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What does the bank need if I'm relocating for work?
Bayley Clarke · Mortgage broker on the road · Last checked 3 September 2026 · 4 min read
The short answer
Generally when people ask this, they want to buy where they're moving to before they've actually moved. The biggest thing the lender wants to understand is how your income or employment changes when you move.
Same company, different office: a transfer approval usually does it. Remote: banks understand that now. Quitting and starting fresh in the new state: the bank wants you moved and the new role secured first, and then most are fine with probation as long as it's the same or a similar line of work.
The 90 second version. The rest of this page is the detail underneath it.
Same employer, new location
If you're staying with the same company and moving offices, that's pretty self-explanatory. Oftentimes the bank is going to want confirmation and approval that you've been transferred, or that your request to transfer has been approved. A letter from your employer confirming the new location, start date and that your salary and position are unchanged covers it.
If you work remote, then great. That's pretty standard now and banks understand it. Your income doesn't change because your postcode does, and the application looks like any other.
New job in the new place
Sometimes you're having to quit and get a new job in the new state or area you're moving to. Then, of course, the banks aren't going to let you buy that next property until you've moved and secured the new role. They can't assess income from a job you don't have yet.
Once you're in the new job and on probation, the banks are pretty fine with it nowadays, providing it's in the same or similar industry and a similar occupation. Where they differ is how much time they want. Some lenders have no minimum tenure at all and will work off a contract and one payslip. Others want three months in the role, and a few want six. The most common substitute is 12 months in the same industry before the move, which most banks accept in place of time with the new employer. A short gap between jobs is fine almost everywhere. A gap of more than a couple of months trips some lenders and is ignored by others. The detail is on home loans on probation.
The timing that actually works
The version that works is: secure the role, get the contract, move, and apply with the contract plus your employment history in the industry. With the right lender that can be a pre-approval within weeks of starting. The version that doesn't work is trying to buy in the new town on your old job's income while telling the bank you're about to resign.
If the move is a transfer and you own where you are now, the other question is whether you sell, bridge, or keep the current place as a rental and buy in the new town on equity. That's on do I have to sell or can I keep it as a rental.
The honest bit: there are a few things we need to check
It isn't just that the bank will give you the money to buy a property before you've moved. The employment side is the big one, but the property itself matters too: a bank's appetite for a house in a small regional town can be different from a capital city, and the deposit can move with it.
None of it is a no. It's a checklist, and it's short. I'd rather run it before you make an offer than after.
Moving for work and want to buy before you land?
A 30 minute call. Tell me the move, transfer or new job, and where you're buying. I'll tell you what the bank needs, which lenders suit the timing, and when you can realistically make an offer.
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Next question
Do I pay for the bank valuation?Buying somewhere you don't know yet: the valuation is your check on the price.
Related answers
Do I pay for the bank valuation? Can I refinance while on maternity or parental leave? Can I get a home loan on probation or after switching jobs?Not your question? Book a call and ask it, or call 0437 189 939.