road · Last checked 1 September 2026 · 2 min read

The short answer

If you're buying jointly, generally no. Some states may give a slight concession reflecting that half the property is going to someone who hasn't owned before, and I've seen that in certain states. But by and large the rule is no. You forgo your first home buyer benefits when you buy with someone who has already owned.

There is one way around it. Some lenders will let you buy on your own as a first home buyer and treat you as single from a living expense standpoint, providing your partner is financially independent. That can let you keep your benefits instead of forgoing them completely.

The one minute version. The rest of this page is the detail underneath it.

The rule, and the small exception

First home buyer benefits attach to the people on the contract, and if one of them has owned before, the joint purchase generally isn't a first home. That means no deposit scheme, and generally no stamp duty waivers, exemptions or concessions.

Some states do recognise that 50% of the property is going to someone who has never owned, and give a slight discount for that half. Your conveyancer can confirm whether your state does. In my experience, we generally just say no, you're forgoing it, because you pretty much are. You've just got to suck it up. It's part of it.

The way around it: buying on your own

There are instances where you can buy on your own as a first home buyer. Some lenders will allow you to be treated as single from a household living expense standpoint, providing your partner is financially independent.

That matters because a lender assessing you as a single applicant, with your income and your expenses, can approve a loan in your name alone. The property is yours, the first home benefits are yours, and your partner's history doesn't come into it. Not every lender does this, and it changes what you can borrow, so it's a numbers conversation rather than a default.

The honest bit: solo ownership is a real decision, not a trick

Buying in one name to keep the benefits works on paper. In life it means one person owns the home you both live in. That's fine for plenty of couples and a bad idea for others, and it's a conversation for the two of you and a solicitor before it's a conversation with me.

What I can tell you is whether the numbers work on one income, and how much benefit you'd actually be keeping. Sometimes it's tens of thousands. Sometimes it's not worth the structure.

Want to know what the benefits are worth in your case?

A 30 minute call. I run the joint version and the solo version side by side, so you can see what you'd keep, what you could borrow each way, and whether it's worth the conversation. Nothing on your file.

Book a 30 minute call Call 0437 189 939

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